Volleyball Tryout Evaluation Form

The six rows cover what a rally asks of a player, from the pass and the set to the court awareness that ties them together. Score each row in the drill that shows it (the court block in the tryout plan names which), and let the written levels decide when a player sits between two numbers. Libero candidates get N/A in Attacking and Blocking, because the rules keep a libero from finishing an attack above the net and from blocking at all, so their total runs out of 20.

Two more rows sit under the six. Coachability and Movement get a score from 1 to 5 like the others, but they stay out of the total and out of the weights. They exist to break ties at the cut line.

Adding up every evaluator's scores by hand? The €19 Tryout Decision Kit marks who's on the bubble and drafts a message to every family ↓

PDF, Court Grid, or Tablet

• PDF: Print Form, then Save as PDF in your browser's print dialog. You get the sheet, both rubrics, and nothing else from this page.
• Court grid: Copy as Table copies a ten-line version of the sheet, with the rows as columns and the level descriptions underneath. Paste it into Google Sheets or Excel, extend it to 60 lines numbered by pinnie, and print one per evaluator. In the tryout plan each evaluator watches every player, so each one needs every line.
• Tablet: Download as Image gives you a PNG of the sheet.

Four rules decide what you can fairly mark down on this sheet. The table is the short version, and the sections under it give the wording and the reasoning.

The Double Contact That No Longer Draws a Whistle

The NFHS 2025-26 volleyball points of emphasis(opens in new tab) state the change in one sentence. "With the 2025 rules changes, officials no longer adjudicate the multiple contact fault on a second contact when the ball is played to a teammate." PAVO's 2025 rule comparison(opens in new tab), edited by NCAA, USA Volleyball, and NFHS rules staff, prints the same allowance in all three columns. The points of emphasis also list calls that stay in place, among them a doubled third contact and a doubled second contact that crosses the net.

So a set with a little spin on it is legal in a high school gym and in a club gym alike, and you won't hear a whistle for it. It is still a worse set. Score Setting on what your hitter receives: height, distance off the net, spin, and whether it went where the hitter called for it. A setter who dumps the second ball over with a double contact has made a fault under both codes, and that belongs in the Setting score too.

Two Rows a Libero Never Plays

USA Volleyball's 2025-2027 indoor rules(opens in new tab) bar the libero from completing an attack hit when the ball is entirely above the top of the net at contact (rule 19.3.1.2). The libero may not block or even attempt a block (19.3.1.3a). If you score a libero candidate on those two rows, you measure work the position never does. Write N/A instead.

One more libero rule shapes the Setting row. When a libero sets overhand from inside the front zone, a teammate may not attack that ball above the net (19.3.1.4). A libero's useful sets come from behind the attack line or off the forearms, so that's where you score them.

Overlap at the Serve

Under rule 7.4 of the same book, every player but the server stands in rotation order when the ball is served. Each front-row player must have part of a foot closer to the center line than the back-row player behind them. Each side player must also be closer to their sideline than the middle player of the same row. A team out of position loses the rally (7.5).

In the closing 6v6 of each court block, have your evaluators glance at the receiving side on every serve. A player who slides into an overlap to hide from the serve is showing you a Court Awareness 2, however clean the pass looks. Our 5-1 volleyball rotation guide walks through all six rotations if your staff needs a refresher.

Net Height by Age Group

Rule 2.1.1 sets the junior nets by age group, and 2.1.2 has you measure them at the center of the court.

In the three-court plan each player gets scored once per court. A net that sits an inch high on one court costs every attacker a little on that evaluator's grid and nobody else's. Measure all three before warm-up.

Sometimes you need speed over depth. At an open gym or a quick assessment camp, a checklist moves faster than numeric ratings. Tick each skill you see a player show.

When to Use a Checklist vs. Rating Scale

Use the checklist for a first screen, when a full six-row score for every player would take longer than you have the gym. Each item is a yes or no. Can this player hold a steady platform angle? Do they call "mine" on every ball? Count the ticks at the end.

Switch to the rating scale when you need to separate good from very good. A player who "digs hard-driven balls and passes accurately from any position" rates higher than one who simply "targets the setter area." That distinction decides the last roster spot.

