ICAATS

Seeing that this is all about volleyball rules, I decided that it would be a great idea to talk about volleyball terms, or words that we hear quite often in volleyball. I would imagine you will know many, and there are some you have not heard, or have heard but do not know they mean. A few terms that tend to stump new players are libero and back row attack. Below is a list of terms that will be necessary for you to know if you ever want to be accepted into the volleyball world It is my hope that reading this article will help you learn the terms you need to know.

Dig: the act of playing a ball that has been spiked by the other team. You have “dug” the ball if another player hits a ball at you and you get it up to be played by your team.

Double Contact: a player hits the ball twice in succession or the ball contacts various parts of his/her body in succession. This is actually a legal move when digging a ball or receiving the serve.

Dump: usually a play that has the setter tipping the ball over the net instead of setting it.

Free Ball: when the team on the other side sends the ball over without spiking the ball. This is generally an easy ball to pass so many teams will get kills off of the free ball.

Hit, Spike, Attack: is the action of driving the ball with force into the ground on the other side of the court for a kill.

Joust: occurs when a ball is at the middle of the net and a player from each side can touch it and try to push it to the other side. The two players jousting each other push the ball in an attempt to beat the other player.

Pass: two-handed contact where the player raised the ball over their head; used in defense, on a serve receive or setting

Pepper: two players do this and follow a continuous bump, set, spike pattern. This is a great warm-up and a good way to practice volleyball skills.

Rally: happens when the two teams keep returning each other’s attempts at killing the volleyball.

Roof, Stuff, Six Pack: a blocked spike that goes straight to the floor on the attacker’s side of the court.

Rotation: when service changes sides, a team must follow their rotation and rotate the next server in.

Seam: when attacking, it’s the spot between blockers.

Serve: the hit used to put the volleyball into play; also called service.

Set: a type of touch that enables the setter direct the volleyball to an attacker.

Shot: offensive play where a set ball is sent to an open area of the court instead of being spiked hard.

Tip: shot that an attacker directs at the holes on the defensive side; also called a dump or a dink.