A side out occurs in volleyball when a team gets to take over the serve from the other side. Volleyball teams like to keep control of the serve due to the potential of an ace and to keep the other team on the defensive. International and U.S. rules both use rally scoring, which means you can score without serving the ball. In the past you had to get a side out and have the serve to score, but in rally scoring a point is awarded on every play regardless of who serves.
Side Outs and Scoring
Rally scoring is also standard in college and high school volleyball in the United States. This means that a side out is not as important to a team for scoring as it used to be, but it is often still easier to score when serving. With rally scoring if you are not serving and you score a point, you are awarded a side out and you then get to serve the following play. Teams that have the serve and score continue to serve; this is not considered a side out.
Kills and Points
When the other team is serving, the most common way to win a point and break its serve is to spike or kill the ball into the server's court. This means that the ball must hit the floor anywhere on or within the lines that mark the court's rectangular shape. By killing or spiking the ball into the opposition's court to break its serve, you receive a point and you get a side out and the right to serve. If your opponent hits the ball out of bounds on the return of one of your hits, you also score a point and are awarded a side out.
Violations
A team will be awarded a side out and a point on any violation by the opposing team on a play it serves. Lifts are one of the most common violations and occur when a player uses an open hand to stop, guide or trap the ball. The only time the ball can be hit with an open hand is during a kill attempt, at which point the hand should be swinging down at the ball and not lifting up. Service violations come from serves that do not clear the net or that land out of bounds. Other violations include touching the net and hitting the ball more than three times without sending it back over to the other team's side.
Rotation of Serve
Players rotate positions on the floor each time they receive a side out. Regulation volleyball is played with six players, three in the front row by the net and three in the back row. When a team receives a side out it must rotate clockwise, meaning the player who was in the front row on the right side becomes the server after the side out. The rotation ensures that all players serve and no one player controls the game at the net or via serve. A coin toss determines which team serves first in the first and fifth sets. In the second, third and fourth sets, the team that did not serve first in the previous set gets first serve.
Member Comments