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Club volleyball is an organized formation of volleyball teams for the purposes of practice and competition. Almost all club volleyball programs associate with one or more governing organizations (AAU, JVA, USA Volleyball, etc.).

Club volleyball programs, such as Top Flight Volleyball, offer a wide array of teams and programs to develop their athletes. Club volleyball offers the ability to play the sport year round for fun and competition.

Top Flight VBC is dedicated to providing young athletes with a better understanding of the game of volleyball. Our staff will teach the skills and key ingredients to better our athletes both on and off the court. We feel that instilling hard work, confidence and commitment is something everyone can carry forward in all aspects of life.

Our coaching staff is experienced and unified in the teaching of basic skills, including the more advanced techniques of the game. With the philosophy of training athletes in an intense controlled environment, Top Flight strives to be one of the top competitors in the volleyball community.

Our unique training methods, strength and conditioning, individual position training and attention to detail are what set us apart. We focus on training each individual player to reach their potential — and our program also caters to the needs of the multi-sport athlete.

We will assist our athletes in their pursuit of college opportunities, meeting with parents and college coaches to provide each athlete with their possibilities for the future.

A full list of all of our club programs, costs and included membership benefits can be found on our Club Programs and Programs pages.

We have an open door policy and encourage you to get to know the directors of Top Flight.

Cindy Gritzman — Club Director (Illinois, South Carolina, Arizona)
Sean Gritzman — Owner (Illinois, South Carolina Arizona)
Jason Yeates — Club Director (South Carolina)
Mike Zimmerman — Club Director (Arizona)

View full bios and coaching philosophies of all of our directors and managers.

Chas Kennedy — Program Manager (Boys Director, Player Development & Sand)
Omar Cortez — Program Manager (College Recruiting Liaison & Private Lessons)

Our coaching staff is one of the best. Most of our coaches have played college volleyball, with two having played in a professional setting. Currently our staff coaches middle school and high school programs during their "off season" from club volleyball.

We have coaches accredited with winning national championships, All-American awards, and being top recruited players from their college playing days. Most of our staff continues to play at the adult level and have brought home open-level national championships.

View bios, coaching philosophies and contact information for all of our directors, managers and coaching staff.

A full list of all of our club programs, costs and included membership benefits can be found on our Club Programs page.

Open enrollment allows for an athlete to be guaranteed a place on one of our non-travel (Regional or Spring) teams.

There are NO guaranteed spots on an Elite or National team. If you do not make the National or Elite program you will be offered a spot on one of the regional teams based on your tryout performance.

This option is intended for any regional athlete who would like to continue their club experience through June. The final tournament of the year would be a multi-day event. Cost for this program is listed on our Club Programs page.

Yes, each season every athlete must pay a one-time fee to tryout. The fee includes participation in all tryout dates for that season.

Players must attend one tryout for their age group. We encourage them to make as many as they can — however, the minimum attendance is one.

Athletes should wear attire similar to what they would for gym class. They can bring water or a sports drink if they like, though concessions will be open to purchase if needed. All other equipment is provided during the tryout.

Yes — pre-registration is REQUIRED and can be found on our Club page. Even with pre-registration, some forms may be required at check-in for your tryout.

Athletes should be prepared for tryouts to last approximately 2.5–3 hours. All players will get rated during individual skill sessions and during team play. We will also have general athletic measurements happening throughout each tryout date.

Parents may need to be responsible for checking in their athlete, including paying the listed tryout fee. There will be viewing areas available for parents to watch the entire tryout, and a short parent meeting approximately 45 minutes prior to each tryout date completing.

During tryouts, one of the Top Flight coaches may tell you that you are accepted into the club. Players that do not make the Elite or National program will be given the option to play for the Regional, Winter or Spring teams. This will be discussed with the player and parent during or shortly after the last tryout date.

Top Flight will have rosters of 10–12 athletes for each team. Please review the Team Roster Guidelines and Explanation document for more detail.

Yes. In some instances we may ask an athlete to "play up" in a different age division. These changes will be left to the discretion of the Top Flight staff.

Although the younger ages (10U–14U) allow boys to play on a girls team, we do not mix them in our club. Girls will be on a girls-only team, as boys will be on a boys-only team.

