Well it’s that time of season again, the volleyball team has made it past the season and officially made it into sectionals.

While people start going to a lot more games now you may be hearing people yell things that you just don’t understand because it’s considered volleyball terms. Here’s a look into what the words the volleyball girls are yelling actually mean so when you are at the games cheering you completely understand what is being said.

Let’s start with the basic ones that you will definitely hear at a game. An ace is what happens when the server will serve the ball and only one or zero girls from the opposing team touch the ball. A kill is another extremely common thing you will hear. A kill is when someone spikes, tips, or pushes the ball over the net and only one or zero girls from the opposing team are able to get a touch on it. A dig is something that only usually happens if you are a backrow player yet it is very possible to get one while playing front row it is a lot less likely because of how close you are to the net. A dig is when someone from the opposing team hits the ball and the first contact getting the ball up and being a good pass is considered a dig. Digs do not score points because it is only the first out of three contacts that are usually played on the ball. Last one of the basic ones you will hear about is a block. A block is when someone from the opposing team hits the ball and one or sometimes two people from your team have their hands up which the ball hits, therefore not letting the ball come to your side and keeping it on the opposing team’s side.

Now that you have the basics down there are two more things that you will definitely hear while you are at a volleyball game. These two things may be a little more confusing because they happen before the point is even served. They are very important and very similar to each other. It’s slightly long though. The players say “Sets up two, sets up two hitters”. This term means that the setter is in a front row position and that there are only two other players in the front row that she is able to set for an attack. This is important for the team to know because while the setter is in the front row she can decide to hit or attack rather than setting the ball so all players on the court need to be prepared for it. The second saying normally said is “sets back three, sets back three hitters”. This means that the setter is in the back row position meaning a blocker can’t touch a ball that she jump sets and that the setter can not jump and put the ball over the net while being in the front row. It also means that the setter has three different options for who to set to so three different people could attack the ball for a kill.

Now that you know all the volleyball terms usually said at the games go support your team and make sure to cheer loudly!!

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