Everyone gets the same six rows on the main sheet. The position sheet asks something narrower. Of the players who might set, pass, or hit for you, who does that job best? Fill it in from the attack segment and the closing 6v6 of each court block, where the roles show. Understanding what each volleyball position does helps you judge a candidate against the job and not against the player next to them.

Setters

Setters run the offense. Check that every attacker gets a hittable ball, including off a poor pass, and that the setter glances at the blockers before the pass arrives. Then watch the tempo. A strong candidate changes it, quicker off a perfect pass and higher when the team is out of system.

Setters and hitters also talk between rallies about the next set and the last one. Note how a candidate handles a hitter after a set that went wrong.

Liberos

A libero's whole job is in the back row, so serve receive and defense carry this part of the sheet. A libero who can't pass consistently hands the setter a poor first ball rally after rally. Coverage should reach across the back row, including the tips and rolls nobody else chases.

Listen as well as watch. Note who calls the serve first and who sorts out the seam between two passers. That talk has its own row on the libero sheet, Communication.

Outside, Middle, and Opposite Hitters

Outside hitters pass in serve receive and then attack, often off sets that aren't perfect. Look for both line and cross-court shots, and for an approach that adjusts when the set is off. Opposites attack from the right side and block the other team's left-side hitter, so the right-side swings in the attack segment are theirs to show.

Middles need a quick first step along the net and a fast arm for slides and quick sets. Blocking is a timing job before it is a height job. Watch whether a middle reads the setter and reaches the pin in time, and give lateral movement along the net as much attention as the vertical jump.

Once the roster is picked, the volleyball player profile template keeps each player's role and notes on one page through the season.

A middle school tryout can put a player who has never served overhand next to a teammate with two club seasons behind them. You're weighing what a player can learn this season alongside what they can do today. In the weights table under the compile sheet, the middle school row gives Passing and Serving a quarter of the score each.

Ready Position and Taking a Correction

Check that the player gets into a low, balanced ready position and moves their feet to the ball instead of reaching. When a court coach gives a correction between reps, watch whether the next rep shows it. The ready position and footwork go in the Movement row and the next rep after a correction in Coachability. Both stay out of the score and decide ties at the cut line.

At this age, put serving consistency ahead of power. Power can wait. In the plan each player serves about four balls per court, around a dozen over the day. A player who lands most of them with some placement helps a middle school team more than one who can blast a jump serve but misses most.

12U: Ball Tracking and Effort

At 12U, you're looking for players who track the ball well and move before contact. A willingness to try counts for more here than polished technique. Note whether the player chases down balls and calls "mine" without a reminder.

Athletic potential shows in movement quality, which the Movement tiebreak row records. Watch how players change direction and how quickly they turn from defense to offense. Raw athletes who move well often catch up quickly with technically sound players who move less well.

14U: When Serve Receive Starts to Separate Players

By 14U, players should show consistent platform angles and a real attack approach. Serve receive starts to decide places, so score how accurately a player passes when the serve has pace on it. Setting should show volleyball IQ, such as spotting a free ball or dumping when the block isn't set.

Positions start to take shape. Identify setters by their hands and their eyes. Libero candidates dig everything and talk constantly. Future middles show an explosive first step.

Adapting the Sheet

For a big first cut, the three-category sheet in the high school section is enough. Bring out the six-row sheet for the players still in the gym. The court block in the plan changes segment every 8 to 12 minutes and ends with a 6v6, which shows rotation awareness and talk under pressure.

High school tryouts carry different stakes than club ball. You're often evaluating players you'll see every day in the hallways, and roster decisions reach school culture beyond the gym.

Varsity vs. JV vs. Freshman Decisions

For varsity, you need players who can perform under pressure right now. A player with reliable serve receive and steady attacking will help at once, even if their ceiling is lower than a raw athlete still learning the game.

JV and freshman teams can lean toward development. When two candidates tie at the cut line, the Coachability and Movement rows decide it. A tall setter still learning timing might struggle on varsity and become a program cornerstone after two years on JV.

