Questions I Get Asked at Pitt Volleyball Matches (Part 1 of 2)
There's no such thing as a stupid question. Well, you be the judge of that.
This is Day 4 of 22 for the Bandwagoner’s Guide to Pitt Volleyball, as I take you all the way through the NCAA tournament.
My name is James Santelli, and after I get home from writing for the “teevee,” I write some more for you fine folks. If you like it, go ahead and subscribe to get it in your email inbox every morning.
And if you don’t like it… tough luck, pal-y.
EXCUSE ME, CAN I ASK YOU SOMETHING?
That’s how it usually begins: a polite query from someone sitting near me at a Pitt Volleyball match.
If you see in the stands, I am happy to answer any questions, even if that question is: “CAN YOU PIPE DOWN, YA LOUD MOUTH?” (Usually that’s just my girlfriend asking me that.)
I’m no volleyball expert. I never played outside of a couple friendly games at cookouts. But I did announce games for Fox Chapel in high school before I leaped onto the Pitt bandwagon, so I can usually answer the questions from people who are new to college volleyball.
People aren’t going to show up to watch volleyball matches if they don’t know what is going on. I get that. So let’s make it easier for novices to get on the bandwagon.
Here are examples of some of the questions I get (and to be honest, some of the things *I* was confused about at first), and the answers I would give in written form.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED? WHAT DID THEY CALL?
If you’ve watched any volleyball at all, you get the basics: teams hit the ball over the net until it hits the ground, in or out.
Of course, it’s not always that simple. The refs can whistle a play dead for a number of violations. 98% of the time a play ends unusually, it’s one of these things:
NET VIOLATION
You can’t touch the net between the antennas while making a play on the ball.
Seems simple enough, but if you really want to get into the weeds, there are all kinds of net violations. Print ‘em out and read ‘em when you’re passing time on the toilet.
THERE WAS A TOUCH
Once you step into a gym for a college volleyball match, you quickly realize how fast the pace is and how hard the players are hitting. It can be hard for TV cameras, let alone officials, to catch every ricochet.
But if the officials see that you hit it off a defensive player and it hits the ground, a point for you, my friend!
THE REF CALLED A CARRY/DOUBLE CONTACT
You can’t hang onto the ball for too long or touch it twice in a row (usually when the setter doesn’t set the ball cleanly).
I specify: the *REF* called a carry. I’ve found that these can sometimes be judgment calls, like whether you spell the word ‘judgment’ with the extra ‘e.’
WASN’T THAT TOO MANY HITS?
Almost everyone knows you get three hits in volleyball (and two hits in Breakfast Club — me hittin’ you, you hittin’ the floor).
But if you only watch volleyball when it’s beach volleyball during the Olympics, indoor rules may confuse you: a block does not count as a hit. After a block, the team still has three hits to get the ball over.
WHAT DO THEY PLAY TO?
Each set: First to 25 points, win by two.
The match: First team to 3 set victories.
If they play a fifth: First to 15 points, win by two.
My wish is for all colleges and high schools to put those words on a sign and place it at the front entrance.
And it’s rally scoring, Grandpa. Every point goes on the scoreboard. It’s been that way for years now.
HOW MANY CHALLENGES DO THEY GET?
Three. And if it goes to a fifth set, they get another.
“I don’t think that’s enough!”
I agree. And it really hamstrings coaches when they get refs who are missing a bunch of calls. If you get robbed three times in the first set and a half — which I’ve seen happen — you can challenge ‘em all, get ‘em all right… and still be S.O.L. for the sets to come.
The system should change so that coaches get two challenge “losses,” or at least an amendment that all set-point plays and fifth-set plays can be reviewed.
Okay, I’m sure I screwed up something there. Please let me know if I did, or if you have questions of your own, by emailing me at jrsantelli@gmail.com, or tweeting me @JamesSantelli.
In Part 2 on Thursday, we’ll answer questions with a little more depth. Questions like: Why does she have a different colored shirt? Why did the coach take her out of the game?