The majority of team rosters will be finalized after the final tryout, however adjustments will be made during the first two weeks of practice. We reserve the right to make roster adjustments throughout the season as needed.

We will begin posting rosters in early November, but a final roster will not be determined until mid-December.

Many athletes choose to commit once they have been offered a spot in one of our programs. This assures that the spot you have been offered is yours to keep. To commit we require a $350 non-refundable deposit.

For athletes that do not commit at tryouts, we ask that they make their commitment within 24 hours of the date they first tried out. We don't feel pressure tactics are necessary — however, spots (especially in our travel programs) do fill up very quickly.

Each player will be given/emailed a parent packet which has three forms that need to be filled out and brought back to Parent's Night. In addition, a $350 deposit must be given to secure your spot — this deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE.

The player needs to have the forms filled out and attend the meeting with at least one parent. Parent Night will be announced via email and posted on our website once finalized.

Dues may be paid in full or on a payment schedule of 3 payments. There are no refunds and payment is expected in full after you commit for the season. You cannot change from a full season to a shorter season. We also offer customized payment plans for a fee of $50.

We offer a $100 discount for each additional sibling participating in our club program (full season Regional, National or Elite athletes) during the same season. This does not apply to half-season (Winter or Spring) programs.

Yes — we provide optional fundraising and work program opportunities each season.

Equipment fees for new members will be posted to your account. Equipment includes a warmup top, warmup bottom, practice shirts, jersey(s), bag and ball.

Items you will need to purchase outside of the package are shoes, kneepads, socks, black spandex, leggings or shorts. Any brand and color of shoes, socks and kneepads are fine — though the current trend is white.

Uniform tops will be returned at the conclusion of the athlete's final tournament of the season. All other equipment given to the athlete is theirs to keep.

There are additional travel fees for only the Elite and National teams. These are travel-related fees and will be communicated at the start of the season. All additional fees will need to be paid by January 1st. Approximate fees could range between $250–$550 per trip, excluding transportation to and from the destination.

Travel fees are added about 1–2 months before your travel date as an individual invoice. Travel fees include:

• Coaches fees (travel, hotel, food, insurance, registration)
• Team fees (entry into event, insurance)

Athletes will need to provide their own transportation to the event and will stay with parents in the hotel. (Florida: team van and hotels for some teams — will be discussed at parent meeting.)

Unfortunately we are not able to offer any type of prorated amount for any of our classes. If you register for a class and realize you are unable to attend, you may cancel your registration prior to the first date for a full refund. Once the date of the class arrives, there are no refunds given for cancellation.

Practice days and times depend on which team you make. Please refer to the Program Information document for more details.

All practice facilities can be found on the Practice Locations page of our website.

Yes. Each Elite and National team will have small-group training with an ISSA-certified personal trainer and ISSA-certified nutritionist. We call this Athletic Development, and it's held for 45 minutes of every practice (except on Fridays).

Yes. One practice each week will have skill-specific training included. The amount of time spent for this will vary depending on the practice.

Teams will practice in time slots with teams of similar age and skill level. Some practices will combine players together for skill-specific (positional) training. Others will consist of team-related training where teams either practice on their own court or share with another team of a similar age and skill.

Athletes are allowed up to three missed practices per season without consequence. Athletes missing more are required to make up their practices with another team.

Regional athletes missing a tournament will count against their three allowed missed dates. National or Elite athletes that miss a tournament will be required to attend and sit the first set of the following tournament.

Multi-sport athletes are welcome to join any of our programs. We do require National and Elite athletes to attend all national-level tournaments.

At Top Flight we believe playing time is earned, not given. Playing time is determined by the coach based on several criteria including attendance, practice, attitude, game performance and skill. Top Flight is a competitive volleyball environment and the teams are administered that way.

Playing time and related issues are encouraged to be resolved between player and coach. After such meetings, if the issue still remains, then a formal meeting with the player, coach and director will be held.

Tournaments are held on Saturdays and/or Sundays around the Chicagoland area. Each tournament lasts between 6–8 hours, with teams playing roughly 3–5 matches. National and Elite programs could have games on Mondays or Fridays during specific holiday weekends.

All athletes will be required to stay in player-only hotel rooms reserved for their specific team. Room fees are an additional expense each family is responsible to pay.

