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 USA
Volleyball is the governing body advancing the growth of volleyball in the
U.S. There are over 39 regions in the United
States that are members of USA Volleyball, and the OVR (Ohio Valley Region) is
comprised of Ohio, West Virginia, and bordering counties of Western
Pennsylvania. The website for USA Volleyball is
www.usavolleyball.org.
The Ohio Valley Region (OVR) is one of the
largest regions in the United States with over 1500
teams and 16,000 members. The OVR hosts a wide variety of tournaments,
clinics, camps, and other events to help develop the players and coaches in the
region. The website for the OVR is
www.ovr.org.
 Junior
Olympic (JO) volleyball has grown tremendously over the past 15 years,
especially in the OVR where there are thousands of athletes registered. The
following age groups are available for athletes who want to play JO: 18’s, 17’s,
16’s, 15’s, 14’s, 13’s, 12’s, & 10’s.
Juniors’ teams competing in
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 and Under age
divisions are registered as either National or Regional. There is no
distinction for 10s and 12s. A National level
team is comprised of athletes who will compete at a higher level of play than a
Regional level team. To see a list of specific age definitions for the upcoming
season, please refer to page 5 of this handbook.
 The
Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) has specific rules that
coaches and athletes in JO must adhere to. One stipulation is that no more than
3 players from the same school where there is interscholastic volleyball
competition may compete on the same JO team. If a school does not have
interscholastic competition, for example an elementary school, then this rule
does not apply. Several 10 & 12 and under teams fall under this category.
Another rule is that coaches may not coach
athletes who played volleyball for the same school program in which they coached
during the previous season. More information regarding these rules may
be found on the website
www.ohsaa.org.
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