You need five scored games before you get a rating. A scored game is any game played in a CourtSense tournament or league night where a score gets entered. A casual pickup that nobody scores does not count yet. Until you hit five, you show as Unrated, which just means we do not know enough about your game yet to put a number on it.
Once you are rated, win games and your rating climbs; lose and it dips. Beating someone well above you moves it more than beating someone at your level, and a blowout counts for more than a nail-biter.
If you play on Volleyball Life, add your player profile URL to your CourtSense settings and we will start you at a rating that matches your TruVolley number instead of making you earn one from scratch.
Your rating moves by a capped amount each game, so one rough night will not wreck it. Ratings follow you across leagues, seasons, and pickup, and subs do not earn rating changes.