Some college sports are different than the sports that we know in the Netherlands. The scores in College Volleyball are the same as we are used to: the first teams that wins three sets, wins the match. You can win a set if your team has 25 points and at least two points more than the opponent. In America you spell College Volleyball with two l’s. But ofcourse that isn’t the only difference with ‘regularl’ volleyball in the Netherlands. So what makes College Volleyball so different from ‘regular’ volleyball? You can read that in this article!
Atmosphere
The biggest difference is the Gameday atmosphere. Teammates, fans, mascots, everyone in the volleyball arena encourages each other and makes a lot of noise. On Gameday the arena is colored in the colors of the university. Many American schools have their own song called ‘fight song’ that can be heard loudly during Gameday. Watch this video below to get an even better idea of the atmosphere during Gameday.
You don’t play for a clubteam
In the Netherlands we are used to play volleyball with the team of your club. In the USA that is bit different: you don’t play for a clubteam, but for a college or university. Besides that, you don’t only train together, you travel, study and often live together with your team on campus. You play againts other universities in the conference and you all work together towards one goal: winning the conference. With this you have no chance of promotion, but you can qualify as a team for the national tournament, in which only the best teams in America are allowed to participate.
Facilities
The facilities for College Volleyball are almost incomparable with the facilities in the Netherlands. Ofcourse the facilities are different per school and depending on the professionalism of the school. But in general the facilities in the USA are more professional than in the Netherlands. For example, it is almost normal for sports teams to have their own gym and to have physiotherapists or even mental coaches available.
Super cool right? You don’t often see those facilities outside of America. It is therefore not surprising that a big part of the NCAA Division 1 players after college enter a professional career. This proves once agaain that the career of a student-athlethe a good preparation for a professional career!
In women’s volleyball you will find the best volleyball programs at Stanford, Nebraska and UCLA. The top 3 in men’s college volleyball can be found at University of Hawaii, Peperdine and Long Beach State.
Size
When you look at the surface area, America is already more than 200 times the size of the Netherlands. Therefore, the sports world in America is very big. This also applies to College Volleyball. In America, there are 1.836 universities that offer a volleyball program. Volleyball is a much bigger sport for women, but it is also done by men. There are 1.834 women’s teams and only 244 for men.
The size of the team in America differs from the team size in the Netherlands. In USA, the average is 16-20 players per team and in the Netherlands there are often 12-14 players. In addition, the teams in America play in much bigger halls where more spectator can cheer the teams. The biggest volleyball arena in women College Volleyball is in the Hearnes Center in Missouri. Here is room for 13.611 spectators!
Slamstox volleyball player
One of the Slamstox volleyball players that currently active is in the USA is Puk Stubbe. Puk has become part of the Arizona Wildcats and plays volleyball at the highest level. A newspaper of the Netherlands did an interview with her and here tells Puk why she embarked on this American adventure:
“I am ready for this adventure. I just want to take a new step in my life.”
Puk Stubbe – student athlete at University of Arizona
You can read the whole interview here.
Our Volleyball Specialist Ron Zwerver knows very well how beautiful volleyball is in America. He can tell you everything about College Volleyball, because Ron has been the volleyball coach for 4 years at Oregon State University. Now, Ron likes to help other athletes with guiding them to go to America to play volleyball and study here.
Do you want to know more about College Volleyball? Then also check this article!
Do you also want to become a student-athlete in the USA? Or do you want more information about scholarships and volleyball in America? We are happy to help you further!
