DID YOU KNOW? USA Volleyball (USAV) is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) as the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of volleyball and beach volleyball in the United States and is totally invested in creating volleyball as a lifetime sport for all. USAV nominates the U.S. indoor and beach Olympic teams and the Paralympic sitting teams. USAV, in partnership with the USOC, sets the standards for volleyball at all levels to ensure consistent rules, safety, officiating, scorekeeping, facilities and coaching. USAV works to protect children by requiring EVERY adult older than the age of 18 working with junior players to have a comprehensive background screening performed every two years. USAV membership includes an insurance protection package. Your USAV membership helps support our National, Olympic and Paralympic teams in all disciplines (indoor, beach and sitting) at all levels (youth, junior and senior) in both genders. Your USAV membership helps “grow the game,” fostering a climate of greater understanding and friendship through the sport. USAV is the only national sport organization that trains coaches and officials at all levels.
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MAJOR 2017 USA VOLLEYBALL EVENTS April 13-15: NCVF National Championships Tournament (Kansas City, Kan.) April 21-23: USAV Girls’ 18s Junior National Championship (Dallas, Texas) May 26-31: USAV Open National Championships (Minneapolis, Minn.) June 25-July 4: USAV Girls’ Junior National Championships (Minneapolis, Minn.) July 1-8: USAV Boys’ Junior National Championships (Columbus, Ohio) July 6-8: Beach HP Collegiate Championships [U21/U23] (Huntington Beach, Calif.) July 18-22: USAV High Performance Championships (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) July 20-25: Junior Beach Tour Championships (Siesta Key, Fla.) Aug. 18-19: USAV Cup – U.S. Men vs. Brazil (Hoffman Estates, Ill.)
Learn more about USA Volleyball on our web site at usavolleyball.org and on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, Pinterest and Google+. We are @usavolleyball.
Aug. 27-29: USAV Cup – U.S. Women vs Brazil (Anaheim, Calif.) Sept. 25-Oct. 1: NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship (Colorado Springs, Colo.) July 29-Aug. 1: Beach HP Junior Championships [U13-19] (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) For more information on USA Volleyball events, visit our web site at usavolleyball.org
U.S. SITTING NATIONAL TEAMS
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he U.S. Women’s Sitting Team made its dream come true in 2016 when it won the program’s first Paralympic gold medal by beating China 3-0 in the final in Rio de Janeiro. Prior to its gold medal, the U.S. Women’s Sitting Team had won silver at the 2008 and 2012 Paralympics and bronze at the 2004 Paralympics when women’s sitting volleyball made its Paralympic debut. The victory gave the U.S. Women’s the world No. 1 ranking for the first time ever. Heather Erickson was named tournament most valuable player and best receiver at the Paralympics, while Lora Webster received best blocker. Erickson finished with 65 points (54 kills, six blocks, four aces) and 36 excellent service receptions with 48 percent positive rating on serve receive. Webster led all blockers with
19 blocks and 38 rebounds, 15 more than any other blocker. The U.S. Women got a hint of what was to come earlier in the season when they beat China twice at the Intercontinental Cup in China. The U.S. Men’s Sitting Team earned first trip to the Paralympic Games since 2004 and competed well against strong competition. The Men’s Team, which qualified for the Paralympic Games at the 2015 Parapan American Games, placed eighth in Rio. The team was disappointed that it didn’t win a match, but played very well in several matches pushing Germany to a fifth set, 13-15 outcome. For more information on USA Volleyball sitting teams, visit bit.ly/USAVSit
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U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
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fter a busy 2016 season that included winning the Olympic Games bronze medal and the FIVB World Grand Prix silver, the U.S. Women’s National Team is looking forward to building on that success in 2017. Team USA entered the Olympics ranked No. 1 in the world and went 5-0 in Pool B, defeating Puerto Rico, Netherlands, Serbia, Italy and China. The U.S. breezed by Japan in the quarterfinals, which saw all four teams from Pool B advance to the semifinals. In the semis against Serbia, American star middle Foluke Akinradewo was injured near the end of the first set in a 25-20 U.S. victory. The U.S. could not overcome her absence in losing in five sets despite leading 11-8 in the final frame. Team USA bounced back
to win the bronze-medal match over Netherlands. Akinradewo and Alisha Glass were named to the Olympic Dream Team as best blocker and best setter, respectively. Earlier in the year the U.S. Women won the NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament in front of 10,000-plus of fans in Lincoln, Nebraska, to earn a spot in the Olympics. In 2017, the U.S. Women will host Brazil Aug. 27 & Aug. 29 in the USA Volleyblal Cup in Anaheim. They will also compete at the FIVB World Grand Prix, the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup and Pan American Cup.