Each athlete is responsible for their own method of travel and is required to be at their designated hotel no later than 9pm the day before their first day of competition. Athletes are required to stay with their team for the duration of their competition.

Doors open

One hour before the start of the first pool play match.

Facility rules

NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINKS are allowed into the facility. Penalties and fines are enforced for all violations.

Players' water and sport drinks are allowed in playing areas. No open container cups or glass allowed in the gym area. Bleacher seating is available — no outside folding chairs allowed.

Admission fee

There will be a $5 admission fee for everyone 12 and older (excluding players, coaches & refs).

Bounce house policy

The bounce house is open on most Saturdays and Sundays. Price to jump is $5 for members and $7 for non-members. By purchasing a bracelet to enter, you agree to the waiver found on our website. As a reminder, all participants jump at their own risk.

Tournament rules

All warmups will be 2 mins, 4 mins, 4 mins. Top Flight will provide a certified R1 for all pool play matches. All reffing teams must supply an R2, two line judges, one scorekeeper, and one libero tracker. All playoffs will have certified referees as the R1.

Tournament prizes

Prizes will be given to the Tournament Champion and Runner-Up teams.

Pool play format

All 3, 4 & 5 team pools will play two sets to 25, round robin, no cap.

Playoff format

All Semi & Final playoff matches are match play 25/25/15 (Quarter-Finals only 1 set to 25).

Tie breaker policy

Match %, Set %, Head-to-Head W/L, Total Points Pool Play. (If needed, total points will decide who makes playoffs.)

Yes, we have the tournament schedules completed in the summer each season. We don't typically share them before rosters are posted, so that families don't rely on a schedule they think will be theirs.

Additionally, some tournaments will waitlist teams and we'll have to find a new event. We try to wait for the schedule to be as solid as possible before posting.

Tournament entry fee; player/staff/chaperone insurance and registration fees (AAU, JVA, USAV); coach/staff expenses (airfare, hotel, parking, food, admission, coaching stipend); assistant coach expenses (same); and chaperone expenses (admissions, parking).

Team van for Florida only (insurance, gas, parking). Team rooms for Florida only.

Based on the age and playing level of your athlete, you can have a good guesstimate of where your athlete will fall. You can always schedule a reminder to cancel the hotel if your team changes or was not as you anticipated.

Tournament entries and housing all open up between 9/1 and 10/1, with clubs giving a best guess of teams and hotel needs. We try to book as soon as possible so we are nearest the convention centers for our families.

Even with pushing through registration at 12:01 AM on the date an event opens, we are still on some wait lists for the housing authorities to send us rooms.

We have full-time staff members to help assist the families of our National and Elite programs with their college recruiting needs. Individual meetings are available throughout the season, as well as our semi-annual recruiting seminars. This service is included with your club membership at no additional cost.

In addition, every National club member will get a SportsRecruits college recruiting profile to help players engage with college programs and get their information into databases for college coaches to find them.

All club members are welcome to take advantage of this service. We have two full-time staff members who will help educate you on the process of college recruiting, then help you find the right school. We don't over-promise and under-deliver — we walk you through the steps and give realistic options.

We understand it can be a stressful time, and we want to walk you through the process. If our athletes want to play in college, we will help them find the right fit academically and athletically. If they're undecided, we walk them through what they should be doing and looking for. We believe there is a fit for each and every athlete in our program.

Our full-time college recruiting liaisons are available for one-on-one meetings to help educate and inform families on all aspects of the process. We recommend our club athletes set up these meetings when needed.

Not everyone will play in college. Some factors can be as simple as the desire for a specific major that is not at a "volleyball" school. For those athletes looking to continue as a student-athlete who are open to all levels of college volleyball, we will find a spot for you to continue playing.

We have an open door policy with our parents and encourage them to communicate with our staff. This policy does not exist during tournaments and practices — we feel a neutral time is best for staff/parent discussions.

We encourage parents to be a positive role model not only for their child but for the rest of the players on their team. Team practices are completely organized and run by our staff, so there is no need for parental involvement. Tournaments are sometimes lengthy all-day events, and parents might be asked to help coordinate snacks, meals, activities, etc.

Parents are instructed not to coach their kids at any point during a practice or tournament. We ask they not distract their children from the tasks at hand. Parents are welcome to give feedback on what they see — however, we ask this be done in a private setting with their own child, not in front of their peers.