Question:  What is the Cowlitz Volleyball Club?

• Answer: Cowlitz Volleyball Club (CVC) is a non-profit organization which provides opportunities for athletes to play competitive volleyball. Founded and based in Longview, Washington, CVC is represented by coaches and athletes from all over Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon. Coaches are volunteers and are typically active in coaching local high school and middle school volleyball teams as well. The athletes, who range in age from 9 to 18 years, play on one of the many teams which are divided up by age and ability level.

  CVC is a member of the Columbia Empire Region (CEVA) of the United States Volleyball Association. It has no affiliation with any public or private school.   back_to_top

Question: What is club volleyball?

• Answer: Club volleyball is volleyball at its best! Athletes travel far and wide to join a club volleyball team, with the intention of receiving quality coaching, playing with other equally-skilled athletes, facing top-level competition and having a lot of fun! It takes commitment and discipline to be involved, but the rewards are worth it.   back_to_top

Question: Who do I contact for questions?

• Answer: For general questions regarding Cowlitz Volleyball Club, you can contact Director Bill Marshall at 360-636-SLAM.   back_to_top

Question: When will tryouts be held?

• Answer: Tryouts usually take place in mid-November. More information on the approximate date of tryouts will be available on this website sometime in mid-October.   back_to_top

Question: What are tryouts like?

• Answer: Tryouts are made up of three separate evaluations : physical ability testing, volleyball-related skills testing, and volleyball game competition.

  The physical abilities testing includes such things as push-ups, sit-ups, 40-yard dash, triple jump and vertical jump. The volleyball-related skills testing includes passing, setting, hitting and serving. These tests take place at "stations" where individual athletes are evaluated by the coaching staff and awarded points based on the level of their skills. The volleyball game competition consists of a doubles match, in which two-player teams play against each other for a set time, vying for not only a victory but also to score as many points as possible.

  Throughout the tryout process, CVC coaching staff performs on-court evaluations of such things as attitude, effort, ability to communicate, competitiveness and desire.

  For an in-depth look at the entire tryout process, check out the CVC Tryout Guide!   back_to_top

Question: What are the age group definitions?

• Answer: According to USA Volleyball:

  18-U = Born on or after September 1st, 1991
  16-U = Born on or after September 1st, 1993
  14-U = Born on or after September 1st, 1995
  12-U = Born on or after September 1st, 1997

  As a guide, the 18-U division typically contains high school seniors and juniors, the 16-U division consists of high school sophomores and freshmen, the 14-U division is made up of 8th and 7th grade [middle school] students, and the 12-U division contains 6th, 5th grade and even 4th grade students. The exception will be those students who are young for their grade level, and due to their birth date, can play at a younger division level.   back_to_top

Question: How are the different teams composed?

• Answer: For each age division, teams are given color-names, with Black being the highest ability-level team, followed by Blue, Red, Gold and Silver, in that order of level of ability. Currently, the 18-U division contains Black (or ASICS) and Blue teams, the 16-U division has Black (or ASICS), Blue, Red and Gold teams, the 14-U division has Black, Blue, Red, Gold and Silver teams, and the 12-U division contains Black, Blue, Red, Gold and Silver teams.

  The 18 Asics (Black) and 16 Asics (Black) teams are distinctively different from the other teams in CVC, in that these two teams require additional commitments from their players in terms of finances and time, as both teams travel extensively and their playing seasons are extended through the month July.   back_to_top

Question: How is a player assigned to a particular team?

• Answer: CVC assigns players to teams based on a combination of tryout results and team composition needs. The tryout results are determined from the physical ability testing, volleyball-related skills testing and volleyball game competition, and also by on-court evaluations by CVC coaching staff of attitude, effort, ability to communicate, competitiveness and desire. The team composition needs are determined by each individual coach's decision as to how many players are needed at each position (setter, middle blocker, outside hitter, libero, etc), with consideration given to such factors as physical height.

  The goal of CVC is to assign players to teams where they will have the best chance of individual success and be most capable of making a significant contribution to the team's success, as well as to meet the needs of the teams to allow for the strongest possible lineup.   back_to_top

Question: How many players are on a team?

• Answer: The number of players on a team typically ranges from 10 to 12. The exact number is dependent upon several factors, including team composition needs, ability level of players and number of athletes participating in tryouts.   back_to_top

Question: How often do you play tournaments?

• Answer: Teams usually participate in 2 or 3 tournaments per month over the course of a season. The tournaments are played on either Saturday or Sunday, or even both. Ultimately, how often you will play in tournaments will depend upon which team you are on.