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For more information on the U.S. Women’s National Team bit.ly/USAVwnt
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U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
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he U.S. Men’s National Team is riding the momentum of its 2016 Olympic bronze medal performance into the 2017 season. The U.S. Men won the bronze by battling back from an 0-2 start at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. They won three straight pool play matches to advance to the quarterfinals, where they swept Poland. The U.S. suffered a difficult 3-2 loss to Italy in the semifinals and played Russia for the bronze medal. In the third-place match, the U.S. came back from an 0-2 deficit to beat Russia, 23-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-13, led by veteran outside hitter Reid Priddy, who entered the match as a substitute in the second set. It was the fifth men’s volleyball medal – the second bronze to go with three
gold medals – for the United States in the Olympic Games. Reigning Olympic champion Russia, the most decorated men’s team in history, was left off the podium for the first time since Atlanta in 1996. The bronze-medal finish improved the U.S. Men’s FIVB ranking from fifth to tied-for-second with Poland. The bronze-medal finish improved the U.S. Men’s FIVB ranking from fifth to tied-forsecond with Poland. In 2017, the U.S. Men are scheduled to compete in the FIVB World League and Champions Cup. They will also host the NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship on Sept 24-Oct. 2 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
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For more information on the U.S. Men’s National Team bit.ly/USAVmnt
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BEACH NATIONAL TEAMS
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he USA Volleyball Beach National Program proved itself as one of the best in the world again by qualifying four teams for the 2016 Olympic Games. The U.S. team of April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings won the bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro, beating world No. 1 ranked Larissa Franca and Talita Antunes of Brazil in the third-place match. Ross is now a two-time Olympic medalist, winning silver in London 2012, and Walsh Jennings is a fourtime Olympic medalist, winning gold in 2004, 2008 and 2012. Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena finished fifth for the best U.S. men’s placement. Other U.S. beach teams competing at the Rio Olympics were Jake Gibb/Casey Patterson and Lauren Fendrick/Brooke Sweat.
On the 2016 FIVB World Tour, the U.S. women won five gold, two silver and two bronze medals, while the U.S. men finished with four golds, silvers and bronzes each. In 2016, USA Volleyball unveiled its dedicated weight and training rooms for Beach National Program athletes in Torrance, Calif.
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Dalhausser and Lucena have stayed together but the 2017 season will see several other new teams competing. Ross and Walsh Jennings have split. Gibb is now competing with Taylor Crabb while Patterson is with Theo Brunner. Sweat is competing with Summer Ross.
For more information about USA Volleyball beach programs, visit bit.ly/BeachVB
NORCECA
INDOOR HIGH PERFORMANCE
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SA Volleyball Indoor High Performance is the pipeline for volleyball athletes and coaches who aspire to reach the elite level of their sport and one day compete for a spot on the U.S. National and Olympic teams. High Performance bridges the gap between the U.S. National Teams and youth volleyball programs across the country. This is done through a system of nationwide tryouts in which the High Performance Department works to evaluate and identify the top volleyball players in the country and place them in national training and competition programs to train with the top High Performance National Team coaches in the United States. The most elite level of training and competition is with the U.S. Youth and Junior National Teams. These players represent the United States of America in international competition and play against the best youth and junior
teams in the world. High Performance also offers a tiered system of training programs to serve high performing athletes of all ages. These programs are the highest level in the country and the only which offer the opportunity to advance and represent your country on an international stage. This is a unique opportunity for elite players to come together to train, compete, create new friendships, and showcase their volleyball skills to High Performance and collegiate coaches. Every athlete’s first step to get involved is to attend one of USA Volleyball High Performance National Team Tryouts at a convenient location. The tryout consists of a brief series of physical tests followed by an age and position specific volleyball evaluation. Players are assessed by High Performance coaches on all skills pertinent to the position they select to play against the National High Performance standard
for that age group. The duration of each tryout is approximately four hours. Tryouts are a fun and exciting opportunity to compete with many of the top players in the country. Results for tryouts are communicated at the end of April, followed by the opportunity for athletes to register for the summer program they have earned.
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JUNIOR BEACH TOUR
GIVES KIDS CHANCE TO PLAY IN THE SAND
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he USAV Junior Beach Tour offers tournaments for boys and girls ages 10 to 18. The age divisions are 12-and-Under, 14U, 16U and 18U in Open and Club categories. The 2017 Junior Beach Tour has more than 60 scheduled events and will be adding more as the season rolls on. Tournaments are
one to two days, with pool play and playoffs. The teams are comprised of two male or two female players. Players will have the opportunity to earn bids (invitations) to the USAV Junior Beach Tour National Championships. Open events award three bids per division, per gender and Grand Slam events award five bids per division, per gender.
