Technical terms in volleyball explained

Jacob Summerville, Staff Reporter

With the 2018 volleyball season getting  started, here is a list defining some of the key terminologies in volleyball.

Bump – An underhand swing with joined forearms that is used to either pass the ball, set it up for a spike, or to volley the ball over the net.

Set – Hitting the ball to direct it to where another player can spike it.

Spike – A forceful, downward hit over the net onto the opponent’s court off the opponent’s blocker in hopes of an nonreturnable ball.

Dig – Saving a ball close to the ground by bumping, usually to return a spike.

Kill – Any hit that causes a team to gain a point.

Ace – A serve that is not returned by the opposing team and results in a point for the serving team.

Block – Blocking a spike with the hands or forearms to keep the ball on the spiker’s side.

Back court – The area of the court between the back line and the attack line.

Attack line – A line three meters from the bottom of the net on each team’s court. This line divides the area between where front-row players and back-row players can hit the ball over the net.

Dink – A shot that drops barely over the net, usually a soft hit.

Floater – An overhand serve technique that causes the ball to have no spin. This makes the speed and trajectory of the ball difficult to determine for the opposing team.

Middle-up – A defensive setup that makes the middle-back player more responsible for blocking dinks.

Service error – Can occur if the server crosses the serving line, the ball lands out of bounds, or if the ball hits the net during the serve.

Six-pack – The term used to describe whenever a blocker gets hit in the face or head by a spike.