ABOUT
ABOUT
BOYS FAQ
Club volleyball is an opportunity for girls and boys ages 10-18 of varying abilities to develop their skills through training and competition. It is a select sport where you must attend a scheduled tryout and be chosen for a team based upon skill, athletic level, and potential. Club volleyball is more competitive than league volleyball where anyone can sign up and play with others recreationally and socially depending on age requirements.
Austin Junior volleyball is an elite junior volleyball club sanctioned through USA Volleyball and through the Lone Star Region.
Practices will begin in November or December.
Some teams are scheduled to play until July ending their season at the USA Volleyball Boys Jr National Championships. Some teams end their season at the Lone Star Classic (last week of April). These teams will have the option of continuing through the summer at an additional cost. See tournament schedule for length of season for each team.
Tryouts
Austin Juniors requires that everyone tryout in their predetermined age groups. Some players do play up, but at the request of Austin Junior Volleyball only.
Age groups are defined by USA Volleyball (See below for your age group). All age groups tryout at the same time. Some athletes may be asked to "play up" an age group based on their tryout performance. However, athletes need to register in the age group where their birthday falls. If you are unsure, sign up for the age group determined by your birthday and contact Nick Hunt at nhunt@austinjuniors.com.
Age Classification for the 2023-2024 Season
18 and Under Division: Players who were born on or after July 1, 2005 OR Players who were born on or after July 1, 2004 and a high school student in the twelfth (12th) grade or below during some part of the current academic year
17 and Under Division: Players who were born on or after July 1, 2006 OR Players who were born on or after July 1, 2005 (18 years or younger) who shall neither have completed nor are in a grade higher than the eleventh grade (11th) during the current academic year will be allowed to participate at the USA Junior National Championships on 17 and under teams.
16 and Under Division: Players who were born on or after July 1, 2007
15 and Under Division: Players who were born on or after July 1, 2008
14 and Under Division: Players who were born on or after July 1, 2009
13 and Under Division: Players who were born on or after July 1, 2010
12 and Under Division: Players who were born on or after July 1, 2011
11 and Under Division: Players who were born on or after July 1, 2012
Cost to tryout is $50 when registered before July 22 ($70 after early reg. date). which covers court time, evaluations and a tryout shirt. Tryout fees can not be paid with credits.
There are no refunds once registered, and we are not accepting credits for tryout registrations. If you do not show up, or if you try out for another club and choose to stay with them, your tryout registration fee is forfeited.
See our tryout dates on the Tryouts Page.
AJV Boys tryouts are in Aug or Sept each year. If we still have available spots, we will hold supplemental tryouts throughout the fall up until the start of the season in Nov. In some situations, it is also possible to be added to a team after the season is started. Contact nhunt@austinjuniors.com if interested in joining mid season.
Tryouts will be held at the Austin Sports Center - Central.
Visit our Tryouts Page to see tryout dates and times for your age group. Tryouts remain open for registration until the day of. We accept walk-ins at tryouts, but we do not guarantee you will receive a t-shirt in your size.
If the tryout dates have passed, we occasionally have spots on our teams to fill. You can view these open spots and register for a supplemental tryout on the Tryouts Page.
If you are unable to attend one or both of the tryout days, you can still be considered for a team. Keep in mind that this limits the opportunity for the athlete to be seen by AJV evaluators.
If you are going to miss tryouts, you must e-mail Nick Hunt (nhunt@austinjuniors.com) to discuss the options to make up the days.
We typically place 8-12 players on a team. Factors that affect this determination include but are not limited to: age group, the level of talent, and the positional needs of a particular team. Depending on ability, athletes may be selected to play in older age divisions.
At the conclusion of tryouts, we will begin sending individual email invitations to players letting them know which team they've been placed on. Athletes will have about two hours to complete the registration and pay the deposit to hold their spot on the team. Alternates will also be notified by email.
You will receive an email within a few hours of tryouts. You must complete the registration by the time noted in the email. A non-refundable first payment of $600 is due upon registration. The remaining balance is spread out in monthly payments. Once you've accepted a spot on a team, the remaining balance of the dues is non-refundable.
Some players may be selected as alternates which means that, at the time of the tryout, there isn’t currently a position available. If another player were to decline their offer, a position could become available and players on the alternate list could be contacted to fill those unaccepted positions.
We require the athletes who earned spots on teams to make their decision the night of tryouts. If someone declines at that time, we will call the alternates to fill the open position. If AJV has not contacted you within 72 hours, it is likely that any open positions have been filled.
NO! We offer age groups from 11 & under to 18 & under, but athletes can start at any age. Any athlete under the age of 10 can tryout for the 11 & under division.
- Wear appropriate volleyball attire
- Refillable water bottle
Tryouts are closed to parents and spectators. Parents are welcome to help their athlete check in. In some circumstances, an AJV staff person may want to discuss options for your player. Please make yourself available by phone so that these types of conversations will not lengthen the tryout time. We understand that this is a stressful time for players and families. We will always try our best to help make this experience enjoyable and educational.
Tryouts are closed to parents and spectators. Parents are welcome to help their athlete check in, but are not in the gym during tryouts.
