A good D2 or a bad D1? How to choose a college volleyball level

Reviewed by Coach Lea Conner

Most families start recruiting with one goal: Division I. For most athletes the better question is where she will play, grow and want to be for four years.

Start with the numbers

About 4% of high school volleyball players go on to play at an NCAA school. About 1.3% reach Division I. Those are the NCAA's own figures.

There are 338 Division I programs. There are roughly 1,290 at the other four levels: 296 in Division II, 431 in Division III, 208 in the NAIA and 356 junior colleges. About four of every five college volleyball programs are not Division I.

The levels overlap more than families expect

Every level has a wide range. The strongest Division II teams are better than many teams in Division I. The University of Tampa, a Division II program, has won four national championships (2006, 2014, 2018 and 2021).

Coach Lea has seen that level from both sides. She earned a volleyball scholarship to Valdosta State, a Division II program, and started at setter as a freshman. Years later she was on the University of Tampa staff during the 2018 national championship season.

What a "bad D1" can cost

"Bad" here does not mean a bad school or a bad program. It means a bad fit for this athlete.

• Court time. A roster can carry up to 18 players and six are on the court. An athlete recruited at the bottom of a roster can wait years to play.
• The school itself. A college picked for the label may not have her major, may be the wrong size, or may be farther from home than she wants.
• The money. Up to 18 scholarships per team is a ceiling, not a promise. Not every program funds it, and a roster spot is not the same as a scholarship.
• The restart. An athlete who is not playing may end up transferring, which can cost credits and a year of settling in somewhere new.

What a good D2, NAIA or D3 can give

• A real role early. Playing as a freshman or sophomore develops an athlete faster than watching.
• Money that stacks. Division II and NAIA programs have 8 athletic scholarships per team, usually split into partial awards and often combined with academic aid. Division III has no athletic scholarships, but offers academic and need-based aid.
• A later clock. Division I coaches start watching in 9th grade. Division II and III coaches start in 10th, which helps athletes who develop late.
• Matches that matter. A program that competes for conference and national titles is a different four years from one that does not.
• A degree she chose. Volleyball ends for almost everyone at graduation. The degree does not.

Five questions that settle it

1. Where would she be on this roster in year one and year two? Read the roster. Count the players at her position and note their class years.
2. Would she choose this school if volleyball ended tomorrow? Injuries and coaching changes happen. The school has to stand on its own.
3. What does it cost after all aid, across four years? Compare the real number, not the label on the offer.
4. Does it have her major, and can she take it alongside the team schedule? Ask the coach how current players in that major manage it.
5. Who is pursuing whom? A coach who calls, watches her play and invites a visit is showing a different level of interest from one who replied to an email once.

When Division I is the right call

This is not an argument against Division I. If a Division I coach is actively recruiting her, she projects to play there, and the school fits without volleyball, that is a great outcome. The mistake is choosing the label over the fit.

How to find her real level

Read rosters, watch a match at each level, and ask a coach who has no roster to fill. Our guide to which division fits walks through all three, and the scholarship numbers by level show where the money is.

For an outside read, a $40 Recruiting Reality Check gets you Coach Lea's honest level range by email. The $199 Recruiting Pipeline consult adds a school list and an outreach plan. Neither guarantees an offer; no honest coach can.

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