Hudl is the video, data and recruiting platform that top clubs across the country trust to give their club and players a leg up.
Volleyball clubs have more responsibilities than ever before. Players (and their families) want greater exposure, tougher on-court competition and more hands-on recruitment.
“At CUVC, we are dedicated in bringing value to our athletes and club,” said Glenna Bianchin, recruiting coordinator for Carolina Union Volleyball Club (CUVC) in North Carolina. "They’re paying customers, and we’re a customer service industry."
The expectation of directors, coaches and recruiting coordinators to provide the premiere club experience for athletes is unrelenting.
In Connecticut, Northeast Volleyball Club (NVC) director Cat Dailey Minyard believes Hudl is the best platform to develop players while getting them seen and recruited.
“Really early on, we identified that getting athletes recruited from our area—which is underrepresented on college rosters because the talent hasn’t been there—required good, quality video,” Dailey Minyard said.
Film from every match helps illustrate their players’ growth. Despite not being located in a volleyball hotspot, NVC sees Hudl as a way to level the playing field.
“We told them, ‘Yeah, you might not play for a state champion high school team in Texas, but you can watch more hours of video and accelerate your learning.’ We have them break down their own technique, but also as they’re doing that, they’re getting content for their highlight videos,” said Dailey Minyard.
Both Bianchin and Dailey Minyard agree video is the key to recruiting. Adding Hudl Assist makes that video even more valuable. With data, it’s easy for players to assemble a quality reel in minutes—all they have to do is click on a few stats or apply filters to create clips.
“Adding stats changed our whole world,” Bianchin said. “It’s the ease of use, and the turnaround is really, really quick.”
Before Hudl and Hudl Assist, Bianchin hired teenagers to create reels for her athletes. The length and quality would vary from reel to reel, and each family preferred a different program or method of delivery.
It was a nightmare to organize and track.
Hudl streamlines the highlight reel creation, empowering athletes to showcase their achievements and connect with recruiters.
With these tools available, NVC athletes are expected to send short highlights to college coaches every couple of weeks to nurture the relationship, demonstrate continued interest in the program and show their growth as a player.
“I tell my players, ‘Anytime you think you’ve improved, send a video.’ It’s more important to get it out than get it perfect,” Dailey Minyard said.
In 2020, CUVC had its largest recruiting class to date, with 31 athletes committing to play at the next level. Bianchin explained that part of their success comes from teaching young players to read and interpret data.
“Not only can we cut film, but we’re raising the IQ of our players, which makes them more valuable on the market,” she said.
Of course, that IQ translates to on-court performance, but it also gives players an advantage in the recruiting process. By the time Bianchin’s players get to college, they’re ahead of their peers who are encountering data and analytics for the first time.
“[College] coaches will say to me ‘Glenna it was really cool, they didn’t freak out.’ They should know what scouting reports and statistics look like for our team and an opponent,” Bianchin said. “And the world of eligibility waivers and the transfers—every one of our kids has to be better mentally than the kids sitting in the portal."
In terms of competition, player development and recruiting, it’s clear that the role of the club has never been more impactful. For NVC and CUVC, Hudl checks all the boxes to power their club.
