When is Volleyball Season? 2026 Tryouts, Dates, & Pro Schedules

Updated Feb 28, 2026

My junior year of high school, I showed up to the first day of August tryouts already gassed. I’d played beach doubles all summer with zero structured training, and my coach pulled me aside after the first conditioning test and said, “Walker, your vertical dropped two inches since May. That’s not a summer—that’s a setback.” He wasn’t wrong. I spent the next three weeks digging myself out of a fitness hole while my teammates who’d trained through July club sessions were already running offensive sets. I trained differently every summer after that. The calendar became something I actually planned around, not something that happened to me.

If you’re trying to figure out when volleyball season actually runs—whether you’re a parent mapping out your kid’s year, a player planning tryouts, or a coach building a training cycle—the answer isn’t one date range.

Volleyball in 2026 runs year-round across overlapping seasons at every level, each governed by its own rule set and scoring structure. This guide maps out every month, every level, and the training phases that connect them so you never show up to tryouts two inches short again.

The 2026 Volleyball Master Calendar

Here are the hard numbers. This table shows what’s happening at every competitive level, every month of the year. Print this, pin it to your fridge, and plan your year around it.

The July Reset: How Summer Tryouts Changed Everything

IIf you played club volleyball before 2022, you remember the old way: tryouts happened in late October or November, right when high school state championships were still running. Players were torn between their high school team’s playoff push and club tryout pressure. Coaches hated it. Parents hated it. Players were exhausted.

The shift to July tryouts—now standard across most major USAV regions—fixed that conflict and created something bigger: a true annual reset point for the volleyball calendar. If you’re heading into your first club tryout, here’s what coaches actually evaluate during those sessions.

Here’s what July tryouts actually mean for your year. Club teams form in July, which gives coaches a full August through October to run preseason development before the December tournament grind. Players who train their vertical and conditioning through June show up to July tryouts already performing, while players who treat summer as pure vacation fall behind immediately. My coach’s lesson about that two-inch vertical drop? It applies tenfold now that July is evaluation month.

For parents navigating this for the first time: your kid’s club commitment starts in July, not November. Budget accordingly. A regional club in Minnesota runs $2,200 to $4,400 all-in. A national-travel program out of Dallas or Southern California runs $5,300 to over $10,500 once you factor in flights and hotels for out-of-state qualifiers. Travel tournaments run December through May, with USAV Junior Nationals as the peak event in late June or early July.

High School Volleyball: August Through November

Girls’ High School Season

The high school girls’ season is the most uniform schedule in volleyball. Across nearly every state, the pattern holds: tryouts in early-to-mid August, regular season from late August through October, and state championships wrapping up by mid-November.

Conference play typically runs September through October, with non-conference tournaments filling weekends. Matches follow rally scoring to 25 points per set in a best-of-five format at the varsity level, though JV often plays best-of-three.

What makes the high school season unique is the team-first structure. Unlike club ball, where players are often grouped by skill regardless of school, high school volleyball builds chemistry across grade levels. I played with seniors when I was a sophomore, and those upperclassmen taught me more about reading a defense in two months than any clinic ever did. The compressed season—roughly 12 to 14 weeks—forces rapid development.

State championship tournaments are the emotional peak of the calendar. During our State Championship run, our final match went five sets deep into the evening. That kind of pressure—playing for your school, your town, your classmates in the stands—doesn’t exist anywhere else in the volleyball calendar. If your state offers a competitive postseason bracket, that November tournament is where memories get made.

Boys’ High School Volleyball: The State-by-State Split

Boys’ volleyball doesn’t follow one national schedule. Depending on your state, the season falls in either fall or spring, and some states don’t sanction boys’ volleyball at all yet. Here’s the breakdown for the states with the highest participation:

The spring season dominates, which means boys who also play club volleyball face a scheduling crunch from March through May when both seasons overlap. My advice: communicate early with both your high school and club coaches about conflicts. Most will work with you, but only if you’re upfront before the season starts—not when you’re missing a Tuesday match for a weekend qualifier.

Club Volleyball: The Real Development Engine (November–June)

Club volleyball is where skill development accelerates fastest, and the season runs roughly November through late June. After July tryouts lock in rosters and August through October serves as structured preseason, the competition calendar ignites in December with early-season tournaments and qualifiers.

