Here in the Keys, we love our local sports teams. But just because you’re a fan of the Conchs, Fins, ’Canes or Mariners, it doesn’t mean you know the nuts and bolts of the game. If you find yourself a follower of the teams but not yet a follower of the game itself, this may just clear things up for you.
High school volleyball is played with six athletes on the court at a time for each team. Unlike the volleyball of my youth – and I realize I am really aging myself here – Florida high school volleyball uses rally scoring, meaning either team, regardless of which one is serving, can win the point. Volleyball matches are best three of five, meaning that in a regular varsity situation, one team must win three sets to win the match.
All too often, the words “game,” “set” and “match” are used interchangeably to really muddy the understanding for casual fans. So, two teams play up to five games/sets. When one team reaches three set wins, that team wins the match. Easy, right?
In the best-three-of-five match, each of the first four sets is played to 25 points and the fifth, if needed, is played to 15. But sometimes a score is reported to be more than 25; this is because teams must win by a 2-point margin (a game will never end with a score of 25-24). The game continues in a mini-overtime sort of situation until one team wins by 2. In tournament play, the match is best of three sets, so teams play until one wins two of the three games.
Win or lose, both teams keep statistics. Some stats are fairly obvious, while others may need some clarification for casual fans.
An ace is a serve that lands untouched inbounds or is not successfully returned and scores a point. Servers who amass a lot of aces tend to have deadly aim and serve the ball with a lot of force.
A kill measures a successful attack (hit) that results in a point. It shows a player’s efficiency and effectiveness as an attacker.
Blocks are defensive plays at the net in which a player deflects or otherwise blocks an opponent’s attack. Athletes who make blocks tend to be tall, and shorter players who earn blocks have great vertical jumps and timing.
Another defensive statistic is the dig. When a player keeps an opponent’s attack from hitting the floor, it is considered a dig. Digs are only awarded for staving off an attack and not when the other team is just trying to get the ball over the net to keep the point alive.
Passes, sometimes called serve receives, are awarded when the non-serving team successfully receives a serve and keeps the ball in play. Serve receive efficiency measures a player’s percentage of successful serve receptions.
A set, not to be confused with a scoring set, is typically the second contact a player makes with the ball defensively after a pass or dig. It sets up an attack scenario for another player, hence the term “set.” Players who rack up a lot of sets show they are great at distributing the ball.
Assists are awarded to athletes who make successful sets which lead to a kill by a teammate. Assists show a player is effective in creating scoring opportunities for their teams.
Hit percentage is a statistic calculated by subtracting a player’s errors from her kills, then dividing by the total attempts. Thus, a player who took a dozen kill shots, six of which landed untouched or were otherwise flubbed by the opposing team, would have a hit percentage of .500. Anything above .200 is generally considered to be good.
Variations in wording hold true for position, too, but with a bit of understanding, you can usually figure out what that player’s role is.
The outside hitter, sometimes called a left side hitter, is the primary attacker on the team. She is responsible for hitting from the left side of the court and needs to be quick, accurate and have the athleticism to jump high enough to create a strong downward force on the ball over the net.
The right side hitter, sometimes called opposite hitter, plays from the right side of the court and focuses on attacking from the right side and blocking. In prep volleyball, she will need to be a decent setter as well.
A middle hitter, sometimes labeled middle blocker, focuses on blocking the ball front and center at the net. She can block and deliver a quick hit and should have impeccable timing to be effective.
A team’s setter does just that; she sets the ball for her teammates, setting up plays and offensive opportunities for others. Setters are known for their intelligence, as good decision-making is crucial to this position.
Which brings us to the libero. This position started to appear across high-school gymnasiums in the mid-2000s. So if the last time you paid attention to volleyball was in middle-school gym class, you may only recognize a libero because she is wearing a different-colored jersey. This athlete did not forget her uniform at home – the libero is a special position and requires a uniform that stands out to the opposing team and officials.
Her role is that of a defensive specialist. She makes big digs and tends to scramble all over the court, saving the ball from the floor. The libero has some freedom in substitution rules but cannot attack the ball above the net and must stay behind the 10-foot line on attacks. Occasionally, a libero sets the ball when the setter cannot reach the second ball, but there are even more rules governing her in that scenario. Overall athleticism and coordination are far more important in the libero position than height or vertical leap.
And there you have it: everything you need to know in order to sound like you know what you’re talking about when it comes to high school volleyball.