Talk, Effort, and the Court Awareness Row

Volleyball is a talking game. Watch which players talk between rallies, who organizes the defense, and who goes quiet when the score turns. That belongs on the sheet, in Court Awareness, where a 4 reads "Directs teammates."

Three months of daily practice together make character part of the decision. Note what you see, such as a player who sulks after a substitution or one who picks a teammate up after an error, so the roster meeting can discuss what actually happened.

16U to 18U Club Tryouts

Club tryouts at these ages run on the same six rows. Positions are mostly settled by then, so plan to fill in a position sheet for nearly every player, and use the varsity row of the weights table.

For a first cut in a crowded gym, the three-category sheet below scores Passing, Attacking, and Attitude and nothing else. An athletic director running fall tryouts in several sports can hand the other coaches our universal tryout evaluation form.

This plan runs 60 players through 150 minutes on three courts. It suits a high school picking freshman, JV, and varsity rosters from one tryout, or a club filling several teams in one age group. With 30 to 45 players, one gym, and 90 minutes, our volleyball tryout drills guide has a plan sized for that. It locks one evaluator to each station, which works at that size. With 60 players, a station evaluator would see every player on one skill only, so here every court runs the whole block.

Players Move, Evaluators Stay Put

Count your people first. The full crew is seven: three evaluators seated at the courts for the whole session, three court coaches who run the drills and serve in the 6v6, and a head coach on the clock. With a smaller staff, keep the three evaluators (you can be one of them) and hand the court-coach jobs to people who aren't trying out, such as alumni or parents who played and have no child trying out. A phone timer with a whistle covers the clock.

Number the pinnies by group (Group A 1 to 20, Group B 21 to 40, Group C 41 to 60) so every evaluator's grid runs in the same order. Each segment's minutes include its own changeover, about a minute to reset the lines or the target, so start the next segment on the clock even if the last rep ran short.

Why Every Court Runs the Whole Block

Every court runs the same drills in the same order. So when two of your evaluators score one player differently, you can rule the drill out. Score each row in the segment that shows it, then let the 6v6 move a score by one point when the game contradicts the drill.

Fresh Legs, Tired Legs, and Familiar Drills

Fatigue is part of the day. Every evaluator sees one group fresh, one in the middle round, and one in round 3, when legs and attention both run shorter. By round 3 a group has also run the block twice and knows the drills, which can flatter its serve receive and its 6v6 talk. Both effects land on every group once, each time on a different evaluator's grid, which is why the compile sheet asks which round an outlying score came from.

A Practice Run of the Court Block

At the last practice before tryouts, run the 40-minute block once with the three evaluators seated as they will be. Pick two returning players for each segment. When a segment ends, all three show their score for those two players with their fingers on a count of three. Where the hands differ by two or more, the evaluators name the rep they were watching and agree what a 3 looks like in that segment before the next one starts. If no players are returning, run the same check on a recorded scrimmage.

After round 3 your head coach has three grids, each with a line for every pinnie number. The compile sheet turns them into two ranked lists, one for court players and one for liberos.

1. Average each row. Add the player's three scores for the row, divide by three, and enter the average under that row (CA is Court Awareness). The three came from three courts and three rounds.
2. Mark the widest gap. Where two scores for a row sit two or more points apart, write the row and the round of the outlying score. We chose the two-point mark. If the outlier came in the group's third round, ask whether fatigue or a familiar drill explains it before you lean on the other two.
3. Weight the averages with the row for your team level in the table below. Liberos keep N/A in Attacking and Blocking and use that level's libero divisor.
4. Rank court players and liberos on separate lists. Keep them apart. A libero's four-row score and a hitter's six-row score don't belong on one list.
5. Break ties at the cut line with the Coachability + Movement total (the Tie column), then with the 6v6 notes all three evaluators wrote. Moving a player across the line should rest on something every evaluator saw.
6. For each player below the line, write one sentence from their lowest row and the segment that showed it. "In serve receive your passes dropped short of the setter on all three courts" points the player at one skill and the drill that exposed it.