The Tournament Grind: December Through May

Club tournaments run almost every weekend from December through May. For nationally competitive teams (15U through 18U), the schedule builds toward a clear goal: qualifying for USAV Junior Nationals, the largest volleyball event in the world with 1,000+ teams competing.

The qualification pathway runs through regional events called “qualifiers”—multi-day tournaments where teams earn bids based on finish. Your region determines how many bids are available and how competitive the qualifying process is. Regions like Southern California, Texas, and the Midwest (Ohio Valley, Great Lakes) are historically the deepest, meaning qualification requires consistent high-level performance across multiple events.

For younger age groups (12U through 14U), the season is shorter, the travel is more regional, and the emphasis is on skill development over national qualification. If your child is in their first club season, expect local one-day tournaments through February before the schedule expands to two-day regional events in March and April.

What Club Costs (Realistically)

Nobody talks about this clearly enough, so here are the real numbers:

These numbers vary by region. A club in rural Minnesota has different travel costs than one in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. But the pattern holds: national-level commitment means national-level investment. Have the budget conversation as a family before July tryouts, not after you’ve committed to a team traveling to five out-of-state qualifiers.

College Volleyball: Two Seasons in One Year

College volleyball operates on a split calendar that confuses even experienced club families. The fall is the competitive season. The spring is development season. Both matter for different reasons.

Fall Competitive Season (August–December)

NCAA Division I, II, and III women’s volleyball runs from late August through the December championship. The season follows a clear arc:

August: Preseason camp and intrasquad scrimmages. Teams finalize rotations—most run a 5-1 or 6-2 system—and build chemistry with new players.

September–October: Non-conference play transitions into conference matchups. This is when coaches test lineups and develop depth. Midweek matches (typically Tuesday or Thursday) are conference games; weekend tournaments are often non-conference.

November: Conference tournaments determine automatic NCAA Tournament bids. At-large selections follow. The bracket of 64 begins in late November or early December.

December 2026: The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship is scheduled for December 18-20. This is the pinnacle of the college season—four teams, two semifinals, one championship match, all in a single weekend.

Spring Development Season (January–May)

Spring volleyball doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Teams practice, run intrasquad scrimmages, and compete in limited spring matches (NCAA allows a set number per year). For coaches, spring is where next year’s lineup gets built. For players, it’s where you earn—or lose—your starting spot.

Spring is also peak recruiting season. High school juniors and seniors attending campus visits will see spring practices, meet current players, and get a feel for the program’s culture. If you’re being recruited, spring campus visits matter more than fall game-day visits because you see the team’s actual daily operation, not the polished game-day atmosphere.

Recruiting Timeline Snapshot

Insight: "Coaches aren't just looking at your film in the fall—they're looking at your growth in the spring. If your spring practice tape shows you've corrected your approach angle, you're 10x more likely to get the 'Junior Summer' offer."

The NCAA’s recruiting calendar rules change frequently — contact periods, dead periods, and evaluation windows shift annually, so verify current dates directly through the NCAA. The biggest mistake families make: waiting until senior year to start the process. College coaches are evaluating players at 15U and 16U club tournaments. Start building your highlight film during your sophomore club season.

Professional Volleyball in 2026: Two Leagues, Both Running

Two years ago, professional women’s indoor volleyball in the United States had no league, no television deal, and no guaranteed salary floor. In January 2026, two leagues opened their seasons on the same weekend, both on cable television, with players earning between $60,000 and $175,000. That didn’t exist in 2024. The complete arc of how the sport got here covers everything from the first FIVB competitions to the current pro era.

League One Volleyball (LOVB) — Season 2

LOVB‘s first season drew enough ticket revenue and viewership to lock in a second year with expanded broadcasting—Wednesday primetime on USA Network is not a slot networks offer to experiments. Season 2 adds a midseason showcase event and a full 66-match regular season schedule.

Season 2 Quick Facts:

Wednesday at 8 PM ET on USA Network puts volleyball alongside NHL hockey in the same programming block. That’s a placement the league earned, not bought.

