Frequently Asked Questions
Questions? We Have Answers!
Club Volleyball FAQs
Improve Your Skills
Playing club volleyball offers ample opportunity for skill improvement throughout its extended season. With numerous practices and tournaments, every player can experience noticeable growth and development in their abilities. At Diablo, we strive to provide a dedicated environment where players can refine their skills and see progress firsthand.
Opportunities to Compete
Club volleyball offers consistent opportunities for competition at all levels. These experiences can help prepare players to compete more effectively for starting positions and get more playing time on school teams or in future club seasons. Diablo provides many chances to compete individually and as a team through practices, scrimmages, and tournaments.
Learn from Great Coaches
Club volleyball provides unique opportunities for young athletes to learn from highly experienced coaches. Playing for a great coach allows players to benefit from their wealth of knowledge and expertise in the sport. Diablo employs coaches with various backgrounds, including experience coaching overseas, coaching at colleges and high schools, as well as former volleyball players. Diablo also promotes lifelong learning for its coaches, recognizing that volleyball and coaching techniques are constantly evolving and improving.
Supporting College Recruitment
For players aspiring to play at the collegiate level, playing club volleyball is essential. College coaches recruit more frequently from club programs than through high school programs, so playing for a club team enhances an athlete's chances of being successfully recruited. Diablo actively supports this initiative. For further details on enhancing your recruitment prospects, please refer to our Recruitment Guide!
Tradition of Excellence
Founded in 1993, Diablo is one of the original club volleyball programs in Northern California. For over 30 years, we have been dedicated to providing a high-level volleyball experience while maintaining the values and traditions that have shaped our club. Our history of success is built on a foundation of excellence, dedication, and a passion for developing athletes both on and off the court.
Community That Feels Like Family
At Diablo, the relationships we build are what make our community special. Our coaches and staff are more than just colleagues - they are friends and family who share a genuine passion for the club and its mission. That sense of connection extends to our athletes, with many former Diablo players returning to coach and give back to the program that helped shape their own volleyball journeys.
Commitment to Making A Difference
Our motto, Make A Difference, guides everything we do. We encourage our athletes to make a difference both on and off the court through their effort, attitude, leadership and the way they support those around them. The lessons learned through volleyball - discipline, resilience, teamwork, and accountability - prepare our athletes for success far beyond the game.
Built for Long-Term Growth
Diablo is built around a shared philosophy, with club-wide standards and expectations that create a consistent experience across all age groups. As athletes progress through our program, they benefit from familiar systems, terminology, and training principles that make transitioning between age levels seamless. This long-term approach allows players to continue growing throughout their entire club volleyball journey.
Playing club volleyball is a big commitment!
Time Commitment
- All teams have mandatory practices 2-3 times per week (2 hours per practice)
- Teams will compete in anywhere from 10-20 tournament days depending on the team (Tournaments are ALL-DAY events)
Travel Commitment
- Club tournaments can involve a substantial amount of travel depending on the type of team.
- When committing to a team, you are expected to attend all tournaments, practices, and any other team events. Check your team's schedule to confirm the travel requirements.
Financial Commitment
- Club volleyball can be a large financial commitment as well. Check your team's page to see the exact cost of the season and what kind of payment schedules we can offer.
- The cost of a season pays for things like coaching fees, gym time for practices, tournament entry fees, NCVA league fees, uniforms, apparel, and equipment.
- There are also other associated costs that club fees do not cover, such as spectator passes, travel to tournaments, parking fees, airfare, hotels, and food.
At Diablo, Power and Premier League teams both participate in the same amount of league tournaments and have about the same amount of time on the court practicing throughout the season.
Power League
Power Teams are our most competitive teams. Power League tournaments could take place anywhere within the Northern California region (Chico to Fresno and anywhere in between).
Power League teams will participate in:
- Power League Tournaments:
- 2-Day Qualifier
- 3 Single-Day Tournaments
- 2-Day Regionals
- NCVA Far Western National Qualifier (Reno, NV)
- 1-2 Regional Tournaments (Ex: Cal Kickoff, President's Day, Golden State Classic)
- 1-2 Additional Qualifiers (Ex: AAU Colorado Crossroads, USAV Pacific Northwest Qualifier, SCVA Red Rock Rave)
- 1 Potential Non-League Tournament
- Pending Qualification - USAV Junior National Championships
The goal for our Power Teams is to earn a bid and attend a Junior National Championship Tournament.
Premier League
Premier Teams are competitive teams that require less travel. Premier League tournaments usually take place at venues that are within a 60-90 minute drive from Walnut Creek.
