"We believe that our role is to serve the players by helping them achieve success both on and off the volleyball court."
MASTERS VOLLEYBALL ACADEMY, Maryland
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When did MVA begin and how has it grown since?
MVA began in 2009 with 4 teams. Since then MVA has doubled in size and has been rapidly growing in the CHRVA region.
Are the players evaluated during the season?
All head coaches are evaluating all of their players through statistics and practice cauldrons throughout the season.
How do the coaches evaluate the athlete’s during the tryout?
MVA would like the athletes to attend all tryouts in their age group as it is certainly to their advantage to be seen as much as possible during the evaluation process. If the athlete is still competing with their high school team they should register and attend the tryout. Our final selections are made during the FINAL tryout for each age group. If you have been selected to compete with MVA you will be notified along with the others who were selected by the following day of our final tryout. All junior high and grade school athletes may tryout at any time regardless if they are still competing with their school. If you are unable to attend any tryout please contact us.
Where do you find the coaches at MVA?
MVA prides itself on having one of the best coaching staffs in the region. Many of the coaches have been associated with MVA for many years. Some of the coaches have competed at the collegiate level and some have or are currently coaching at the collegiate or high school level. MVA believes player’s benefit from the strengths of different coaches. While each coach is assigned a team, players may see other coaches during a practice or tournament to help out as needed or during our “position specific” or “high rep” training. All coaches are Impact certified by USA Volleyball and many are also GM2 and/or CAP (USA) certified.
When will coaches be announced?
Many of our coaches are usually announced prior to the first tryout however, sometimes it is impossible to announce all coaches as we first must evaluate the tryout to determine how many teams will be selected. If the coaches for your age group are not announced by the first tryout they will certainly be announced upon your selection.
What if my athlete plays multiple sports?
MVA will not turn away a good athlete if they play another sport. We simply ask you give your coach the practice and competition schedules. If there is a conflict they are excused. We do ask to see some effort on the athlete’s part to attend a portion of the practice and/or tournament assuming there is no major overlap. Please note MVA does not allow a NEW player at the 15/16/17/18 Black (National) level to compete as a SETTER if they play a SPRING sport.
How will I know if my athlete was selected to compete for MVA?
After each “final” tryout MVA will call each athlete to let her know which team they were selected for and who their coaches will be. Following the selection dates, there will be a commitment and uniform sizing night.
The parent meeting is to discus what is involved in club volleyball and to tell you a little more about MVA. During this time we introduce you to our coaching staff and answer as many questions as you may have.
What is involved in the general parent meeting?
What are the costs associated with tryouts?
There is a one-time tryout fee ($25) regardless of the number of tryouts/locations you attend. Please note you must register and pay for the tryout on our website at:
mastersvolleyballacademy@gmail.com
If you do not register online you will be charged $25.00 as a “walk in.” (cash or check) Online Registration is $24 and your required T-Shirt is $1. Registration is not complete until you have registed online AND purchased your shirt.
Before you will be allowed to tryout in the CHRVA region, you must be registered with USA volleyball. You can get a one event membership for $20.00 and upgrade to a full membership after tryouts for an additional $30.00, or you may become a full member for $50.00. Please bring your USA membership card with you to all tryouts.
What do the fees (Dues) include?
The fees cover much of the fixed costs of playing. Court rental, coaches, equipment, most tournament fees, uniform package (including shoes), administrative costs and other costs associated with running the program. MVA works very hard to keep these costs to a minimum in an effort to make the sport available to as many athletes as possible.
Will you offer any fee discounts?
Yes - for Age groups 13-18. There is no discount for Ages 12 and Under: To encourage our young athletes to learn to play and love the sport, we set our fees at the bare minimum and are unable to offer any discounts.
How many athletes will the club select?
MVA would love to take all athletes but we are limited to space and a certain number of coaches. The number of teams per age group is based on the number of athletes attending the tryout and talent pool available. The National and Regional teams will have 10-12 athletes per team.
Do you guarantee all athletes to play?
