Who are the coaches? Our coaching staff is comprised of college coaches, high school coaches, and college student-athletes who are committed to our mission. We work hard to train our staff so they are knowledgeable about the game and use up to date training techniques. All of our team coaches work alongside lead coaches who are very experienced. Our coaches all have passed a background check through AAU and are certified on dealing with concussions.
2015-2016 Lead Coaches
Ryan Manning, Associate Head Coach, Western Michigan University
Kyle Stahl, Assistant Coach, Western Michigan University
Arnie Kengis, Assistant Coach, Kalamazoo College
Where do you practice? Our club and all affiliated programming is run through The Courthouse Athletic Center of Kalamazoo at 7365 S. Sprinkle Road in Portage.
What are the costs to participate? Pricing varies based on the program. Please see other pages on this website to view programming information and payment details.Are there payment plans available? Yes you will have the option to pay all of your club fees up front or you can choose a payment plan, which will have additional fees. We accept cash or check presented in person or sent via US Mail. We also accept credit card payments through the website (www.dffovolleyball.org). More information will be posted closer to tryouts.Is there any other financial assistance with club fees? Yes! We do a cookie sale twice a year where you are able to sell cookie dough. Half of what you sell goes toward your club fees. We also participate in SCRIP. It’s a program where you buy gift cards and a percentage goes toward your club fees. You can learn more at our parent meeting prior to the season starting. If you have a special financial need, please contact a club director.
What are tryouts like? Tryouts will consist of skill testing and game play situations, with each age group having two tryout dates. Please plan to attend both tryout dates. We have several coaches facilitating the tryout and even more coaches evaluating each player. Players are assigned a tryout number so that everyone is on an equal level. We assume that every player going through tryouts wants to participate. After tryouts, we will post teams on our website. You will look for your tryout number to see which team you have been placed on. If for some reason, we cannot place an athlete on a team, you will get an individual email and at that time, the athlete can be put on our waiting list. However, we will do everything in our power to place every player who tries out for a team.
How are teams selected? Teams are created based on ability level. For our national and 6 month teams this could mean that ages are combined if they are of similar ability level. For 3 month teams, players are typically placed in their grade level first then separated by ability level.
Do I have to attend National tryouts and a Regional tryout to be considered for both? We would prefer that you attend both so we can see you with the rest of the players wanting to be considered for each level. You will have the opportunity to indicate your preference for consideration during the tryout registration process.
What do I do if I'm trying out at multiple clubs and the dates/times overlap? We certainly encourage families to explore all options when it comes to selecting a club. We just ask that you communicate openly with us and let us know about these conflicts. We are more than happy to work with you. Just keep in mind the more we see you, the more thorough evaluation we are able to conduct.
Are parents allowed to watch the tryout process? Of course! We do ask that you make every effort to not distract the participants or our coaching staff. Please note that at all times only tryout participants and our coaching staff are allowed on the courts.
Can a player who did not play before have a fair shot at making a top team? Yes! Each girl has an equal opportunity to make a top team. Bottom line…if your daughter deserves to make a top team, she will.
Does my daughter have to play in the age division that she falls under? We strongly recommend that each athlete plays in there age group until they’re 17. The last few years we have allowed 17 year olds to play up in 18s. Like all situations, special circumstances will arise and the directors will be happy to discuss those circumstances further.
How many teams will you have per age division? For our national teams we will have 1 team per age group (13-15). We anticipate having two 16s and two 18s team. For our regional sites, we will have as many teams in each age group as long as we feel it is a viable team. We will do everything that we can to place every athlete who tries out.
How much is it to tryout? We have a $50 nonrefundable tryout fee. You only pay the tryout fee one time and you can attend as many different tryouts as you would like.
What if my daughter is chosen for a team, but we choose not to play? The number one thing we ask during the tryout process is that you be up front with us if you’re considering multiple clubs. We do assume that if you’re at our tryout, you’re planning to play. If you withdraw after you have accepted your team placement, you will be responsible for all club dues and team costs for the 2015-2016 club season.
How much travel is involved with club volleyball? The national teams will travel to a few tournaments that are out of state (Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan). All of the national teams will travel to Orlando, FL for the AAU Nationals in June. The 3 month and 6 month teams at our regional sites will not travel as much. A general rule of thumb for 6 month teams is that you will have 2-3 tournament out of state and may have the options to attend AAU Nationals in Florida. Three month teams will have tournament in Grand Rapids, Lansing, or Muskegon. Tentative tournament schedules are included in our general information packet.