Premier League teams will participate in:
- Premier League Tournaments:
- 1-Day Qualifier
- 4 Single-Day Tournaments
- 2-Day Regionals
- NCVA Far Western National Qualifier (Reno, NV)
- 1 Potential Regional Tournament (Ex: Cal Kickoff, President's Day, Golden State Classic)
- 1 Potential Non-League Tournament
The goal for our Premier Teams is to compete at a high level and gain club experience while learning and improving volleyball skills.
At Diablo, we organize our teams with a color code based on their competitive level.
Black teams are our most competitive teams in their respective age groups, followed by green, white, and then other colors if needed.
Club volleyball tournaments are an ALL-DAY commitment. Tournament schedules are usually posted a few days before the tournament takes place. Coaches will communicate the schedule and arrival time to their teams once the schedules are posted.
Here is what you can expect for different types of tournaments:
Single-Day Tournaments
- Single-day tournaments usually consist of pool play in the morning and bracket play in the afternoon.
- A single-day tournament will typically run from 8am to 4 or 5pm.
Two or Three-Day Tournaments
- The first day(s) usually consist of pool play and crossover matches.
- The last day usually consists of either single or double-elimination bracket play.
- These tournaments can be separated into AM and PM waves. Typically AM wave is 8am-2pm and PM wave is 3pm-9pm.
All Tournaments
- Teams will have a schedule for the day that will include matches to play, matches to work, and off-time or breaks.
- Schedules for afternoon or bracket play can depend on the outcome of prior matches, so the schedules are always subject to change.
- Coaches will communicate their expectations on arrival time, but we usually ask players to arrive 45 minutes to an hour before their first match.
- Players should bring plenty of healthy food, snacks, and water to keep them energized throughout the day. Some tournaments will offer concessions, but they typically only offer less nutritious options. Some teams opt to set up a potluck-style food table for their teams, if allowed by the tournament location. Your coach will communicate their expectations around tournament nutrition.
For players aspiring to play at the collegiate level, playing club volleyball is essential. College coaches recruit more frequently from club programs than through high school programs, so playing for a club team enhances an athlete's chances of being successfully recruited.
Diablo actively supports this initiative. For further details on enhancing your recruitment prospects, please refer to our Recruitment Guide!
Tryout FAQs
You can pre-register for tryouts online up until 24 hours before the posted tryout time.
We also allow walk-in registration, but please arrive at least 20 minutes prior to your posted tryout time to complete your registration paperwork.
You will need an active NCVA Membership for tryouts. Please see the NCVA Membership FAQs for information on how to find your membership number or purchase a new one!
Please visit the pages below for more tryout information!
Girls Division
Boys Division
Players will register for a tryout based on their age group. During check-in, you will be assigned a tryout number and color based on the position/team you're trying out for, and this is how we will identify you throughout the tryout process.
Players will participate in a 2-hour tryout that will focus on all volleyball skills and game-like play so our coaching staff can assess their full potential.
After tryouts, coaches will make their team selections and extend offers, usually in the form of a phone call. This call gives the coach and player an opportunity to chat about their potential role on the team.
If you receive an offer for a team, you can give your coach one of three answers:
- YES - I am committing to the team
- NO - I will not play for the team
- MAYBE - I am not sure yet or still deciding
If your answer is MAYBE, you will have 24 hours to make your final decision and give your coach a final answer of YES or NO.
Please give your coach a definitive answer as soon as possible so that we can finalize our teams, and move on to calling potential alternates and making offers to more players.
We will update our Tryout Results Page frequently during the period after tryouts. Once a team roster is full (we usually take 11-12 players per team), your coach will send out information about commitment night. This is a mandatory meeting for all players and parents to attend!
Every player will be evaluated on their technical skills and athletic ability, as well as their effort, attitude, and overall performance at tryouts. Our coaching staff will systematically assess these qualities by observing skills, performance, and behavior during drills and activities at tryouts.
As coaches, we want each player to get the opportunity to demonstrate all of their abilities on the court, enjoy the tryout experience, and learn something new! We value a player's ability to consistently maintain focus, good work ethic, and high-level performance throughout the duration of the tryout.
There are many ways to stand out at a tryout beyond just your volleyball skills. While technical skills and athletic ability are very important, our coaches also highly value personal qualities that make a good teammate; including having a positive attitude, encouraging others, and always giving 100% effort!
- Please bring your tryout fee of $40 in the form of cash or check. (Checks made out to "Diablo VBC")
- Please bring your filled out and signed Medical Release Form.
- Players should wear athletic clothes and shoes. Knee pads are encouraged, but not required. Long hair should be tied back and out of the face. Please bring a water bottle.
- Pre-registering online will help your tryout registration process run as smooth as possible:.
- We will also accept walk-ins the day of the tryout. Please arrive at least 20 minutes prior to your posted tryout time to complete your registration paperwork.
