FAQ

We always recommend that athletes try out with their grade, even if you’re young for your grade and qualify for a lower age group per the USAV Age Chart (e.x.; 9th Grade = U15; 10th Grade = U16). We will find the best placement from there. 

 If an athlete is too old to participate in their grade, they should try out with the older age group.

Please refer to our Age Definition Chart for more information. If your athlete would prefer to play down, you may notify Angela (admin@northeastvbc.com) and your program director (Girls- garrett@northeastvbc.com & shawn@northeastvbc.com/Boys- jon@northeastvbc.com) before tryouts, but they will still try out with their grade for maximum opportunities.

Your tryout fee allows you to attend every tryout for your age group. We advise that you come to as many sessions as possible so as to increase your time in front of our staff and paint a clearer picture of your game.

*GIRLS ONLY: Athletes in the U14, U15, and U16 age groups will be assigned a wave to attend on each day of tryouts. This wave will be assigned to you three (3) days before the first tryout for your age group. Athletes will not get to choose their own wave. Requests to switch will not be accommodated.

Yes, online registration is required for tryouts. We will not be able to accept walk-up registrations.

No, you cannot attend any club volleyball events if your Varsity team is still in the CIAC state tournament; however, we will have tryout sessions after the CIAC state finals. This does not apply to FAA, NY, or other private/prep schools (only CT CIAC schools). If you are a JV or freshman player, you can attend club events once your season is over, UNLESS you are double-rostered or pulled up to the Varsity roster. It is always best to check with your high school coach or AD regarding in-season eligibility questions.

Our tryouts are closed to staff and athletes only. Parents and guardians are encouraged to drop off their athlete. Please note that parents and guardians may not go onto the courts or address the court coaches and evaluators at any time during tryouts.

Four main factors are weighed when evaluating teams

• Current Skill Level - Assessment of "General Skills" and "Position Specific" skills.

• Physical Potential (i.e. height, speed, and vertical leap) - These are important factors in volleyball, and will be weighted heavily for athletes looking to play on an Open level team.

• Coachability and Mindfulness - The ability to learn and be mindful are important indicators of potential in our gym. We actively coach the athletes during tryouts and look to see who is learning and applying feedback.

• Leadership and Communication - These are essential to volleyball as a team sport and are considered heavily, especially when athletes are similar in skill.

Other evaluation factors include: Volleyball IQ, Commitment Level, Work Ethic, and Attitude

We take pride in our evaluation process having integrity. We will NEVER offer an athlete a spot without seeing them play live OR watching current film that the athlete has sent us. Athletes are evaluated using qualitative metrics by multiple coaches during tryouts. Using this data, athletes will be ranked by position and then assigned to teams based on their position rankings and/or adjacent positions. We ensure a fair evaluation by briefing our staff about bias and excluding the evaluations of any athlete's high school coach who may be part of our staff.

We will begin to offer some spots immediately after each session and will continue making offers a few days after tryouts.

BOYS TEAMS: This season, we will again have one Open team at the U15-U18 levels. We also plan to field one-two Club teams at the U14-U18 levels. For Academy teams, we will offer teams at the U14-U18 levels. For Launch teams, we will offer U12-U16 teams. U12-U14 teams will be Coed while there will be separate Boys/Girls teams for U15+.

​Click here to see our 24-25 Boys teams.

GIRLS TEAMS: This season, we will again have one Open team at the U14-U18 levels. We also plan to field at least one Club team at the U12-U18 levels and up to two Club teams at the U16 levels. For Academy teams, we will have 3-4 teams at the U13/U14, U15, U16 levels, as well as 2-3 U17 teams. For Launch teams we will offer U12-U16 teams. U12-U14 Launch teams will be Coed while there will be separate Boys/Girls teams for U15+.

​Click here to see our 24-25 Girls teams.

BOYS: Varies from 10-12 players with 2-3 practice players (attend all team training but no tournaments)

GIRLS: Varies from 10-12 players with 1-3 practice players (attend all team training but no tournaments)*

*U18 Rosters may have up to 14 athletes

Don’t be pressured; call or text us first at 203-939-7413! We may not be able to guarantee a spot if tryouts are ongoing, but we believe in transparency throughout this process and will be very honest about where you stand.

In order to best differentiate between the numerous offerings each team receives, we use the following terms to describe the various programs, starting with the highest level of time, financial, and travel commitment. We've also made this flowchart to show the various team options for Boys and Girls athletes at different ages and levels!

Level: Open, Club, Academy, Launch

Team Name:

• Open & Club Teams - 17.1, 17.2

• Academy Teams - 17 Blue, 17 Orange, 17 Black

To read more detail about the various levels, check out our Boys Club and Girls Club pages.

We do not reserve any team spots for prior season athletes. We believe athletes have to earn their spot on a team every year during a fair tryout, which is how we will continue to build the most competitive teams in the area.

When you register for tryouts, there is a form field to include a video link when you register for tryouts. Your video should be a link to YouTube, Balltime, Hudl, or something similar.

Yes, we welcome new athletes into all of our programs every season! We are always excited to meet new athletes and to get the chance to coach them.