Our Road to State

          STATE… Probably every athlete on a high school athletics team has a goal to make it to state. It is a huge accomplishment and something to be proud of if you make it. I have never played in the State Volleyball tournament in Iowa but that is definitely one of my dreams. I can’t imagine the feeling of holding the state qualifying banner in your hands, surrounded by your teammates, and everyone is just enjoying the moment. I hope to someday have that feeling.

          This season our first regional matchup is against Washington tomorrow night at Kennedy. We played Wash last Tuesday and we dominated and won in 3 straight sets so we should beat them pretty easily. Our second matchup is against Linn-Mar on Thursday at Linn-Mar. We lost to them in regular season in 5 games, but we beat them in 2 straight sets to advance to the championship game in the Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament. I think we can definitely beat them if we are playing at the top of our game. If we beat Linn-Mar we will advance to play Dowling Catholic in the third and final round of regionals. We played Dowling once in a tournament and lost in 2 sets but the scores were close, and we had already had a long day, defeating undefeated West Delaware in pool play. I think we can beat Dowling if everyone is playing at the top of their game and everyone fights for every point.

          I know we can do it we just have to believe in ourselves and our teammates. I am confident we can make it to state and I am so excited for the journey ahead. 

Word Count: 300

Example of a Recruiting Profile to send to College Coaches

After you have sent an introduction letter to a college coach they might want to know a little bit more about you, and learn what experiences you have had with volleyball in your past and any cool awards you have been given. It is very helpful to make a "Profile" of yourself just to keep all of your successes organized and so you can get back to the coaches that are interested quickly. 

Anna Fluent

Height: 5’10

Approach: 9’6

Standing reach: 7’6

Setter

Kennedy High School class of 2016

Hudl Link: (Insert link to Hudl)

YouTube Link: (Insert link to YouTube)

Junior Year

Metro Sports Highlight Player of the Week

Summer before junior year

Selected to play in the High Performance Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the Iowa Girls Youth National team

Selected through USAV HP to go to the A3 training camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Earned a bid in the Great Plains Open in Omaha to the USAV Junior Beach Tour Championships in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Earned a silver medal in the High Performance in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Sophomore Year

Selected to play in the High Performance Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with the Iowa Girls Youth National team

5-1 setter for Club Iowa (CIA) 16 Black

5-1 setter on varsity for Kennedy high school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

1^st team all Mississippi Valley conference

1^st team all-metro

Varsity lettered

High Honorable Mention - Soph 79

Anna Fluent, 5-10 S, Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) – Fluent finished the season with 773 assists, 167 digs, 126 kills, 48 blocks and 19 aces. She earned all-metro and All-Conference First Team honors. “Anna is a remarkable athlete and student of the game,” Coach Michelle Goodall said. “Anna has fine footwork/setting skills and defending abilities. She’s a heady and crafty attacker as well, wreaking havoc for defending teams. Anna is highly motivated to succeed and pairs this attitude perfectly with her strong whatever-it-takes work ethic.”

Freshman Year

Selected to play in the High performance Championships in Des Moines, Iowa with the Iowa Girls Select National team

Named offensive player of the year on Kennedy’s sophomore team

Competed in the GJNC in Dallas, Texas with Iowa Rockets 15-1

(Include here your contact info., your coaches contact info, and a current picture of yourself) 

Word Count: 390

An Example of a Recruiting Letter That Could be sent to College Coaches

If you are looking to play volleyball in college and don't know where to start, an introduction letter is a good thing to begin with. You should introduce yourself as not only an athlete but a student as well. Another good thing to do is congratulate them on any recent successes they might have had, at recent games or tournaments they were competing in. You should also provide all of your contact information as well as your club and high school coach's names and contact info. Here is a sample of mine from this season that I used to send to schools I was interested in.

Dear Coach (Insert coaches last name),

               My name is Anna Fluent and I am interested in your volleyball program. I will be a 2016 graduate and I play volleyball for Club Iowa Juniors 16 Black. 16 Black is a national team who travels throughout the Midwest at various non-qualifying and qualifying tournaments. I run a 5-1 system on this team. My coach is (insert coaches name and any info you know about them and their past relations with the sport of volleyball, like where they have coached in the past and where they played if they played in college.) He/she can be reached at the information provided below.

               I play high school volleyball at John F. Kennedy High School, which is located in Cedar Rapids Iowa. This volleyball program has had great success in the past, by making 12 state appearances and developing many college athletes. I was selected for 1^st team all Mississippi Valley Conference and 1^st team all-Metro awards this past season which was my sophomore year. I have also had the privilege of competing on Iowa High Performance teams the last two summers. Education is also very important to me and currently I have a (insert cumulative GPA and the scale in which your school bases you grade point average off of) GPA. I am taking a college level Biology course because I am interested in but not limited to a health related field.

You can find updated volleyball information on me at universityathlete.com and video at www.hudl.com and on my YouTube page. Please include me on any camps and/or recruiting information about your volleyball program. Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing more information about your outstanding volleyball program.

Best Regards,

Anna Fluent

(Include here any links to your film, your contact information, and your coaches' contact information.)

Word Count: 424