We ask that parents be present for registration to confirm their player is successfully checked in. We also encourage parents to stay, learn more about Diablo, and observe the tryout, but it is not required.
At the start of the tryout, our Club Director will provide parents with an introduction to Diablo. Parents and players will also receive a brief introduction from each of the coaches in their age group.
At the end of the tryout, we will go over the process and timeline of extending and accepting team offers.
If parents choose to stay, they can sit in the gym bleachers/chairs or the lobby and watch. However, please do not interfere with the tryout, coach your player from the sidelines, or step onto the court at any time. Thank you!
If you are unable to attend tryouts, please contact our Club President, Sean Stratton (diablovbc@yahoo.com) as early as possible! Include your player's full name, birthdate, and any other relevant information.
We will do our best to schedule you a makeup tryout date, or we will have you attend one of our camps, clinics, or open gyms for you to be evaluated at.
Tryout weekend can be very stressful for players and their families, but try to be patient!
Our coaches can continue to make offers up to 24-48 hours (or at times even longer) after the tryout. You may be an alternate for a team, or have the opportunity to move up to a more competitive team.
Once we receive answers from our initial offers, we will continue to update our Tryout Results Pages and make offers to more players until our team rosters are full.
Commitment Night is a mandatory meeting for all players and parents of a team. This is your time to ask questions and get an understanding of our club expectations to allow you to make an informed decision about committing to play for Diablo.
We will accomplish the following items:
- Diablo Club Meeting - Led by Sean Stratton, Club President
- Team Meeting - Led by your team's Head Coach
- Players will try on uniforms and apparel
- Fill out the NCVA and Diablo Letters of Commitment
- Fill out the Player/Parent/Uniform Information (Online)
- Complete first Payment of Club Dues
Membership FAQs
- Create an account on SportsEngine with the parent/guardian's name and contact information.
- If the player will turn 18 during the season, they can create their own account.
- Once the account has been created, visit the NCVA membership page, scroll down to Memberships and select the correct membership for your player.
- Keep in mind that the 18 y/o memberships are for players turning 18 within the current season.
- After selecting the correct membership and clicking the blue button to purchase, you will be taken to the SportsEngine membership portal.
- You will either be logged into your SportsEngine or it will prompt you to log in.
- Once you're signed in, select who the membership is for:
- Select Add Child if the membership is for your player. (If you're purchasing the 18 y/o membership, select your own name)
- Once you've selected a child, fill in their profile information and continue with the purchase.
- This profile will now be attached to the account the parent/guardian created.
- Once complete, you will need to confirm you have accepted all the terms and conditions. Go to your account on SportsEngine and access MySportsEngine.
- If you purchased the 18 y/o membership, you will need to complete your training and background check as well.
- Sign into your SportsEngine account.
- Click on the Household tab.
- Click to view the profile that has the region membership assigned to it.
- Scroll down and click on View Memberships.
- The membership number is a 7-digit number that should be listed in the Organization Column (Example: Northern California Volleyball Association Membership ID - 1234567)
Parent FAQs
Diablo believes in open and respectful communication between players, coaches, and families. We follow a clear chain of communication that encourages athletes to advocate for themselves and develop confidence in communicating with their coaches.
Diablo Chain of Communication:
- Player requests a meeting: Player and Coaches Only
- Player requests a second meeting: Player, Coaches, and Parent(s)/Guardian(s)
- Player requests a third meeting: Player, Coaches, Parent(s)/Guardian(s), and Club Board Member
It is club policy that we do not discuss playing time concerns with parents during tournaments. Any questions or concerns related to playing time should be addressed following the Chain of Communication listed above.
Players are always encouraged to ask questions and seek feedback from their coaches. Many of our coaches also conduct individual player meetings throughout the season to discuss goals, provide feedback, and ensure players and coaches are aligned on expectations and development.
We believe the player-coach relationship is an important part of the athlete’s growth. By encouraging players to communicate directly with their coaches, athletes learn valuable skills in self-advocacy, accountability, and leadership that extend beyond volleyball.
Diablo coaches and staff use TeamSnap as the primary method of communication throughout the season. Families can expect important updates regarding practices, tournaments, schedules, and any other information to be communicated through TeamSnap.
We also encourage athletes to take responsibility for communicating directly with their coaches regarding practice availability, absences, and other team-related matters. Developing strong communication skills and accountability is an important part of the club volleyball experience.
Yes. Diablo maintains an open practice policy, and parents are welcome to observe team practices. We ask that parents respect the practice environment by allowing coaches to coach and avoiding any disruptions or interference during training sessions.
Our goal is to provide athletes with a focused environment where they can learn, compete, and grow while allowing families the opportunity to observe their development. The open practice policy is a privilege that may be modified or revoked at any time if it becomes disruptive to the team environment.