How many players will be on each team? The amount of players for each team will be set during the tryout process and will be determined based on the make-up of each individual team. For example, if a team were to run a 5-1, a 10 player roster would be suitable for the makeup of that team. If a team is going to run a 6-2, the roster may have either 11 or 12 players. On average we like to keep the number close to 10, so we can reduce playing time issues. Once again, we will do everything possible to place every athlete on a team for the 2014-2015 club season.
Are we able to request people to be on a team with? Unfortunately, we are not able to take requests of this nature. We have to consider a number of factors when we create teams and we cannot guarantee these requests.
How often are practices? Our national teams will practice 3 times per week on weeks that they are not competing on the weekend for a total of 8 hours. Regional teams at will practice 2 times per week with the option of attending an additional skills practice. Length of practice will be between 2-2.5 hours depending on gym availability and age group. Weekend practices may be on Saturdays or Sundays. However, Sunday practices will not begin before 12:00 noon to accommodate family and/or church commitments.
When are practices? We try to give you a general idea of the practice schedule for each age and level before tryouts, but this is tentative because we do not know exactly how many teams we will have in a given age division and that affects the practice schedule. Practices are not consistently the same nights in the month of December because gym space is very limited. Starting the week of Jan. 5 your practices will remain consistent each week.
When do practices begin for the season? National teams will begin practice the week of December 1. Practices at all the Regional sites will begin the week of December 8.
When will we find out our practice schedule? Some practice schedules have been set and are included in our information packet, but the rest can’t be finalized until we know how many teams we will have in each age division. We hope to post practice schedules along with team placements.
Are practices cancelled because of bad weather? Occasionally we will need to cancel practices due to poor road conditions. We make those decisions by 4 p.m. and will then notify coaches and post the cancellation on this website as well as on our Facebook page. Please do not contact us before that.
Will cancelled practices be made up? We will do our best to find a date and time to make up any practice that is missed, but we cannot guarantee it due to very limited gym availability.
When do we get tournament information (when and where they play)? Most tournament schedules are not posted until two or three days prior to the event. We will have links on our home page so that you can check to see when schedules are posted. We have NO CONTROL on the time frame in which tournaments are posted.
Where are tournaments located? The Lake Michigan Club power league for local teams take place in the Grand Rapids area. The Lake Michigan power league are either in Grand Rapids, Rolling Praire, IN, or in the Detroit area. The Great Lakes Power League is in Aurora, IL.
How long are tournaments? The Lake Michigan Club power league takes place on 1 day and is either in the morning (8a-2p) or afternoon (2p-8p). The Lake Michigan Open power league takes place on Saturday (2p-8p) & Sunday (8a-2p). All other tournament are two days. You could play either the morning or afternoon wave on Saturday. Most tournaments wrap up by 3 or 4 p.m. on Sunday.
How long is the club season? Tryouts are held in October and November, and teams will start practicing in December. National teams will compete until AAU Nationals which are the middle of June. Most 6 month teams will wrap at the end of May. Winter 3 month teams will be done the first week of March and Spring 3 month teams will start the middle of March and go through the end of May.
When are spring tryouts? The winter season ends March 8 and we hope to have tryouts the following week so teams can begin the week of March 23.
Are there benefits to playing both 3 month seasons (winter and spring)? Yes! You will save $50 off of your spring club fees.
Is playing time guaranteed? Equal playing time is not guaranteed at any level. Every level guarantees an equal opportunity to improve and earn playing time. You are being offered a spot on the team; not a starting position or any particular amount of playing time. We guarantee you training and instruction in practice and the opportunity to earn playing time and/or a starting position. We DO NOT GUARANTEE ANY AMOUT OF PLAYING TIME TO ANYONE UNDER ANY CIRCUSTANCES. Playing time is earned by performance in practice.
Can the multi-sport athlete play club volleyball? Yes, many of our student-athletes participate in more than one sport, especially in our younger age groups. Naturally, as the teams advance to a higher level of competition, we see less of the multi-sport athlete. Our national team athletes are only allowed to choose one additional activity outside of their club team commitment. This could be basketball, track, a job or theater. The most important thing that a multi-sport athlete has to do is communicate with her coach regarding her other sport. Most coaches are willing to work around the athletes schedule if they are up front about conflicts.
Do we help with the college recruiting process? Yes, we serve as a liaison for you to communicate with potential colleges. We can assist in helping you identify potential schools, record skills DVDs, and help you market yourself to potential recruiters. You just need to contact your regional site director for more information. To date over 175 student-athletes have earned scholarships to play volleyball in college!