For more information about USA Volleyball beach programs, visit bit.ly/BeachVB
BEACH HIGH PERFORMANCE
GETS PLAYERS IN THE PIPELINE
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he USA Volleyball Beach High Performance Program is the most prestigious junior and collegiate beach volleyball program in the country and is recognized as one of the premier international pipeline development programs in the world. Entry into USAV Beach High Performance junior programs is based upon selection at one of the USAV Beach High Performance Tryouts held in each of the four USAV Zones in March and April 2017. Each tryout will include training and evaluation where athletes strive to be selected for the USAV Junior Beach National Team (A1), USAV Junior Beach Zonal Teams (A2), and USAV High Performance A3 and A4 teams.
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USA VOLLEYBALL MAJOR INDOOR GIRLS’ JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS The 38th Annual USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships (GJNC) will be held June 25-July 4 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minnesota. The USAV GJNC attracts more than 13,000 athletes and more than 25,000 spectators annually. The tournament crowns 26 champions in age divisions ranging from 11 to 17. The event, showcasing the top talent from across the nation, also draws hundreds of college recruiters looking for the next stars for their programs.
For more information, visit bit.ly/USAVgjnc
GIRLS’ 18S JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS The 2017 USA Volleyball Girls’ 18s Junior National Championships was held April 2123 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas. This is the second year the 18s have been a standalone event. The event crowned winners in the U18 Open, National, USA, American, USA and Patriot Divisions The move to break off the 18-and-under divisions from the GJNC was in response to a growing trend of seniors in high school looking to end their club season earlier than the traditional timeframe of late June into early July.
For more information, visit bit.ly/17GJNC18s
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NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS BOYS’ JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
OPEN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 38th Annual USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships (BJNC) will be held July 1-8 at the Columbus Convention Center in Ohio. The BJNC attracts 400-plus teams and 4,500-plus athletes. The event will have Open Division titles in each age group from 14 to 18, while offering club titles for each age from 12 to 18.
USA Volleyball has showcased its Open National Championships for more than 85 years since the organization’s founding in 1928, except for 1943 and 1944 during the height of World War II.
Not only is this a tournament to portray talent from all over the country, it is also a chance for college recruiters to find potential players for their programs.
The USAV Open National Championships have been a mainstay celebrating adult volleyball nationally. With hundreds of teams and thousands of players participating, the event is one of the largest national championships in any sport in the United States, and features the sport of volleyball from coast-to-coast. This year’s event, the 88th, will be held May 26-31 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The event features 28 championships in Open, Club (skill), Masters (age) and sitting divisions.
For more information, visit bit.ly/USAVbjnc
For more information, visit bit.ly/USAVopens
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USA VOLLEYBALL REGIONS
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KEY USAV MEMBER BENEFITS
SA Volleyball headquarters is in Colorado Springs, Colorado, home of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC). USAV had three branch offices: Anaheim, California, is the official host city of the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams; Torrance, California, is home to the USAV Beach Programs and the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond hosts the U.S. Women’s and Men’s Sitting Teams.
The opportunity to play in highquality, exciting USAV-sanctioned competitions – both indoor and outdoor – open only to USAV members.
The 40 Regional Volleyball Associations (RVAs) of USA Volleyball are responsible for programming at the local level. They register members, conduct coaches and officials training, and administer competitions within their geographical areas.
Insurance protection package
The chance to become a USAVaccredited coach or official. USAV is the only volleyball organization to accredit these positions. Since 1977, more than 100,000 coaches have received training at the varying levels of accreditation.
Eligibility to try out for and participate on regional and national high performance teams including Team USA squads that compete internationally in zonal and world championship events. Participation in an extensive recognition program that presents awards in categories for male and female individual athletes, teams, coaches, officials/scorers, junior representatives, sports medicine and leaders of the sport.
For more information on USAV regions, visit bit.ly/USAVrva
USAV COACHING ACCREDITATION PROGRAM
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he USA Volleyball Coaching Accreditation Program (USAV CAP) provides an opportunity for professional preparation and advancement for volleyball coaches. The curriculum addresses essential topics for coaches from volunteers to those who aspire to coach internationally. USAV Education offers the following courses: IMPACT (indoor) Beach IMPACT CAP Level I, II and III Beach CAP Level I and II Volleyball Conditioning Clinics (six-week preseason and 12-week off-season) Various individual Modules on varying topics for recertification credits Each course level builds upon the previous level and includes a special emphasis on laying the foundation for a well-prepared coach.
USAV CAP has helped coaches further their coaching education since 1988. In that time, more than 40,000 coaches have taken USAV Coaching Education Courses across the United States.