Fees/payments
The 2023-24 player dues and payment schedule can be found on the tryout home page in the index on the right. It has the total cost and the monthly payment amounts.
The fees cover the cost of gym rental, equipment, USAV registration, tournament entry fees, coaches salaries, administrative fees, and printing costs. All AJV players will have access to two full-time college recruiting coordinators.
Fees do not include: uniforms, practice gear, airfare, hotels, food, any ground transportation to and from practice sessions and out-of-town tournaments, or shopping. Hotels for teams are not included in your club fees.
A initial payment is due immediately following tryouts for those selected to a team. The remaining balance is spread out in monthly payments. Once accepting a spot on a team, player dues are non-refundable regardless of participation as per the player contract.
Payments are made on line through your LeagueApps account that you use to register for tryouts.
Austin Junior Volleyball believes that athletes should participate based on their ability to play, not their ability to pay. If the cost of club volleyball might be a prohibiting factor to your daughter or son participating, please read more on the Financial Assistance section of our website.
Austin Junior Volleyball believes that athletes should participate based on their ability to play, not their ability to pay. If the cost of club volleyball might be a prohibiting factor to your daughter or son participating, please read more on the Financial Assistance section of our website.
Tournaments
Teams mostly play in 2 day tournaments which start in December and end by May 1. Each team plays in at least 5 tournaments in a season. Tournaments typically take place on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings. Tournament schedules are usually developed after the teams are formed as most tournaments do not announce their dates until December. Exact playing schedules of each tournament are posted on-line usually the Wednesday before the tournament.
The 2023-2024 Tentative Tournament schedule for each team can be found on the Tryout Home Page.
Parents are responsible to reserve and pay for their own hotel and flight arrangements. AJV will provide hotel blocks information for families to reserve rooms under their own name and credit card number. AJV will also provide suggested flight info including recommended flight times and airports. We will also share the coaches flight times.
This information will be communicated by email using the address provided in you Leagueapps account.
You will need to log in to your LeagueApps profile and you will see the travel plans as they are made. The Boys Club Director will also email info out as it is finalized.
All teams attending any National Qualifiers will miss one day of school to participate. Depending on what time you fly out, you may miss another day for travel.
All of our teams attend the Southwest Boys Classic in February and will miss one day of school.
Parents are responsible for providing transportation for their athlete to all practices and competitions. At no time will coaches be responsible for any athlete's transportation logistics or serve as their chaperone. Frequently, teammates "take turns" being the designated transportation provider but that is up to individual families to coordinate if that is something they are interested in securing.
Practices
Practices start in November or December. Teams will have two hour practices on Sundays and typically on Thursday evenings, lasting through the end of April or through the end of July based on tournament schedule. Teams will have the option to continue to train through the summer at an additional cost. See the tentative practice schedule on our tryout page.
AJV Boys teams mostly practice at the Austin Sports Center - Central. There is a possibility of practicing at Austin Sports Center - Cedar Park for some teams. Each individual practice schedule can be found on the Boys Tryout Page in the right index.
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- At Austin Junior Volleyball, we encourage multiple sport athletes. We believe that helps you become a better all around athlete. It is your responsibility to communicate any conflicts with your coach. We suggest a two week notice for all missed practices and a minimum of a month notice for any missed tournament.
If you are unable to make a practice, let your coach know as far in advance as you can.
issues
Playing time is very important to us. It is important to apply the skills and fundamentals taught in practice in a match situation. Only then can a coach and player truly realize which skills the player is proficient at and which skills require more training. Nearly every tournament the Austin Junior Volleyball teams play in are of high significance - whether they are in-region (where finish determines overall seed within the region) or out of region (typically national qualifiers, or tournaments with a lot of recruiters present). Your club membership fees go toward practice time and instruction by qualified experienced coaches, NOT playing time in tournaments. We will guarantee a "fair" amount of playing time for every player, not an "equal" amount. When assessing the amount of playing time, make sure that the comparison is being made among players that play the same position. For example, there may be only two middle hitters on a team and three outside hitters. One outside hitter must sit out, since only two outside hitters are in the game at a time. Yet the two middle hitters play all the time. More playing time is earned by being at practice and working hard to improve, as well as, executing the skills when given the opportunity to play. Coaches are advised to give everyone an opportunity to contribute their individual skills and abilities to the team during pool play matches. Those skills and abilities may include being a hitter in the front row, serving and playing defense in the back row, or playing "all the way around". When teams advance past pool play, this is the time to reward those players that have excelled when given opportunities earlier in the day. Amount of playing time for all players is at the coach's discretion and may not be equal for all players.
Throughout the season, a conflict may occur. If you have an issue, the first step is for you to encourage your child to communicate with their coach. If this does not resolve the issue, the 2nd step is for a meeting with the coach, player, and parent. The final step is to set up a meeting with the club director, coach, player, and parent. There will not be any meetings without the player present. There will not be any meeting with the club director until step one and step two has occurred.
uniforms / equipment
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If you are missing equipment or have damaged equipment, you need to contact your coach. They will then contact the club director. Please do not contact the club director unless notified.
Yes. Our sponsors go to great efforts to outfit and provide quality equipment to our club. We take this very seriously so no competitor logos during any team activities (practices and tournaments).