Players to Watch in LOVB 2026:

Madisen Skinner, the 2025 Finals MVP, returns for Austin’s title defense. Jordan Larson—Team USA legend and one of the greatest outside hitters in volleyball history—continues to elevate the league’s profile. Lexi Rodriguez brings the kind of defensive intensity at libero that makes highlight reels every match. Jordan Thompson’s kill power from the pin and Lauren Carlini’s setting precision round out a league loaded with Olympic-caliber athletes.

Major League Volleyball (MLV) — Season 3

The league formerly known as Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) rebranded as Major League Volleyball ahead of its third season. The Orlando Valkyries—2025 MLV champions—head into Season 3 as defending champions. The Omaha Supernovas, who set the all-time professional volleyball attendance record in 2024, remain the attendance benchmark with averages above 10,000 per home match.

MLV Season 3 Quick Facts:

MLV’s eight-team structure and longer season (through early May) means more matches, more exposure, and more opportunities for players. The salary range of $60,000 to $175,000 represents a genuine professional career path that didn’t exist for American women’s volleyball players five years ago.

Why the Pro Season Matters for Every Level

For players coming through the club and college pipeline, the math changed when LOVB and MLV launched. A college outside hitter finishing her senior season in 2026 has a domestic professional option that didn’t exist when she was a freshman. That’s a different recruiting conversation, a different training motivation, and a different ceiling to aim for.

Record the Wednesday LOVB matches. Watch MLV on weekends. Study how professionals run their serve-receive patterns and transition offense. The film study material that used to require international league subscriptions is now on basic cable.

Beach Volleyball: The Year-Round Alternative

Beach volleyball operates on its own calendar, and it overlaps with everything. The AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) tour runs primarily from April through September, with the season peaking in mid-summer.

For indoor players, beach volleyball in the off-season does something six-person practice can’t: it exposes every weak touch. Playing on sand forces you to develop footwork, ball control, and court vision without the safety net of five teammates covering space. Every college coach I’ve talked to recommends beach doubles during the summer for indoor players—it builds the individual skills that get hidden in a six-person system.

Beach court dimensions are smaller than indoor (16m × 8m compared to 18m × 9m for indoor), and you’re playing 2v2 instead of 6v6, which means every touch matters. The sand surface also builds leg strength and explosion that transfers directly back to indoor vertical performance when you return to a hard court.

Collegiate beach volleyball (NCAA) runs as a spring sport, typically February through May, with the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship in May. It’s one of the fastest-growing NCAA sports, and schools are actively adding programs and scholarships.

Adult Recreational Volleyball: Finding Your Season

Most of this guide covers competitive volleyball—high school, club, college, pro. But a significant share of people searching “when is volleyball season” aren’t parents or players in those pipelines. They played in college or high school, they haven’t played in years, and they want to know when they can get back on a court.

The answer depends on where you live and what you’re looking for, but the options are better in 2026 than they’ve ever been.

Organized rec leagues run year-round in most metro areas. YMCA indoor leagues typically run on a fall/winter calendar (September through February) and a spring session (March through May), with summer being the lightest. Registration opens 3-4 weeks before each session. Most require you to register as a full team, though some offer individual placement for solo players.

App-based pickup volleyball has grown significantly. OpenSports, Grab A Game, and Big City Volleyball run organized pickup sessions in major metros—you pay per session ($15-$25 typically), show up, and they handle the court booking and team assignments. Meetup.com volleyball groups still exist in smaller markets where apps haven’t penetrated yet.

Beach and sand courts often have informal pickup cultures that run April through September. If there’s a park with permanent sand courts in your city, showing up on a weekend morning usually gets you into a game. Chicago’s North Avenue Beach runs volleyball most weekends from May through September.

For competitive adult play, USAV offers adult open division tournaments and leagues through regional associations. The age divisions start at 30+ through 70+, with competitive brackets at each level.

If you’re returning after a long break, start with pickup or a lower-division rec league. Jumping straight into competitive adult open division after five years off is how people hurt themselves in week two.

Training Periodization: Building Your Year Around the Calendar

Knowing when seasons run isn’t enough. The real advantage comes from structuring your training to peak at the right moments and recover at the right moments. Here’s the periodization framework I wish someone had handed me before my junior year meltdown:

The Four Training Phases

A Note for Parents on Year-Round Play

The calendar above shows volleyball running 12 months. That’s accurate for competitive players. It doesn’t mean your 14-year-old should train at full intensity 12 months straight.

