Tryouts & Open Gyms
Come see what Carolina Advantage is all about. Experience our coaching staff, our training environment, and our facilities — then compete for your spot.
This Isn't Your Average Club.
At Carolina Advantage, every team — from 12U to 18U — trains under the same system, led by 3 college coaches serving as our Directors of Training — Jonathan Paulk (NCCU), Emma Celentano (Shaw), and Hannah Marshall (William Peace). They write every practice plan and facilitate every session. Your athlete won't be stranded on an island with coaches who aren't supported. They'll be part of a unified program built for growth.
"We run more team training than any club in the area. Three to four practices per week, position-specific training every other week, strength and conditioning opportunities, mental toughness and resiliency work. If you're looking to grow, this is the place for you."
What Sets Us Apart
Over 80% of our coaching staff has coached or played at the collegiate level. Here's what your athlete gets at Advantage.
2–4 Practices Per Week
More reps than any club in the Triangle. Period.
Director of Training Model
JP, Emma, or Hannah leads every practice across every team in the club.
TPT Every Other Week
Technical Position Training tailored to each athlete individually.
Complete Development
S&C, mental toughness, and recruiting support — all built in.
We don't just develop players. We develop the whole athlete.
Come Play. Come See for Yourself.
Open Gym is your opportunity to experience the Advantage coaching staff, training environment, and facilities before tryouts. We're offering 6 sessions per age group across 3 weekends. Register once and attend as many as you'd like — no formal check-in, no pressure. Our intent is simply to show off our awesome staff and for your daughter to have some fun.
Location: NETSPORTS
Wave #1 — 15U through 18U
Wave #1 covers our older age groups and leads into the 15U–18U tryout window.
18U & 17U Open Gym Schedule
| Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| July 11 | Saturday | 4:30 – 6:00 PM |
| July 12 | Sunday | 1:00 – 2:30 PM |
| July 18 | Saturday | 4:30 – 6:00 PM |
| July 19 | Sunday | 1:00 – 2:30 PM |
| July 25 | Saturday | 4:30 – 6:00 PM |
| July 26 | Sunday | 1:00 – 2:30 PM |
16U Open Gym Schedule
| Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| July 11 | Saturday | 2:30 – 4:00 PM |
| July 12 | Sunday | 3:00 – 4:30 PM |
| July 18 | Saturday | 2:30 – 4:00 PM |
| July 19 | Sunday | 3:00 – 4:30 PM |
| July 25 | Saturday | 2:30 – 4:00 PM |
| July 26 | Sunday | 3:00 – 4:30 PM |
15U Open Gym Schedule
| Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| July 11 | Saturday | 12:30 – 2:00 PM |
| July 12 | Sunday | 5:00 – 6:30 PM |
| July 18 | Saturday | 12:30 – 2:00 PM |
| July 19 | Sunday | 5:00 – 6:30 PM |
| July 25 | Saturday | 12:30 – 2:00 PM |
| July 26 | Sunday | 5:00 – 6:30 PM |
15U – 18U Tryout Dates
Tryout fees are nonrefundable.
17U & 18U Tryout Schedule
| Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| July 30 | Thursday | 7:30 – 9:00 PM |
| August 1 | Saturday | 12:30 – 2:00 PM |
| August 2 | Sunday | 6:00 – 7:30 PM |
16U Tryout Schedule
| Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| July 31 | Friday | 5:00 – 6:30 PM |
| August 1 | Saturday | 6:30 – 8:00 PM |
| August 2 | Sunday | 3:30 – 5:00 PM |
15U Tryout Schedule
| Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| July 31 | Friday | 7:00 – 8:30 PM |
| August 1 | Saturday | 4:30 – 6:00 PM |
| August 2 | Sunday | 12:00 – 1:30 PM |
For the Parents
On 7/19, 7/25, and 7/26, we'll run parent information sessions during open gyms. While your daughter plays, you can hear directly from JP or Emma about what sets Carolina Advantage apart from other clubs in the area.
We'll present on our program, open the floor for questions about the upcoming season, and give you a real feel for how we operate.
If you're unable to attend, please feel free to reach out to us at carolinaadvantagevb@gmail.com — we're more than happy to jump on a call or answer any questions via email to help make this the best club tryout experience possible.
Wave #2 Open Gyms
Open gym dates, times, and registration for our younger age groups (11U–14U) will be posted here after the completion of Wave #1 — expect the information to hit by 8/15/2026.
Wave #2 Tryouts
Tryout dates and times for the 11U–14U age groups will be posted here alongside the Wave #2 open gym schedule.
