Free Volleyball Tryout Evaluation Form & Scorecard

The scorecard loads these nine columns. They are short labels, and the labels hide most of the judgment, so here is what an evaluator is looking at under each.

• Serving. Consistency and zone control before power: getting the serve in, to the zone you called, with a toss that does not change. A serve that is in and aimed is worth more than a hard one that is out. Count serves in out of ten as a number below, and score the technique and the targeting.
• Serve receive. The criterion that often decides who plays, because a team that cannot pass cannot run an offense. Test it against real serves and score the platform, the footwork and where the ball goes: a pass to the setter's target, not only a pass that stays up.
• Setting. Hand position, location and tempo: a ball that arrives where the hitter can use it. Score the set from an off-target pass, not only from a good one, because that is the set a team needs most.
• Attacking. The approach, the arm swing, the contact and the shot choice: hitting through the block or around it, not only hard. Score the approach and the contact on every attempt, and watch whether the player can keep the ball in play under pressure.
• Blocking. Footwork to the ball, hands over the net and timing, closing the block with a partner and reading the setter. Score the position and the timing, not only the touches.
• Digging. Getting a platform under a hard-hit ball, moving to it first and keeping it playable. Score the movement and the platform, and remember that a dig that goes up and stays in play has done its job.
• Awareness. Knowing the rotation, where the ball is going, who has it and what comes next. It only shows in rallies, so score it in the 6-on-6 and leave it blank after the drills.
• Communication. Calling the ball, calling the play and talking to the team. Volleyball is a talking sport, and a quiet player is a risk in the back row. Score it in the 6-on-6, where the calls actually matter.
• Coachability. The player who adjusts when shown something, not the one who nods. Teach one small change in the middle of a drill, such as squaring the platform to the target before contact, and watch who makes it on the next try.

A five point scale gives evaluators a consistent way to compare players across the same drills and the same age group. It is printed above the grid so every evaluator reads the same words, and the last column is an average, not a total.

• Agree on the 3 before anyone is scored. Have every evaluator watch the same few serves, passes and swings, and say out loud what a 3 looks like for this age group. A lot of the disagreement between evaluators is about where the middle is, not about the players.
• Score what you saw, when you saw it. Write the number before the next player steps in. Leave a cell blank for a skill the session never tested, such as blocking for a player who never worked the net. A blank costs a player nothing, because the average only counts what was scored.
• Score each column on its own. A strong hitter should not lift a serve receive score, and a weak serve should not pull down digging.
• Score independently, then average. Two evaluators who confer during the session produce one opinion twice.
• Score the rally, not only the drill. Awareness, communication and the quality of a set from a bad pass show in the 6-on-6 and almost nowhere else.

This is the volleyball version. The general tryout evaluation scoresheet works for any sport, and the volleyball forms and templates page lists the other 5 volleyball documents.

Playbook Logix provides customizable templates for informational and administrative use. They are not legal advice and will not meet the requirements of every organization, sport or jurisdiction. Review anything you intend to rely on with your own attorney or your insurance carrier, and check your league and state requirements.