Volleyball Terms to Know

Volleyball terms to know! In general, here are the top volleyball terms to know.

Most Common Volleyball Terms

1. Ace – A serve that lands in the opponent’s court and not touched by the receiving team.
2. Antenna – Two flexible rods attached to the net, which mark the boundaries of the court.
3. Approach – The movement a player makes towards the net to hit the ball.
4. Assist – A pass or set that leads to a successful attack.
5. Attack – An offensive hit, usually directed towards the opponent’s court.
6. Back-row attack – An attack made by a player from behind the attack line.
7. Back-row player – A player who rotates into the back row to play defense and serve receive.
8. Block – A defensive move used to stop the ball at the net.
9. Blocker – A player who attempts to block the opponent’s attack.
10. Bump – A type of pass made with the forearms.
11. Centerline – A boundary line that runs under the net and divides the court into two halves.
12. Court – The playing area for volleyball, divided into two sides by the net.
13. Cross-court – A hit or serve that travels diagonally across the court.
14. Cut shot – An attack that goes diagonally from one side of the court to the other.
15. Defense – The team’s effort to keep the ball from landing on their side of the court.
16. Dink – A soft, lightly hit ball intended to land just over the net.
17. Float serve – A serve without spin that moves unpredictably in the air.
18. Foot fault – When a player steps on or over the end line while serving.
19. Front-row player – A player who rotates into the front row to block and attack.
20. Hit – A general term for an offensive attack on the ball.
21. Joust – When two opposing players contact the ball simultaneously above the net.
22. Jump serve – A serve where the server jumps before hitting the ball.
23. Jump float serve – A serve where the server jumps and hits the ball without spin.

More of the Most Common Terms in Volleyball

24. Libero – A specialized defensive player who wears a different color jersey and has specific rotation rules.
25. Line shot – An attack that travels parallel to the sidelines.
26. Net – The barrier that separates the two sides of the court.
27. Overhand serve – A serve where to hit ball with an overhand motion.
28. Pass – A type of hit used to move the ball from one player to another.
29. Player rotation – The clockwise movement of players around the court during a game.
30. Rally – A continuous sequence of plays that start with a serve and end when the ball hits the ground.
31. Receiving team – The team that is receiving the serve.
32. Red card – A penalty card issued by the referee for serious rule violations.
33. Rotation – The movement of players around the court in a clockwise direction.
34. Serve – The first hit of each rally, used to put the ball into play.
35. Serve receive – The team’s effort to successfully pass the opponent’s serve.
36. Setter – The player who sets the ball for the attacker.
37. Sideout – When the serving team loses the rally, resulting in a change of serve.
38. Spike – A powerful offensive attack hit over the net with a downward motion.
39. Spin serve – A serve to hit the ball with spin to make it curve in the air
40. Ace: A serve that lands in the opponent’s court without being touched, earning the server a point.

Additional Volleyball Terms

41. Back set: A set delivered from behind the setter to an attacker who is approaching from the backcourt.
42. Bump pass: A technique for passing the ball using the forearms.
43. Dig: A defensive play in which a player dives to save a ball from hitting the ground after an opponent’s attack.
44. Double hit: A violation that occurs when a player contacts the ball twice in succession, either with two hands or with a hand and another part of the body.
45. Foot fault: A violation that occurs when a player steps on or over the end line or center line while serving.
46. Free ball: A ball that is sent over the net by a team as a defensive play rather than an attack, usually resulting in an easy point for the opposing team.
47. Front row: The three players positioned closest to the net on each team.
48. Game point: The point that ends the game, usually after a team reaches a predetermined score.
49. Hit: A general term for any type of attack or spike.
50. Jump serve: A serve in which the server jumps before contacting the ball, often resulting in a more powerful serve.
51. Kill: An attack that results in an immediate point for the attacking team, usually because the ball hits the ground untouched.
52. Libero: A defensive specialist who is allowed to replace any back-row player without counting as a substitution.
53. Line judge: Generally, an official who stands at the sidelines to determine whether a ball is in or out of bounds.
54. Middle blocker: In general, the player who typically plays in the center of the front row and is responsible for blocking and attacking.

Bonus Volleyball Terms

55. Net: The vertical barrier that separates the two halves of the court and extends to a height of 7 feet, 11 5/8 inches for men and 7 feet, 4 1/8 inches for women.
56. Overhand serve: A serve in which the ball is tossed into the air and hit overhand, usually resulting in a more accurate serve.
57. Pancake: A defensive play in which a player dives to save a ball from hitting the ground by sliding their hand flat under the ball.
58. Pass: A technique for getting the ball to a teammate using the hands or forearms.
59. Rotation: The order in which players move clockwise around the court after each sideout.
60. Serve: The act of putting the ball into play by hitting it over the net from behind the end line.
61. Setter: Initially, the player who is responsible for setting up the ball for an attacker to hit.
62. Sideout: The point earned by the receiving team after winning a rally, resulting in a change of possession.
63. Spike: An attack in which the ball is hit forcefully over the net and into the opponent’s court.
64. Tip: Overall, soft attack in which the ball is lightly tapped over the net and into the opponent’s court, usually used as a surprise attack.
65. Topspin: In general, a technique for generating spin on the ball by hitting it with a downward motion, resulting in a more powerful and accurate hit.
66. Underhand serve: A serve in which the ball is held in one hand and hit underhand over

In conclusion, these are the top volleyball terms to know. All in all, this list is only a small amount of the total volleyball terms. In general, players around the world have many different volleyball terms. Overall, the list is always growing!

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