The sport sees a disproportionate share of overuse injuries—shoulder impingement, patellar tendinitis, stress reactions in the lower back—in players who don’t take a true off-season break of 4-6 weeks. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends youth athletes take at least two months off from their primary sport per year, with no more than eight months of organized play annually.

For most club volleyball players, the Active Recovery phase in late June and early July is that break. The problem is that some clubs schedule optional summer practices and camps during this window. “Optional” in competitive club culture often doesn’t function as optional in practice.

If your child’s club is scheduling organized volleyball activity during all 12 months, ask the club director specifically when they recommend players take a full break. The answer tells you a lot about how the program thinks about athlete development versus revenue.

The conditioning drills that build volleyball-specific fitness belong in December and January, not September.

The Periodization Mistake That Costs Seasons

Most players train hard during the season and do nothing in the off-season. That’s backwards. The season is for competing—maintenance lifts, skill sharpening, recovery. The off-season is for building. Every physical gain you make in December and January pays off with interest in September.

When I trained through the summer before my senior college season instead of coasting, my approach jump measured three inches higher at August testing than it had the previous year. Three inches. That was the difference between getting tooled by the block and swinging over it. The work happened in June and July. The results showed up in October.

FAQs 

How much does club volleyball cost?

Regional or local club programs typically cost $2,200 to $4,400 per season including dues, travel, and gear. National-level programs range from $5,300 to over $10,500 when you factor in flights, hotels for multi-day qualifiers, and tournament-related expenses. Costs vary significantly by region.

What professional volleyball leagues exist in 2026?

Two major leagues operate in the U.S.: League One Volleyball (LOVB) with 6 teams running January through April, and Major League Volleyball (MLV, formerly Pro Volleyball Federation/PVF) with 8 teams running January through May. Both have network television deals and are expanding.

When do volleyball recruiting camps happen?

Most college recruiting camps run in June and July. The NCAA recruiting calendar has specific contact and evaluation periods that shift annually—check the NCAA website for current rules. Start the recruiting process during your sophomore year of high school; college coaches actively evaluate players at 15U and 16U club tournaments.

When does the NCAA Transfer Portal open for volleyball?

The primary transfer window for Division I women’s volleyball opens in early December—right after the NCAA Tournament selection—and runs through early January. There’s also a secondary 15-day window in May after spring development wraps up.

If you’re a college player considering a move, December is when the dominoes start falling. Have your film updated and your academics in order before that window opens, not after.

What is the LOVB Classic and why does it affect the junior calendar?

The LOVB Classic ran February 13-15, 2026 in Kansas City—a three-day event where all six LOVB pro teams played regular-season matches at Municipal Arena while 550-plus club teams competed in the Triple Crown NIT at the Convention Center next door.

Houston swept Madison 25-20, 26-24, 25-19 in the weekend’s final match. But the real story was the building across the street: 7,000 athletes competing in the nation’s biggest junior tournament, with LOVB pro players involved in clinics and visible throughout the weekend. College recruiters and pro scouts attended both venues.

In 2027, the event returns. If your club team qualifies for the TC NIT, this is the one February tournament where the scouting density is unlike anything else on the calendar. Playing your 16U qualifier match in the morning and watching Olympic-caliber athletes compete at the LOVB level that evening, in the same building, changes how young players see the trajectory of the sport.

Is Major League Volleyball the same as PVF?

Yes. The Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) rebranded as Major League Volleyball (MLV) ahead of its third season in 2026. Same league, same teams, new name. The Orlando Valkyries are the defending 2025 champions. The Omaha Supernovas hold the all-time professional volleyball attendance record. The season runs January 8 through early May—right alongside LOVB.

If someone mentions PVF, MLV, or “that other volleyball league,” they’re all talking about the same competition.

Is volleyball a fall or spring sport?

Girls’ volleyball is a fall sport at the high school level (August–November) in virtually every U.S. state. Boys’ high school volleyball is a spring sport in most states (March–May).

Club volleyball runs fall through spring.

College volleyball’s competitive season is fall, with development in spring. Beach volleyball peaks in summer. Professional leagues play in winter and spring.

Don’t show up to August tryouts two inches shorter than you were in May. The calendar above tells you when every window opens and closes. Use it.