Volleyball
Veteran Approach
As we prepare for each season, we study rules and interpretations, casebooks and officiating manuals, and attend preseason clinics and meetings. And once the season starts, we usually have...
Double Check Score After Unusual Situation
Communication between the referees and the scoring crew is crucial to ensure accuracy of the score and the information recorded on the scoresheet. Double...
Get in the Groove with Your Partner
There is nothing like throwing a perfect game as a pitcher or calling the perfect game as a referee. Just like in baseball and...
Set the Table
For years, we’ve never really acknowledged the importance of the scorer as an integral part of a volleyball officiating crew. It seems there has...
Libero Do’s and Don’ts
A libero (LEE’-beh-ro) in indoor volleyball is a back-row defensive specialist. Since they only play in the back row, those players are often shorter...
Don’t Become a Fan
“Spectacularity” sounds made-up and highfaluting, doesn’t it? Au contraire.
This actual word should be in every referee’s vocabulary. What does it mean, anyway? And how...
Situational Awareness Suits Volleyball Officials
Have you ever looked back on a tough situation in a match, one that maybe you wish you had handled better, and said to...
Still Work to Be Done When There’s a Break in Play
The referees accept the coach’s or captain’s request for timeout and blow the whistle, starting the timeout procedure. Both teams usually move to the benches for a quick...
Shorten Your Learning Curve
As a young or newer referee works to master the art of officiating, she or he soon finds out that, while the rules are...
No Time Off
Officials often wonder what higher-level officials are thinking between points while up on the referee stand.
What is going through the minds of officials as...
Adjust to Playing Styles
On a Thursday evening, you officiate a girls’ varsity match, marked with long skillful rallies. The next night, you work a boys’ contest, frequently punctuated by short powerful bursts....
Triple Check for Accuracy
Taking a little extra time to properly make the triple check of rosters, the scoresheet and lineups prior to the start of a match and each subsequent...
Don’t Compound Missed Calls
We have all made mistakes, there are plenty of reasons why, but officials can't compound missed calls with phantom calls.
It can happen with ballhandling....
Don’t Lose Focus
Some inexperienced second referees lose focus at times and turn their attention away from the net too soon to watch that great defensive play in the back row. As...
Check the Scoreboard after each Rally
During our careers, each of us is bound to hear those irritating words shouted by parents or spectators or a team, “The score is...
Take Your Line Judge Game to the Next Level
Line judging, at any level, has its challenges. The game can move quickly and there are so many things to watch and think about...
5 Minutes With NCAA Coordinator Steve Thorpe
NCAA coordinator of officials for women’s volleyball discusses the 2021 Championship in a bubble in Omaha, Neb.
Residence: Doylestown, Pa.
Experience: Currently the NCAA coordinator of...
Avoid Match Problems With Solid Communication
As crazy as this might sound, have you ever thought of volleyball referees being in the customer service business? One might advance the notion...
Tips to Stay Focused During Long Matches
Staying focused as a referee or line judge is of the utmost importance. Whether it’s a tight match or not, first point or last,...
Nothing But Net
Work Together to Correctly Call Faults
It should be easy, but there are many factors that play into our accuracy of whistling net faults. As...
Second Referees Need Training Too
Very early in my officiating career, I received a call to officiate a local collegiate match. My partner was someone I had not worked with previously. While I thought...
Discreet Signals and Teamwork To Get Out of Hairy Situations
The duties of the first and second referees are delineated in the rulebook. In the best of cases, this division of duties ensures that, between them, the referees...
Keep-It-Flying Approach Is Challenging
One of the biggest areas of concern during a match for coaches and referees is ballhandling. Ballhandling decisions can make or break a match. In recent years, volleyball...
Close Plays at the Net Present Challenges
During the course of a volleyball match, referees make many decisions. These decisions fall into two categories: 1) violations of a rule, or 2)...
