Recruiting feels slower in the fall, and if you're watching other athletes commit while your inbox stays quiet, it's easy to wonder if you're falling behind. But a quiet recruiting season doesn't mean you're doing something wrong.

In this episode, Susan explains why college coaches have less time for recruiting during their competitive season and why sending more emails isn't always the best way to make progress. Instead of creating activity just to feel productive, you can use the fall to become a better player, evaluate your recruiting strategy, and prepare for the opportunities that may come in the spring.

Susan shares three things athletes should focus on right now: improving their volleyball skills, making sure their target list is aligned with their abilities and goals, and getting organized before club season begins. She also explains why recruiting happens in waves, why other athletes' commitment announcements don't tell the whole story, and how to stay connected with college coaches in a thoughtful, intentional way.

Chapters
00:15 – Why recruiting feels slower in the fall
01:45 – What college coaches are focused on during season
03:45 – When doing more doesn't mean making progress
06:30 – Three things to focus on right now
08:30 – Evaluate your recruiting strategy
10:00 – Prepare now so you're ready for club season
11:15 – Organizing your recruiting process with RallySend
14:00 – Recruiting happens in waves
17:30 – Get ready for the right opportunity
18:15 – How to email college coaches during the fall
20:30 – Finding the right recruiting support

https://nxtvb.circle.so/options-d39582

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

www.rallysend.com

Looking for a better way to stay organized and manage your recruiting? Check out www.rallysend.com—our go-to recruiting software for athletes, families, and clubs. It streamlines communication with college coaches, saves hours on recruiting outreach, and helps you stay ahead of the biggest challenge in the recruiting process: time.

Use code HEYSUSAN to save $5/month on a monthly subscription or $50 off an annual plan.

What happens when your target list is too high?

In this episode, Susan breaks down one of the most important—and often misunderstood—parts of volleyball recruiting: targeting the right schools.

She explains what can happen when athletes build a list filled almost entirely with reach schools, from getting ignored by coaches to spending more time, money, and energy trying to get attention. That lack of response can start to affect an athlete’s confidence, mindset, and even how she performs on the court.

Susan also explains the positive cycle that happens when athletes target well. When coaches start responding, athletes gain confidence, create options, and can actually play more freely. And sometimes, that confidence and improved performance can even open the door to schools that once felt like reaches.

The conversation also explores why families should not overlook Division II volleyball. Susan shares why D2 can offer competitive volleyball, scholarship opportunities, strong coaching relationships, and another path to playing college volleyball—and why staying open to different levels can ultimately help athletes find the right fit.

If you’re building or questioning your target list, this episode will help you think differently about what it means to recruit strategically, create options, and take the pressure off.

Susan also shares information about the upcoming Division II College Coaches Camp in Petaluma, California, and how athletes can use opportunities like this to gain exposure, experience, and connections with college coaches.

Chapters

00:00 – What happens when you target well
02:00 – The confidence cycle of getting recruited
04:00 – When your target list is too high
06:00 – How recruiting pressure affects performance
08:30 – You might have a targeting problem, not an exposure problem
10:00 – How to build a smarter target list
12:00 – Creating options instead of chasing one school
15:00 – Why you shouldn’t overlook Division II
17:00 – The D2 opportunity families are missing
20:00 – Why college coach connections matter
21:30 – Using camps to create exposure and experience
24:00 – Recruit smarter, not just higher
25:30 – How Susan can help you build your target list
26:15 – Upcoming D2 College Coaches Camp

https://nxtvb.circle.so/options-d39582

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

www.rallysend.com

Looking for a better way to stay organized and manage your recruiting? Check out www.rallysend.com—our go-to recruiting software for athletes, families, and clubs. It streamlines communication with college coaches, saves hours on recruiting outreach, and helps you stay ahead of the biggest challenge in the recruiting process: time.

Use code HEYSUSAN to save $5/month on a monthly subscription or $50 off an annual plan.

How much should parents actually be involved in their daughter’s volleyball recruiting process?

What does it actually take to become a Division I volleyball player, and is D1 always the right goal?

In this special episode, Susan shares a preview of her conversation with her friend Desi McPhail on Your Mental Weight Room. Desi works with athletes on the mindset and mental side of performance, and the two dig into some of the parts of recruiting and college athletics that families don’t always get to see.

Susan breaks down what she sees in athletes who reach the D1 level, including the physicality, competitiveness, drive, and mindset required to compete at that level. She also explains why being undersized doesn’t automatically take D1 off the table and what some athletes develop to overcome physical limitations.

But reaching D1 isn’t the only definition of recruiting success. Susan and Desi talk about why athletes need to understand what they actually want from their college experience, why playing and contributing at another level may be more valuable to some athletes, and why the path doesn’t always look the way you originally expected.

They also pull back the curtain on conversations with college coaches and why coaches may be more direct behind the scenes than they are with recruits themselves.

This is only a small piece of Susan and Desi’s full conversation. Listen to the complete episode of Your Mental Weight Room HERE.

Chapters

00:00 –Susan introduces Your Mental Weight Room

01:40 – What does it really take to become a D1 volleyball player?

03:00 – Why physicality matters in D1 recruiting

04:30 – Can undersized athletes still play D1?

06:25 – Is D1 actually what you want?

07:30 – When D2, D3, or another path may be a better fit

10:30 – Choosing your path based on desire instead of obligation

11:30 – What college coaches say behind the scenes

14:25 – Where to hear Susan and Desi’s full conversation

Connect with Desi:

Instagram: @thisiscoachdesi

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

www.rallysend.com

Looking for a better way to stay organized and manage your recruiting? Check out www.rallysend.com—our go-to recruiting software for athletes, families, and clubs. It streamlines communication with college coaches, saves hours on recruiting outreach, and helps you stay ahead of the biggest challenge in the recruiting process: time.

Use code HEYSUSAN to save $5/month on a monthly subscription or $50 off an annual plan.