What Each Row Is Worth at Each Level

These percentages are our own recommendation, and no rulebook sets them. Each level's six add up to 100%, which keeps a weighted score on the sheet's 1-5 scale. Each row's average times its percentage, summed over the six rows, gives the weighted score. For a libero, drop Attacking and Blocking and divide the sum of the other four by the libero divisor in the last column.

The heaviest weight at each level is in green. Middle school splits it between Passing and Serving, 25% each.

One varsity outside hitter, averaged over the three evaluators:

Court Awareness came in as 4, 4, and 3, an average of 3.67. The six rows unweighted average 3.44, so the weights lift a hitter whose best rows are the ones your level values most. A varsity libero averaging 4.67 in Passing, 3.00 in Setting, 4.00 in Serving, and 4.33 in Court Awareness sums to 2.87 and scores 4.10 after the 0.70 divisor.

With the roster set, plan the first match's starting rotation on our volleyball lineup sheet.

Passing is one row on the tryout sheet. In Striveon's volleyball starter content it is five sub-skills: Forearm Pass, Serve Receive, Digging, Roll and Dive Recovery, and Reception Footwork. That finer split is what lets a midseason re-rating show which part of a passer's game moved. The starter content holds 30 sub-skills in six areas, rated 1 to 10 on the default Evaluation Scale.

The Six Sheet Rows as 30 Sub-Skills

Five areas match the sheet's first five rows, and Court Awareness spreads across Defense & Game Intelligence. If you start from your sport's starter content when you set up volleyball, you get these 30 as listed. You can edit every name, delete any sub-skill, and add new ones under any area.

The Scorer and the Ten Criteria Levels

Work through the six areas one at a time, giving every sub-skill a number from 1 to 10. The six-area profile updates with each mark. Nothing is saved, so a reload clears it. When you're done, paste the scores into a spreadsheet or keep the profile card as a PNG.

The scorer here has no definitions behind its numbers. The volleyball starter content includes ten Evaluation Criteria levels, from No Experience at 1 to Master at 10, shared by every skill in the organization. Staff who want Blocking judged by its own descriptions can write criteria for that single skill area.

Entering Rostered Players in Striveon

Tryout day stays on paper. Score it 1 to 5 there, averages included. Once the roster is set, one coach records a baseline in Striveon for the players who made the team: the skills the staff saw at tryouts first, the rest once the first practices have shown them. An evaluation stays open and saves as you go, so publish it once, when the rows are filled. Rate on the app's 1-10 scale, with the Rating criteria panel open (Show criteria on a narrow screen) if your account has criteria (the volleyball starter content brings ten levels). The app does not convert a paper 1-5, so take each rating from the compiled averages and what the evaluators wrote.

Set up once:

1. Add the players who made the roster.
2. If your account was set up from the volleyball starter content, its 30 sub-skills are already there. Otherwise, build the sheet's six rows as skills in one skill set.
3. Leave the Evaluation Scale at 1-10. Narrowing it applies to every coach in the organization, moves every saved rating and every criteria level above the new top down to it (levels 6 to 10 would all land on 5), and widening it again does not bring the old numbers back.

Then the coach entering the baseline:

1. Opens the roster, clicks Evaluate players, chooses who is being evaluated, then clicks Start. Once anyone has an evaluation open, that button reads Resume evaluation, and Start a new evaluation is the last item in its menu.
2. Replaces the date in the name field at the top of the evaluation page with a name such as Baseline.
3. Rates each skill, reopening the evaluation by name under Resume evaluation until every row is filled, then clicks Publish evaluations on the last skill. Publishing is final, and it also emails your other coaches and players who have their own Striveon login, depending on their notification settings, so publish after players have heard the roster news.

• Keep the baseline to a single evaluation. The Progression chart plots each published evaluation as its own point, so three evaluators publishing three baselines on one day would draw their differences of opinion as movement the player never made. Two evaluators can't share one either: it keeps one rating per player per skill, so the last number typed replaces the other.
• Ratings are whole numbers, which is why the compile sheet's averages stay on paper.

Re-rate the same skills at the checkpoints below. Each player's Evaluations tab keeps every published rating, and its Progression section charts each skill over time. The chart does not separate evaluators, which is why the baseline comes from one coach. Read movement from the first re-rating on.