What to Expect This Season
"Team Guides" give you the full picture of what to expect from your club volleyball experience — tournament schedule, practice schedule, coaching, added training benefits, and pricing. You'll find an exact breakdown per age group, per team, along with an overview of our "Advantages" programs. We'll have these posted before the tryouts begin.
Wave #1 — 15U through 18U
15U
Team Guide
16U
Team Guide
17U
Team Guide
18U
Team Guide
Wave #2 — 11U through 14U
11U
Team Guide
12U
Team Guide
13U
Team Guide
14U
Team Guide
How It Works
Transparency matters to us. Here's exactly how our tryout process works so there are no surprises.
No Pre-Tryout Offers
Every slot is available going into the first tryout session. We do everything in our power to get an accurate evaluation, but a one-day sample is small — the more we see you in our competition series, camps, and open gyms, the better picture we get. If you cannot attend tryouts, we'll work with you to provide a supplementary evaluation before the tryout dates.
Open to Parents
Our tryouts are open to parents. We believe that parents witnessing how we interact, instruct, and evaluate athletes is a benefit to our program. We love when parents want to watch tryouts, practices, clinics, and more.
Offers & Commitment Timeline
Offers go out immediately after the first tryout session — everyone's odds are best by making it to the first day. We aim to give families 48 hours to consider offers. As we work through the process, timelines may shorten to ensure committed members have a completed and competitive team to train with.
Finding the Right Fit
Some athletes' birth dates fall into a different group than their school grade. We believe in finding the best fit based on the totality of factors — level of play, maturity, recruiting implications, and more. We evaluate and allow players to "play up" when the fit makes sense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from families about our teams, tryouts, and program structure. Click any question to expand.
Our teams are named by color: Teal, White, Black, Gold, and Silver.
Teal, White, and Black are our National teams. They attend one or more national qualifiers with AAU Nationals or USAV Nationals built into their schedule if they qualify.
Gold and Silver are our Regional Plus teams. They generally stay in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, with one longer trip to Atlanta, Georgia. Their season wraps up in March or April, and we always offer a season extension to Regional Plus teams once we're a month or two into training.
Where your daughter falls within these team tiers is determined during tryouts.
Yes. Our Teal, White, and Black teams are National teams. You can see this denoted in our team naming system and in each team's schedule within the Team Guides.
Yes. Our Gold and Silver teams are Regional Plus.
Yes. You can indicate on your tryout registration that you're only interested in being a practice player, but we'll still ask you to tryout so we can determine the skill fit for both you and the team you'd be training with.
You also don't have to indicate practice player upfront. If you tried out as a full roster player and we didn't have a spot, practice player may be offered as an alternative to keep training within our program.
You've made the team when you receive a phone call from us. Calls go out at any point during or after tryouts as we work through the process. Sometimes after Day 1, sometimes after Day 3, and sometimes in the days following tryouts as we finalize each roster of 10 to 11 athletes.
We also send a nightly email with a status update on where we are in the process. It will give you a sense of acceptances, pending positions, and calls we've yet to make. We'll let you know via email when we've filled all of our positions and the process is complete.
Our goal is to wrap up by the Monday or Tuesday following tryouts, but it's really dependent on the families with "pending" positions — we're waiting to hear yes or no on the offers we've made before we can finalize.
Preferably, yes. The more we see you, the better we can place you on the right team. But missing a day won't disqualify you. If you can't make Day 2 or Day 3, you're still in the running.
That said, missing Day 1 puts you at a disadvantage because we begin making offers immediately after the first session.
There may still be an opportunity to train with us as a practice player (see above). We also offer year-round clinics to keep your daughter active in the sport. If neither is the right fit, we may be able to point you toward other clubs in the area that are still looking to fill positions at the conclusion of our tryouts.
2026–2027 USAV Age Groups
| 11U | 12U | 13U | 14U | 15U | 16U | 17U | 18U |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2016 |
7/1/2014 – 6/30/2015 |
7/1/2013 – 6/30/2014 |
7/1/2012 – 6/30/2013 |
7/1/2011 – 6/30/2012 |
7/1/2010 – 6/30/2011 |
7/1/2009 – 6/30/2010 |
7/1/2008 – 6/30/2009 |
* Players who were born on or after July 1, 2007 and a high school student in the 12th grade or below during some part of the current academic year are eligible to compete in 18 & Under.
** Players who were born on or after July 1, 2008 (who are defined as 18 & Under by the USAV Age Definition) and are in the 11th grade for the current academic year are permitted to compete in 17 & Under (this age waiver is based on recruiting concerns for 11th grade girls previously required to participate in girls 18s qualifiers and the 18's GJNC).
Questions?
Reach out any time — we're happy to jump on a call, answer emails, or help make this the best tryout experience possible.
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