Sophomore, female, from NJ, 5’ 6"
I will next year be taking almost all honors/AP classes (current GPA 91% / ~91%)
My dad really is encouraging me to play a sport to put on a college application/possible D1/D2 scholarship
I have always enjoyed volleyball in gym class but have never played competitively
Is it worth trying out next fall?
or should I just focus more on academics?
And will colleges see it as a red flag if I just start playing Junior year (probably JV, hopefully, V by senior year)?
First, never do something just for a college application. Do it because you enjoy it. Athletics can be a huge time commitment.
Second, unless you are a natural athlete, your school is small, or your school VB team is really bad, making your HS team will be difficult. Many of the girls have been playing competitive VB since 4th or 5th grade. Lastly, your dad really has to reevaluate your ability to get a D1/D2 scholarship. Most of the girls are likely already being recruited at your age. This process also happens more in the club/tournament circuit than via HS. If you change your height from 5’6” to 6’5”, you maybe able to get some interest.
A scholarship is not in the cards in all likelihood.
As @Eeyore123, play because you want to play. But don’t think that you will impact your college application much, and unless your HS team is really bad, your late start and height will not have a team impact.
Try out if you want to join a team and play volleyball. I used to live for my team! Such a great experience.
I agree with the others that a scholarship is very unlikely. There are so many incredible players on the club circuit.
Vball can be very fun - try out and see what happens. In high school you tend to be assigned to a position and you might want to go to a summer clinic or camp for liberos or defensive specialists because at your height you might be too small for the front row.
Agree with the others – if playing volleyball is something that interests you that if great – go ahead and try out for the team but:
- Do not play volleyball simply because your dad thinks a sport will look good on the application. Unless you are a recruited athlete, playing a sport is no more or less meaningful than any other EC or part-time job you might spend a similar amount of time on.
2 Don’t assume you can be a recruited athlete. Many people start volleyball much earlier and are likely to have superior training and skills. And your height is below average for a college volleyball player. If you play JV junior year and V senior year do not expect any offers to play in college (unless perhaps you are a world class athlete). Read this: https://www.ncsasports.org/womens-volleyball/recruiting-guidelines
- Always prioritize academics over ECs.
My daughter played volleyball through sophomore year of HS. She’s 6 ft tall. To even be slightly competitive to even make her HS varsity team, she would have been needing to play volleyball year round on travel club or JO teams. The girls who got scholarships had been playing year round since elementary school.
Play if you love the sport but not because it will be good for college applications.
Volleyball was a huge time commitment for me. Practice was every day after school, so I wasn’t able to do any other after school activities.