Today's episode is an opportunity to speak Nicole Drewnick, who is the current setter for Notre Dame. Nicole's journey is one unlike many others. Her volleyball journey began growing up in a club volleyball gym owned by her parents, who were both successful professional athletes. Nicole takes us through what the recruiting process was like as a top setter in her recruiting class, how she made her decision, and what she might do differently. Nicole shines the light on her time on campus, which...

GRIT is something that is such a hot button topic in today's world, especially among athletes. It is a vital piece to the growth mindset, and is a characteristic that is highly sought after by the Navy Seals, Fortune 500 Companies, College Coaches and more. But the question I wanted to answer, was simple: Is it possible for someone to grow and develop GRIT? And if yes, how? Giving us her take on things in today's episode is Susan Forbes, onInstagram @HeySusanK . She is a former D1...

In today's episode, we are joined by Kirsten Jones. Among other things, Kirsten is a parent to a collegiate athlete, podcast host, former collegiate volleyball player, volleyball coach, author, and she is also a certified Peak Performance and Sports Parenting Coach. The topic of today's conversation is all about how we, as parents, coaches, and teachers, can better prepare our young athletes for their journey ahead. If you are a parent, teacher, coach, or mentor to young people, this...

Have you ever wondered what it's like to play at the highest level possible? Today we talk with Tribe Alumni, and former IU libero, Paula Cerame, and we explore that concept. Paula started her college volleyball career at the University of Florida, where as a member of the 2018 class, she was part of the top 2 recruiting class in the nation, where she was recognized by Prepvolleyball.com for being "a diamond in the rough of the recruiting class, for her athleticism and playmaking ability"....

If you are an athlete, there is a good chance that you are using your social media account wrong. Your goal is to use it to help you in recruiting, but you aren't taking the steps necessary to have the type of reach and interactions, that will actually help put your videos, and your content in front of the college recruiters. And you could be even doing some simple things, that are actually hurting your recruiting! Today we are going to take you through the steps to best optimize your...

If you are just starting out on the recruiting process, it is normal for you to have a lot of questions about a lot of different aspects of a college campus, a program, and a coach. This is especially the case once you are finally permitted to have meaningful conversations with college recruiters through texts, emails, or even phone calls. And then once you get to the final steps of your recruiting journey, where you get to go on a college visit, this gives you the opportunity to have your...

There are a lot of questions that people have throughout the recruiting process. If you are like most players and parents, some of those questions are about how college volleyball players spend their time. You might also have questions about what other types of activities make up the 20 hours per week (plus more) that the players spend in volleyball related activities while they are in season. Some of you with goals and aspirations of playing volleyball at the highest levels possible, might...

Making a campus visit is one of your biggest tools in finding a school that feels like home. This is the part of the recruiting process that you have the most control over, but also the piece that you can start evaluating earliest in your recruiting journey.  Each of the 4 visit types can provide valuable information during your search for a college home, and make sure you know when each option is available to you.  1:29 - How visiting college campus helps shape your recruiting...

When you first set out on your recruiting journey as a freshman or sophomore, the recruiting effort can feel very one-sided: "NCAA Rules don't allow us to communicate with you prior to June 15th following your sophomore year of high school". Things are about to change dramatically, and you are about to get some remarkably honest feedback about the accuracy of schools you have been sending emails to up until this point.  June 15 is a date that carries heavy significance in your recruiting...

Tribe Alumni Rebecca Martinez shares her recruiting journey as a libero, which will have parts that may sound a little different than the process that some of you are going through right now, and there will be some situations that she went through that hits really close to home. During her playing career, Rebecca earned some amazing individual accolades and experienced a championship level, as a three-time All-American, and playing in the NCAA Tournament. She also had to fight through what...

This episode of Down the Line takes a look at the recruiting process through the lense of a collegiate coach with experience at the Division 1, 2, and Junior College levels. My long-time friend and former college teammate, Tim Balice, shares his insights on different aspects of the recruiting process. Tim is currently an assistant volleyball coach at the University of Dayton, a Division 1 program in Dayton, Ohio. We examine the core of what makes up a good email, how long you actually have to...

One of the goals in our Down the Line experience is to help connect with some of our Alumni, and use their stories to help guide our current athletes down their recruiting journey. I was honored to have the opportunity to catch up with one of our Tribe Alumni, and part of our 2018 graduating class, Shari Stenglein. Shari graduated from a small school in Fort Lauderdale, and then had the chance to play college volleyball in the Ivy League, in one of the biggest cities in the United States....

What college athletic level is right for you? Whether you are just starting your recruiting process or making your final decision on where to commit, there are important differences within the various collegiate levels you should consider. In this episode, Brett Sikora shares differences between the NCAA Division 1, 2, 3, NAIA, and Junior College volleyball experiences. The 3 comparison areas explored are amount of athletic scholarships, recruiting rules, and time commitment during the...

Volleyball is the #1 most popular team sport for female high school athletes with almost 453,000 athletes. 6% of these athletes have the opportunity to go on and play at the college level, and only 1.2% of high school athletes will get the chance to play at the Division 1 Level. Thankfully, between all the levels, there are over 27,000 collegiate volleyball positions available. These tips will help you avoid the mistakes that can limit your chances, and allow you to take control of your...

Welcome to Down The Line, I’m your host, Brett Sikora. I am the College Recruiting Director for Tribe Volleyball Club, located in South Florida. Join me as I share recruiting insights I have gathered in 2 decades coaching at the college, club, and high school levels. We will host alumni players to share their experiences with you while connecting our past with our future. Also hear from college coaches from time to time, giving their take on some important aspects of the recruiting process....