If there was one position in volleyball that gets a bad rap, it is the Defensive Specialist. While it is easy to write-off these players, just as Setters, Pin Hitters, Middles, and Liberos have roles to take care of, so do Defensive Specialists! Check out our volleyball dictionary definition for Defensive Specialist, intangible qualities a coach wants to see on the court and the 1 key to being a great Defensive Specialist.

We can all agree that volleyball in the United States is on the up and up. With increased participation numbers, national team success and TV-visibility of collegiate teams, what do we need to do in order to continue the upward growth? I see way too many coaches, at all pre-college levels, plugging players into what they view as their 6 player roles. I love Stone’s 4 player, badminton sized court play…

I have had many players ask what they can do this summer to improve their volleyball game. It is a great question to answer because it means that our players are taking their development seriously outside of the regular club season. To be great, or even good, there is no true  “off season”. The months outside of the club season are more like a different phase of training. Everyone has a limited amount of time and energy, so it is important to recognize how/what you can do to achieve your goals.

Let’s speed up our recovery. Consuming protein rich foods will aid healing and are essential in coming back from a sports injury.  The body makes millions of new proteins daily to replace worn-out proteins who make connective tissue, red blood cells, and muscles.  There are two types of proteins...

If you are in need of a little Monday motivation after what I hope was a rockin' relaxing Thanksgiving, then look no further.  In case you missed it, yesterday the bracket for the post-season tournaments were revealed and we've tracked down some of the amazing videos that show teams reactions as well as articles that explain how the committee made the decision on the last four teams into the NCAA Division I National Championship Tournament.  And did you know there is a second post-season tournament? 

Vitamin A is the name of a whole group of fat soluble vitamins called retinoids (retinol, retinal and retinyl esters to be exact). Vitamin A has been shown to be a valuable piece in the injury healing puzzle. When your body starts to heal, it needs to grow new tissue to fix the damaged pieces. Cells are used to reproduce and create this new tissue.

I dub this article the post tryout autopsy. The hard part is over you think -- you made it through tryouts with the drills and the physical tests, all while acting as if it was just another day at the office.  You take off the sweaty knee pads, walk out of tryouts and wait… wait… wait to see what team you made.  Maybe you check every day even though results are not supposed to be for another five days, but just in case you check.  And then finally the link is up...

While I may not have been able to watch as much volleyball as I would have liked recently, there has been plenty volleying all around the country.  For most if not all conferences, November brings the back half of conference play which means a lot of teams meeting for the second time.

These rematches are fun to watch because you can make predictions based on the last matchup and still be surprised!!

NCAA volleyball season is finally upon us! Find out info including how many undefeated teams are in the top 25, how many 5 set matches have been played already and who the AVCA player of the week is...

We’ve talked a bit about the importance of not going on empty to practices and games, as well as how to recover with food afterward. So, what about the “other foods” that we are craving (sweets, candy, chips..etc). Would these hinder our performance? The answer. Most likely. Especially if you have them before your matches or practice. The type of fuel you put into your body is definitely important. Let’s talk about caving for sugary and salty foods could set your vehicle on the curb.

First offender, sugars and sweets...

Does ͞being healthy͟ feel like a daunting task? Like everything ͞good͟ is off limits and a really good diet is pretty boring? I thought like this for a long time too… but I'm happy to say it's not the case ;-) Besides being the green fur for those ͞ch-ch-ch-chia͟ pets, chia seeds have numerous health benefits. Chia seeds are a quick and easy-to-use source of protein that provides healthy fats, dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. So much goodness all rolled into one little package. They are an easy, filling way to boost your nutrition to that extra mile...

During my time playing, I never stopped smiling. There were times when I wasn’t smiling as much, due to the fact that I wasn’t playing as good as I could have or I was being yelled at. I have had two coaches that have yelled at me. One coach I will always thank for yelling at me, I didn’t realize this when he was actually scolding me, but now I couldn’t be happier. The other coach was just mean. Her yelling never made sense and she tried to degrade you every single time she spoke to you...

Does “being healthy” feel like a daunting task? Like everything “good” is off limits and a really good diet is pretty boring? I thought like this for a long time too… but I'm happy to say it's not the case ;-) Is an avocado a fruit, or a vegetable? Great question! You may be inclined to call it a vegetable, thanks to its green color and savory taste, but an avocado is actually a fruit. More specifically, it is a single seeded berry. Avocados are a super nutrient-dense food choice, meaning they provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients with relatively few calories...

The journey I have had to take to get to this point has not been an easy one but it has definitely been worth it. Something that I would love to share with the up-and-coming volleyball players is probably one of the most stressful parts about being a student-athlete, the recruitment process. The recruitment process can either be short-lived or long-lived depending on what you're looking for...

From a very young age I became a goal setter, and extremely competitive in the process.  I have two older siblings, so if my sister swam a particular race, I wanted to swim it faster. If my brother could eat 17 canned plums, I set a goal to eat 18 (and then get sick, with my grandma vowing to never feed us plums again). When my friends started taking the ACT, I wanted to have the highest score.

In my volleyball journey, the first goal I can remember started in my 8th grade year...

Does “being healthy” feel like a daunting task? Like everything “good” is off limits and a really good diet is pretty boring? I thought like this for a long time too…but I'm happy to say it's not the case ;-) Not only are sweet potatoes delicious, they are extra nutritious. Sweet potatoes are an excellent carbohydrate source pre, or post exercise. They are also a super source of vitamin A, provide good amounts of vitamin C and can help fight inflammation...