There is never a guarantee. You are paying MVA to train your athlete in practice and they should receive about the same amount of practice as the rest of the team. Your athlete’s court time during tournaments is typically determined by attitude, dependability, work ethic, skill and statistics. Players competing on a 10/11/12/13 or Regional team will play in a minimum of two sets (games) per tournament as long as there are no issues with the athlete. I.e. following our code of conduct, attending practices, good attitude, etc.
Will everyone play equally or will the team play to win?
One thing that we are very proud of at MVA is our philosophy on playing time. Everyone will get playing time during the local, non-qualifying tournaments. Whenever we are in the playoffs or at a qualifying tournament we will play to win in an effort to advance in playoffs and/or earn a berth at Nationals. At MVA we require all of our coaches to keep stats and we use those stats as a way to track our top players by position, line-ups and rotations. If you don’t keep stats, too much is left up to the subjective view of a coach. This is one of the most important philosophies we have at MVA. This tool also allows our athletes maximum exposure to perspective coaches and an active college recruiting environment. Stats will also be regularly updated on your daughters profile page on our website. We will also provide tools for you to help get your daughter recruited!
Are any fundraisers required?
No mandatory fundraisers are required however, MVA does offer some optional team and individual fundraisers to help give families an opportunity to defray some of their costs. These fundraisers will be presented during our parent meetings in November. In addition to these fundraisers many families seek out sponsorships from many companies throughout the community.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions at all regarding our club - please contact either:
Cary Lyon
M: 410-303-9921
mvacoachcary@gmail.com
Chelsea Lyon Mead
M: 410-303-9920
mvacoachmead@gmail.com
What is the difference between National and Regional Teams?
National teams compete in more multi-day events and can compete through mid to late June. (Early July if the team qualifies for US Jr. Nationals) Our National teams practice 3x a week.
Regional teams compete in mostly single day events in the CHRVA region. Regional teams practice 2x a week.
What is a taxi-player and should they attend tryouts?
A player who wants to continue developing their skill during club season, but does not have the time and/or finances to allow them to play full time. A taxi player is one who attends all practices but does not participate in tournaments. Taxi players should attend tryouts to ensure they are on a team of comparable skills.
What is a taxi-player and should they attend tryouts?
All Purple (Regional) and 14/13/12/11/10 teams practice twice per week. The Black (National) 18/17/16/15/14 girl’s teams practice three times per week (except for the weeks they have tournaments).
Where are the practices?
MVA uses the following locations for volleyball practice:
Towson University
Towaon Stadium
Towson Maryland
The Park School
2425 Old Court Road
Baltimore, MD 21208
Dulaney High School
255 East Padonia Road
Timonium, MD 21093
How long is the season?
All teams start by the week of December 1st, and full tine practice schedules start in January. All teams will compete into May and Black (National) teams may continue through June if competing in AAU or have qualified for USAV Nationals.
How much travel is involved?
It depends on the division and age level. All Purple (Regional) and 14 & under teams will never travel outside of the CHRVA region (2 hours) unless they are traveling to a muti-day tournament (within 4 hours). Most of the older Black (National) teams (18/17/16/15) are out of town 2 - 4 times not including the US Junior Nationals (must pre-qualify) or AAU Nationals in Orlando, FL. The reason for traveling is to compete against the BEST teams regionally/nationally and to expose the athletes to many college scouts. It has always been the philosophy of MVA to enter the most competitive events available for all Black (National) age groups to help prepare each team for the next level and give the 15-18 athlete's maximum exposure with college scouts.
Do any teams compete or practice over Spring Break/Easter?
We will be sending teams to qualifiers, some of which fall on Spring Break and Easter weekend. Teams, qualifier locations and dates TBA.
Does my athlete have to attend all tryout dates?
MVA would like the athletes to attend all tryouts in their age group as it is certainly to their advantage to be seen as much as possible during the evaluation process. If the athlete is still competing with their high school team they should register and attend the tryout. Our final selections are made during the FINAL tryout for each age group. If you have been selected to compete with MVA you will be notified along with the others who were selected by the following day of our final tryout. All junior high and grade school athletes may tryout at any time regardless if they are still competing with their school. If you are unable to attend any tryout please contact us.