SMACK. The ball is spiked over the net and a point is scored because of a perfect set. Setting is one of the basic skills that volleyball players develop when first learning how to play because a set begins an attack in volleyball. However, setting will be much different in the future due to recent rule changes.
On Feb. 20, the National Collegiate Athletics Association(NCAA) published several new rule changes for all divisions in women’s volleyball, with the most important being that double contacts are now allowed on sets. Double contact is a violation in which a player contacts the ball twice in a row.
“I don’t really like the rule change because I feel like it takes away from a lot of work and practices that a lot of setters have gone through,” junior Hala Younes said. “With this rule change, I feel like now anyone can just set.”
Previously, double contact was only allowed for the first contact after the serve, but players contacting the second ball are now allowed to contact the ball twice, as long as the ball is being played to a teammate in a single attempt.
“I know a lot of setters are upset because they work really hard to have good hands and to have sets that don’t double,” sophomore Anna Tung said. “I still think that coaches are going to look for people that are able to set without doubling despite the rules.”
However, some believe the rule to be beneficial. Freshman Erin Green is one of those who is in favor of the rule.
“I personally think it’s good because when there’s a long rally and it ends in a double it kind of makes the rally seem not that good,” Green said. “I think it’ll make the game a little easier and the refs won’t have to make that judgement call.”
According to the NCAA website, committee members thought the elimination of the judgment call would bring more consistency to the game. The committee also thought that the rule change would promote the continuation of play, making the game more entertaining for fans.
“I think the reason why they added this rule was because a lot of teams were getting really angry at refs for being subjective when they were calling double calls,” Tung said.
In addition to the doubles rule change, the NCAA is also allowing teams to designate two liberos for every set. A libero is a defensive specialist who is prohibited from serving or rotating to the front line, and a libero’s primary job is to pass the ball, per Brittannica.
“I think it’s better for the liberos because they can use their hands and double without it being called,” Green said.
The new rule will also affect player training, and Younes believes that the drills employed by coaches will change.
“I think there’s definitely going to be a lot less work with setters, especially since in the past, there’s been a lot of specific setter work. Now that there’s a rule that doesn’t even apply to those practices, it’s definitely going to be way less specific towards setters and more towards passers and hitters,” Younes said.
