6 Essential Steps to Prepare for the Tour of Texas

It's been awhile! I apologize for not getting anything written for you all recently, but between the Holidays and the transfer portal things have been a little bit crazy.

But 2026 is here; January is here; Club season is here so let's get started.

Here are 6 things that you need to do in the next several weeks to make sure you are ready to go for the Tour of Texas Stop in Austin in 12 days.

There will be college coaches. Are you ready?

1 - Update Your Highlight Video Make sure that your most recent video is at the forefront of what you are sending to schools and on your profiles. Make sure it's what college coaches are watching first!

2 - Refresh Your Profiles Insure that things like your contact information and GPA are correct on all of your platforms and hubs. Check your UA, Productive Recruit and social media accounts. Is your highlight up-to-date along with your current club information? If you haven't Googles yourself recently, I would highly encourage you to do that and see what pops up (name + volleyball).

3 - Review Your Target List Go through your list and compare that to who is coming to your tournament (Check UA for this info). Are there any schools that are attending that you should reach out to as well? Are there any schools you would like to add to your list at this stage in the process? If you need some help finding schools to add to your list, check out this video below:

4 - Reach Out to Your Target Schools Send a quick update about your season so far, where you're playing this weekend or mention something you and your family did for the Holidays. Make sure ALL of your links are in your email signature so college coaches can easily get to all of your info. Remember that consistent communication is important to the recruiting process!

5 - Pre-Tournament Goals Review your goals for the season. Make some personal and team goals for this weekend. Write them down and keep track of them each weekend! What are some things that you've been working on in practice? What are some things that you have been working on in your private sessions?

6 - Coordinate with Your Coach Make sure that your club coach and recruiting coordinator are kept in the loop. CC them on the emails you are sending out and let them know who is planning on coming to watch you play. The more eyes that are on your court looking for and engaging with college coaches the better!

Feel free to repeat these the week of or (better yet) the week BEFORE each volleyball tournament. Consistent communication makes a huge difference.

Start early and send often!