Reffing Responsibilities

        I know when you read the title of this you probably want to skip it but if you play volleyball at any level you are going to have to learn how to ref sometime. Reffing is not that bad you just have to pay attention and know what signs go with what calls. In this blog I will just briefly go over what each official is in charge of during the game. I will go over what signs and actions need to be done for each in a different blog.

            In volleyball there is an up ref, a down ref, 2 line judges, a score keeper, a libero tracker, and a person that does the score sheet. If you are an up ref you are responsible for whistling when a play can begin and when the play ends. You also look for any net violations, double contacts, and lifts. If you are the down ref you are responsible for watching for overlapping in both team’s line-ups, any center line violations, and both teams substitution requests. If you are a line judge you are responsible for foot faults during a serve, signaling if a ball is in or out, determining if there was a touch on the ball from the block and if the ball is on the correct side of the antenna.

            Scorekeepers, libero trackers and the person that is going to do the score sheet all sit at a table usually behind the down ref. If you are a score keeper your job is pretty self-explanatory, you just flip the points to the correct side. But be aware if you are even a point off you will hear it from all of the parents but just ignore them and check with the score sheet. If you are libero tracking you are responsible for writing down when the libero comes in and out and who they go in or out for. You also write down the other subs that come in and go out for both teams. If you are doing the score sheet you are responsible for writing down the line up, scores, subs, timeouts, and any penalties that occur during the match.

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Serving

            Serving is a big part of volleyball because it is the first contact of every rally. If you serve tough you can get the other team out of system for a better chance to succeed in your offense. On the other hand if you miss your serve, in the net or out of bounds you give the other team a free point. So while serving you have to be smart and aggressive.

            There are many different types of serves you can use in volleyball. The majority of girls serve a jump float. When executed correctly a jump float, the ball should move back and forth in the air when it goes over the net. You can make the ball do this by keeping your wrist and hand firm and contacting the ball directly in the back. You also want to stop your hand, not following through, once you contact the ball. This will make it so there is little to no spin. Your foot work should be the same as your approach. If you are right handed, left, right, left. If you are left handed, right, left, right. Everyone’s timing will be different most people toss the ball right after their first step. This serve is very tough to serve receive especially if it is served at a high speed.

            Another serve you can do is a jump top spin. This is a popular serve in the men’s game because men can typically jump higher and are stronger so they can get more speed and better trajectory on the ball. The foot work for a jump top is the same as your approach. Again, the timing will differ but you should toss the ball before your first step and move forward to attack the ball. Make sure to keep the ball in front of you so you can use your strength to put some speed behind the ball. Also make sure you open up and use your core to get more power. Unlike the float you should snap your wrist and follow through with your arm to give the ball spin. Some girls have pretty good top spin serves and they can be really effective, but unless you are Micha Hancock sometimes they can be easier to pass because the passers can read where the ball will end up and can get under it more often than a jump float. A jump top often tends to be more inconsistent. It consists of a higher toss, higher jump and bigger swing which make mistakes more prominent.

            If you get your timing down and you are aggressive but also consistent with either of these serves you will be successful with your serving.

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Penn State vs. Iowa Volleyball Game 10/4/14

            Ever since I started watching Penn State Women’s volleyball I have looked up to Micha Hancock, Penn State’s setter. Micha is a senior this year and she is an incredibly talented setter. Hopefully she continues to play overseas for the USA Women’s team so I can keep watching her play. Last night Penn State (#3) played Iowa in Iowa City and I was able to go watch, since I live in Iowa. I was so excited, and this is how it all went down.

            I got there and I sat right behind the Penn State bench, you could say I was freaking out just a little. Anyways, right away you could tell Penn State came ready to dominate. They just lost a tough match to #5 ranked Nebraska @ Nebraska, so they probably wanted to get this last on the road win before they traveled back home for a while. I watched them play Nebraska on TV but seeing them in person and watching them compete is person is SO much different, it puts a whole different perspective on what PSUWV is all about. For starters their tallest player is 6’4 and 10 of their players are 6’ or taller. When you watch them play on TV they don’t seem this tall at all but imagine when you are sitting directly behind their bench…. It’s crazy.

            After they warmed up, it was time for the match to start. Penn State had first serve and the first serve was an ace. Before you knew it, the score was 8-1 and Penn State was in control for the rest of the set, take that back Penn State was in control for the rest of the match. The first set ended and the score was 25-15, the second set was 25-14 and the third set was 25-11. Micha had 33 assists, 4 aces, and 5 digs. She also had 5 kills on 8 errorless attempts which led her to a .625 hitting percentage.

            If you ever have the chance to watch Penn State play you definitely should because they are an awesome team to watch compete. Hopefully they will make it to the National Championship match and win it again, like they did last year because they really do deserve it.

Link to PSU stats: http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2014-2015/iowa15.html

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