PHILOSOPHY Any player who enters a volleyball program has the right to expect quality coaching and instruction. USA Volleyball’s CAP program strives to present an ongoing, progressive format in which coaches at all levels receive the most current information available on the sport. USAV CAP instruction is based on sound principles in the following areas: Coaching philosophy and styles Professional ethics and athlete safeguards Skills development Drill and practice development Team systems development
Physical training Motor learning Sports psychology and team building Team administration. USAV Education is also on board and committed to the USOC SafeSport certification program, and includes this important information within the IMPACT and CAP/BCAP courses. USAV CAP is intended to provide coaching standards for those administrators employing coaches to have a valid means for measuring the qualifications of a given volleyball coach. The USAV Coaching Accreditation Program requires continuing education to keep a certification status current due to the dynamic evolution of the game. The four solid corners of the program are integrity, education, commitment and enthusiasm. These are the qualities of any successful coach and program.
Individual and team tactics For more information, visit bit.ly/USAVcap
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VOLLEYBALL AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
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here are several opportunities for both male and female volleyball players to continue competing after high school. Of course, some players will go on to play volleyball in college (NCAA Division I, II, III; NAIA; and two-year college). Sand volleyball is also an NCAA championship sport for women.
Open National Championships. Check with your local YMCA and parks and recreation department for more information.
For those who don’t play for their collegiate varsity team, many colleges and universities also field club volleyball teams. The National Collegiate Volleyball Federation (NCVF) provides organized competition for club teams. After college, players can compete for local club and recreational teams that can compete at the USA Volleyball ClubVolleyballPhotos.com
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ClubVolleyballPhotos.com
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ARE YOU SAFESPORT CERTIFIED?
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SA Volleyball is committed to providing a fun, healthy environment for all its members to enjoy the sport of volleyball. Through a proactive approach of education and awareness, USAV hopes to keep all members protected by preventing misconduct.
This 90-minute course, which includes a test and certification after the program, discusses the forms of misconduct as well as how to avoid questionable situations and how to respond when misconduct is reported. To take the course, visit training.safesport.org.
SafeSport, a program that USA Volleyball has adopted for its membership, works toward a healthy and supportive competition environment for all participants. The goal of SafeSport is to recognize, reduce and respond to misconduct in sport.
USA Volleyball has strived to be proactive with SafeSport certification. As of 2017, all adults participating in a junior national championship, including coaches, officials, chaperones and staff, will be SafeSport certified.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport has developed a free online training course as a resource for educating members on SafeSport.
SafeSport has been included in the coaching education IMPACT and Beach IMPACT curricula since the 2014-15 season. All members who take and complete the newest current version of IMPACT and Beach IMPACT will also be SafeSport certified.
There are many great resources for athletes, coaches and parents on USA Volleyball’s SafeSport website at bit.ly/USAVSafeSport.
Don Liebig
FIVB
PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
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THE RULES OF THE GAME Q. What is a net violation? It seems like some net contacts are not whistled. A. Net contact by a player is called a fault when a player contacts the net between the antennas in the action of playing the ball. This is a recent USA Volleyball rule. Q. Why does one player on the court have a different-colored jersey? A. The libero is a special defensive player. There are actions not permitted by this player according to the rules of the game. The contrasting color jersey makes this player distinctly different from all other players on the court, making him/her instantly recognizable to the referee so all playing actions can be judged according to the rules for the libero. Q. How does a referee decide when to whistle a lift? A. In the rules of the game, the “lift” is defined as a caught or thrown ball. So the referee will whistle a fault when a player catches and/or throws the ball. The referee does not judge body
position, or portion of the body that contacts the ball, only whether the ball was actually caught or thrown. Q. How can the refs tell when it’s a double touch on a set? A. Clearly, this is a difficult call to make. The referee does not judge spin or how the ball is released by the player. The referee must only judge what is seen. So if he/she sees two contacts, the whistle will be blown. Each referee strives for consistency in whistling this fault from the first contact of the match through the final contact of the match. Q. What is the difference between the terms game/set/match? A. Basically, it is the game of volleyball. Teams compete in a match, usually the best of five or the best of three. The match consists of sets. So to win a match that is the best of three, a team must win two sets. Q. Why doesn’t the referee whistle a fault when a player clearly has a double hit on the first contact for a team?
A. Remember, a double hit is allowed by the rules on a team’s first contact, no matter if off a serve, hard-driven spike, or a free ball, as long as the player does not make two attempts to play the ball. Q. What is a block and does it count as a contact for that team? A. A block is an action by a player to intercept an attacked ball from the opponent. A block does not constitute a contact, so when the ball is contacted by a block, and continues on to the player’s side of the court, the team has all three contacts remaining. Q. What is rally scoring? A. Rally scoring means that whenever a ball is served, a point will always be scored – unless of course, there is a replay. So if the receiving team wins the rally, it will also score a point.
BECOME AN OFFICIAL
Are you interested in becoming a volleyball official or scorer? USA Volleyball provides training for all levels, including indoor, junior and beach officiating and scoring. To find out more information or to get started in the process, visit volleyballreftraining.com
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