If you're a high school junior, or a parent of one, September 1 is an important day in your recruiting calendar. It's the first day college coaches may email student-athletes directly. Scheduling phone calls and visits becomes much easier once coaches can finally respond to you.

This does not mean the recruiting process begins on September 1 of a student-athlete's junior year. Some are already committed by this point.

It's imperative that, as coaches begin emailing you or your student-athlete, you respond quickly. Take the time to complete the online recruiting questionnaire to the best of your ability, and do some initial research on the schools showing interest. YouTube is an incredible resource--you can take virtual campus tours, hear from students who actually attend the college or university, and watch footage of the team in action.

If you do not hear from college coaches on September 1, this does not mean you will not be recruited. You need to be proactive through the recruiting process. One email is nowhere near enough to make this happen. There is potentially $250,000 on the line, so creating a strategy for success is important.

Do not limit your opportunities by waiting for college coaches to contact you. There are more than 500,000 girls who play volleyball in the United States alone--that's a big pool for college coaches to choose from. What is going to set you apart? You've got to put yourself in the coach's position and ask yourself, what would you look for in a student athlete if you were receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of emails in a week?

The recruiting process is about building relationships with college coaches, learning about their programs and coaching styles, and finding out how you would fit in at the particular university. Do not underestimate the importance of getting to know your future coach. This is a person who will be very involved in your life for the next four years.

Here is a sample checklist for high school juniors to complete:

• Register for the NCAA Eligibility Center.
• Take the SAT/ACT in October and December (some colleges super-score, which means they combine your best test scores from each area of the test to get the highest score possible).
• Use the code "9999" to ensure your final scores on the SAT are sent to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
• Obtain a hard copy of your high school transcripts, and keep an up-to-date electronic copy on your desktop. College coaches will request to review your transcripts.
• Review the NCAA Recruiting Calendar, and schedule some campus visits.
• Meet with your high school counselor and review your core courses to ensure you meet the eligibility requirements to play volleyball in college (you need 16 core courses to be eligible)

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Kara Hill is a noted recruiting consultant and the founder of My Recruiting Solutions.