  At a bare minimum, a season will look like this :
  JANUARY = Power League; and CVC-hosted Tourney in Longview
  FEBRUARY = Power League; and CVC-hosted Tourney in Longview
  MARCH = Power League; and CVC-hosted Tourney in Longview
  APRIL = Power League; and Regional Tourney

  For teams that choose to extend their season beyond April, their schedule will include as a minimum :
  MAY = Emerald City Classic [2-day]
  JUNE = CVC-hosted Tourney in Longview; Volleyball Festival [10-day]

  The open weekends remaining from the minimally-scheduled season may be filled with additional tournaments. A tentative schedule will be available at the Informational Meeting held each year in November, while the final schedule will be provided in January.   back_to_top

Question: Where are the tournaments held?

• Answer: Tournaments are held at a variety of locations, though the majority of tournaments will be held in either Longview or the communities surrounding Portland, Oregon. All teams may also travel to Yakima, Washington for a two-day tournament. On occasion, teams will travel as far north as Seattle, Washington and as far south as Eugene, Oregon, with possible detours to Bend or Medford, Oregon. For teams that choose to continue playing through June, there will be the additional travel to Reno, Nevada.

  Tournament locations for 18 ASICS will also include Tempe, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, and for 16 ASICS will include either Los Angeles, California, or Denver, Colorado.   back_to_top

Question: When will I get tournament information?

• Answer: The timing for receiving tournament information such as gym location and start times primarily depends upon the respective tournament director. Due to team cancellations, the tourney schedule is not set until the week prior. Most directors manage to inform the team coach by the Wednesday immediately preceding the weekend's tournament. It is hoped that tourney info will be available at the weekday practice; otherwise, team coaches will be calling players with times and locations.

  Specifically, the information for CVC-hosted tournaments will be available by the Tuesday or Wednesday immediately preceding the tourney. For Power Leagues, information may be posted on the CEVA website as early as 2 or 3 weeks ahead of time. The Yakima Jamboree typically has information available on their website about 1 week prior. Most other local tournaments will follow the same model as for CVC.   back_to_top

Question: How often do you practice?

• Answer: Teams practice 1 or 2 times per week, typically on Sunday afternoons and a weekday such as Tuesday or Wednesday nights. If a tournament is played on a weekend, there are no Sunday practices.   back_to_top

Question: Where are the practices held?

• Answer: Practice locations center around the Longview, Washington area. Specifically, practices are held at any of the following: Lower Columbia College, Monticello Middle School, Olympic Elementary School, Cascade Middle School, Mt Solo Middle School, Robert Gray Elementary and Castle Rock Middle School.   back_to_top

Question: How much does it cost?

• Answer: There are several different fee structures to consider, depending upon the team and their decision for an extended season. For most teams, their fees will cover only the January - April season, which is the lowest cost. Additional cost will result from a team's decision to continue playing in May - July.

  The 18 ASICS (Black) and 16 ASICS (Black) teams have entirely different fee structures due to their up-front commitment to extensive travel and an extended season.

  Specific fee amounts will be available at the Informational Meeting held each year in November.   back_to_top

Question: What are the fees used for?

• Answer: Fees cover a variety of costs associated with participation in club volleyball, namely : tournament entry (minimum of $100 per tourney) ; equipment such as uniforms, warm-ups, travel bags, volleyballs and medical supplies; monthly expenses such as phone, storage, postage, printing and materials ; USVBA National Office per athlete expenses such as insurance ; CEVA team membership ; CVC-hosted tournament costs ; awards ; concessions ; officials ; custodial / rentals.
  Note that fees are NOT used to pay salaries for coaches or any other staff member of CVC. Everyone associated with CVC works on a volunteer basis.   back_to_top

Question: What do the fees NOT cover?

• Answer: Players and their parents will need to consider costs that are not included in their fee payment, namely : travel costs (gas) for local tournaments; food and drink; lodging for overnight stays if desired ; personal playing equipment such as shoes, kneepads and ankle support braces.   back_to_top

Question: How long does the season last?

• Answer: The typical season begins with try-outs in mid-November, followed by the initial practices in early December. It concludes with the Regional Tournament in late April and the Awards Night which follows soon after Regionals. For those teams that choose to extend their season, there are tournaments and practices in May and June, with The Volleyball Festival in late June to end the season.   back_to_top

Question: What is Power League?

• Answer: Power League is a series of monthly tournaments administered by the CEVA that is designed to provide equal-ability competition for club teams in the Pacific Northwest. A lot of teams are involved, sometimes upwards of 80 per age division. The initial Qualifier in January is used to determine into which division teams will be seeded in the February Power League. Each division, with names such as Gold, Silver, Bronze, etc, contains 8 teams, who compete in pool and bracket play. Depending upon the results of the competition, the top 2 teams in the division move up to the next higher division, while the bottom 2 teams move down; the other 4 teams remain in their current division. All the while, teams receive a certain number of points based on their overall finish. Competition in this manner continues through March and April, after which the total points are added up and used for seeding in the Regional Tournament.   back_to_top

Question: Are there fundraising opportunities?

• Answer: CVC encourages individual fundraising activities, such as solicitation of businesses for sponsorship. Assistance by CVC in this area will be provided upon request.   back_to_top