Not knowing the rules of volleyball, I decided to research its regulations and its general make-up. For those of you who are also unfamiliar with this sport, you may find the following facts helpful, and, of course, the team would love your support, especially at its home games.

Each volleyball match has five sets, which are played to best of three sets to 25 points. To win the match point, a team must  be two points ahead of its opponent. Points are given when the opposing team plays the ball out or allows the ball to hit the ground and on serves.

The server can serve from wherever she pleases, as long as it is before the “end line” (a line at the back of the court). An infraction on the line changes possession. The ball must go over the net, and if it hits the net and then goes over, the point goes to the serving team. This scenario is called a “let serve.”

Every team member is numbered. When a team gets possession back, it rotates one place to the right. Only the front players can attack in front of the 10-foot line. This prevents strong spikers from controlling the game. Though there is a rotation, players can move into specific positions once the ball is served over the net.

In a game with only six team players, usually three in the front and three in the back, formations can change depending of the team. Once the ball is played in, each team can only hit the ball three times before sending the ball back over. The ball cannot be hit by the same person twice in a row.

The libero, who is the rearmost, roaming player wears a different colored jersey and can switch in and out of rotation whenever she wants without going through an official switch.

by Nida Pervez’16