FAQ

1. When do we get the tournament schedule?

The schedule is usually posted to the tournament website by the Wednesday before the tournament – sometimes sooner.  If there is no website, then it is e-mailed to the club director.  We will get the schedule to you as soon as we receive it.

There are usually waves for each age group – morning and afternoon.  Sometimes they will post what wave each age group will play in before the schedule comes out.  The AM wave will start at 8 a.m. and the PM wave usually starts at 2 p.m. but sometimes 3 or 3:30 p.m.

 

2. When do we find out the location where the tournament will be played?

For local tournaments, there are usually several sites.  We will not find out the site until we get the schedule.  Sometimes the sites are listed on the club website in the event that you want to get a hotel room somewhere in the middle.

Many tournaments use an app called Advanced Event Systems to help schedule their event. There is Website that is called AES that is very easy to use to find out playing times, pool play, bracket play and court number. You can use this website to get this information. There is a guide link below. 

Advanced Event Systems Guide

 

3. How does the tournament schedule work?

Each team will have a schedule that looks like this:

 

Play

Ref – all team members must be at the court during this time whether you have an assignment or not

Sit – time to eat and hang out with your teammates; no one may leave the gym or fall asleep

Play

Play

If a team is reffing the last match, no one may leave until the match is completely finished regardless of whether or not you reffed the first set.

 

4. What time do we need to arrive?

If you play the first match, you must arrive 45 minutes before the start time.  If you ref the first match, then you must arrive 30 minutes prior to the start time.  If you sit the first match of the day, you must arrive 45 minutes prior to the start time of your match.  Matches will start early if possible with the exception of the first match of each wave.

If you are late for your team’s arrival time, you will sit the first set.  Please allow enough travel time to find the gym and your court.  You MUST be on the court with your team at the arrival time - not just somewhere in the area or the building.  If you are really late (more than 20 minutes late) you will sit the first two sets.   We do not want to be forced to enforce this rule so please allow enough time!!

 

5. What do we wear to the tournament?

When arriving at the tournament you must wear your Red Storm warm up jacket with your black cover shorts. Underneath you should have on your spandex as well as your uniform. If you do not know what color uniform to wear you can wait to put that on at the gym. When arriving at the tournament, do not wear your volleyball court shoes. You can wear slides or other athletic shoes.  Do NOT wear slippers - no matter how cute or in style they are currently. Make sure you bring all of your jerseys to the tournament as well as shoes, knee pads, socks, spandex, water bottle, and any other gear you might need. An extra bottle or 2 of water to carry in players bags is a great idea too. That way there is never an emergency for water. Players may NOT wear any jewelry during the match so it is best to not wear any to the playing venue.  This is a club rule.  Additionally, all players MUST have her hair up and out of her face.

 

6. What do I wear when we are not playing? 

As soon as you finish a match, everyone on your team must put on their jacket. You can also wear cover shorts or pants, but all must look alike. 

 

7. When am I allowed to use my cell phone? 

Once you arrive at the tournament please put your cell phone in your bag and it should remain there until the end of all matches. The ONLY reason to use your cell phone would be if the coach asked you to do something with it or in the case of a real emergency.

 

8. What is reffing? 

Everyone is required to referee - keep score on paper, flip score, libero track and line judge. Coaches will R2.  Some tournaments will have us reffing on 2 courts at the same time.  If this is It is your responsibility to check in to the court so we are not looking for you to switch to take over your refereeing assignment. If you are line judging any part of a match you must meet with the referees before the beginning of the match. 

Parents are not allowed to be at the scorers table for any reason. There is to be no food at the scores table, even if you are just flipping the score. 

Refereeing is an important part of the game, and we must be committed to being prompt and attentive. We want to be great reffing teams.  

 

9. When am I allowed to leave?

You may leave the tournament when your coach has released you.  No players are permitted to leave the playing facility during the tournament for any reason other than an injury that needs to be addressed. It could be beneficial to bring a cooler with water, snacks and sandwich makings.  It is incredibly important to eat healthy especially when you are playing.  Most of our teams coordinate together as to who is bringing snacks for the team, etc.

 

10. Can I bring bleacher seats or lawn chairs? Should parents bring anything else? 

This is totally up to each playing site. More times than not lawn chairs are not allowed, but bleacher seats are. Playing sites are usually cold, so having a blanket on hand is always nice. 

 

11. What should parents do during the match?

Cheer for your team. Allow the coaches to coach and do not be distracting to your child.  Remember they cannot focus on the match, you and the coach.  Your child must make sure she has enough water BEFORE the match.  She should not be waving you down to get her a drink when she should be in a huddle or paying attention to the match.   Talking to your daughter during a match whether she is on the bench or on the court will not be tolerated and will cause your daughter to lose playing time.

After the match is over, please do not approach your daughter. Many times they are putting on their jackets and getting ready to meet with their team. Wait for her to approach you after a game is completed. 

 

12. Why is my child not playing? 

Volleyball has limited subs in a match. You are only allowed to substitute 12 times which could mean in a close set where it is back and forth there is a high possibility of running out of substitutions. You must sub in and out for the same position on the court.   There are also only six athletes on the floor at once. Line ups, specific positions, and match-ups all factor into a coach’s decision on who will see the floor that match. 

 

13. When can I talk to my child’s coach about playing time? 

We encourage each child to talk to her coach first. We ask that you respect the 24 hour rule when it comes to any questions about coaching decisions, playing time, or the outcome of a match. At that time, the coach and the parent will be able to address the concern in a more productive manner.