I’ve been searching for about an hour now, it seems to me right now that Stanford recruits but not ivy leagues. does anyone know if they do? I really enjoy playing volleyball as a sport and it would really be a bummer if I could not use my passion as a hook to get into my dream school
According to the NCAA Sports Sponsorship database, there are only 22 schools nationwide that play NCAA Division I men’s volleyball. The only Ivies on the list are Harvard and Princeton.
In California, Stanford and USC have teams, as do UCLA, UCSB, UCI, Pepperdine, CSUN, and CSULB.
There could be club (non-NCAA) men’s volleyball programs at other schools, especially on the West Coast.
It would only be a hook if you are a recruited athlete. If not, it would be just an EC. To be recruited for H or P, first go to the their athletic website to get contact info for the coaches. I don’t know the specifics of volleyball, but if it is like most team sports, you will need to have a list of accomplishments (e.g. years on varsity, club teams, honors, physical specs), academic summary (gpa, test scores) and video (skills and game footage). There may be tournaments or camps that the coaches attend that will give you a chance to get in front of them. Go to the roster pages https://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mvball/2018-19/roster https://goprincetontigers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=14588 to get an idea of the team members sizes and pre-college accomplishments to see if you are in the ballpark athletic-wise.
Good luck and HIFIVE
I’m sure it’s no longer relevant almost a year later, but the answer is yes, Princeton & Harvard both recruit. It is HIGHLY unlikely (only if you are Top 10 in the nation at your position) that either of those schools will get a men’s volleyball player signed to attend their school using any type of exception. Even then, they must still meet the standards to be accepted to the school before the coaches will give you serious consideration. For exceptional volleyball players that are trying to attend, the coaches will give you advice on how to better your chances of being accepted, then tell you there is a spot on the team if you are able to make it through and get accepted. These coaches are judged by the quality of student-athlete (in that order) they bring on campus much more than their win/loss record on the volleyball court.