I wrote an article a few months ago about the new 2009-2010 net violation rule changes in USA Volleyball that you can read here. As much as I tried to keep it neutral, it was obviously slanted towards my negative feelings for the changes and my dread for the upcoming season. Now, a few months later and a club season in the bag, I’m revisiting the topic with experience in both coaching and refereeing the new changes for a club season. I’ll handle each topic the way I did in the previous article.

Coaching Inconsistency:

This is one thing that still remains to be seen. I coached my setter to not worry about being in the net when chasing a pass that falls off the bottom tape (What I call a J-Hook) as this is not a net call anymore. All the while, I told her to keep in mind that this is not a high school rule. So I taught her the same techniques I usual would had the rule not changed.In other cases, the rules have not affected my team negatively all that much. My team was aware of how to jump and avoid the net, so there wasn’t much of an opportunity for them to learn bad habits that need breaking in high school.Other teams however, were a completely different story. There were a lot of rallies, and sets, we lost due to sloppy play by opposing teams that would have been called in high school.

Obnoxious Parents:

I was completely wrong about this one. I heard one group of voices murmur behind me while refereeing, “Ref, that player was all in the net!” after a player contacted the net with their arm while  in transition away from the net after attempting to block. The murmurs did get louder through the rally. After the set, I heard parents explaining to the fan that, “Yes, she was in the net, but it was not a violation.” I smiled a little.

In the Badger Region (Wisconsin) of USA Volleyball, both the regional referees and the volleyball clubs themselves did a great job spreading the word. In one case, I even sat behind the referee when, before the match began, she calmly turned to the bleachers and asked if everyone understood the new net violation and centerline rule changes. She politely explained each case and the parents kind of laughed while nodding in agreement. That is was a proactive referee and it was outstanding to see. I wish I had her name because I would mention it here. In every tournament I coached in, the parents were very supportive and felt that the rules were very clear. Kudos to all parents that patiently, “Went with the flow.”

Referee Discretion:

In this case, I still ran into some issues. For instance, in my Coaching Inconsistency section of this article I mentioned my setter getting pretty good at understanding the rule about setting balls off the bottom tape of the net. I ran into the following issue during a pretty heated pool play match at a tournament recently when our team won the first set but lost the second, and very close, set on the following call:

A work team coach called the setter’s arms in the net. I told the setter, my captain, to approach the referee and ask her, “Excuse me, how did you arrived at that call since it is no longer a referee discretion call and is no longer a net violation?” (We rehearsed this earlier in the season actually to prepare). She talked with her for a while and my setter went back to play. A few points later, set over, game three here we come.

I approached this coach after the set and told her it is no longer a net violation. She began to explain to me that, “In my opinion, I saw her arm in the net in the action of playing the ball…” I interrupted her and told her that this is not a referee discretion call since the 2009-2010 rule changes. A setter can not be in the net when their arms are playing a ball off the bottom of the net, this is no longer a question like in previous years. Of course, she denied it and told me that, “it’s over and (I) should get my lineup in for the next set”. I explained to her that, “I’m not trying to reverse a bad call, but to educate a coach unfamiliar with the rules, so this error doesn’t occur again.” Needless to say, we did not talk to each other the rest of the tournament. Luckily, the head of Badger Region referees and a board member was attending the tournament and saw the call and talked to the coach after our match, which we won in the third set 15-5. Like most calls, it did not affect the outcome, but its the principle, right?

There were a few times, early in the season, when I blew my whistle after an old school net violation occurred. I apologized and called for a replay and we moved on. After those matches, each coach was understanding and admitted doing the same thing several times too, but after about 2 tournaments, I learned to swallow my whistle. Many coaches had the same experiences, but as the season wound down, everyone got more comfortable with the changes.

The next step? NFHS approval:

In speaking with the head of the NFHS rules committee at the AVCA convention in December last year, she was very adamant about the groups process of voting on rule changes. She spoke about her primary question: “Does the new rule affect the safety of the student-athlete?” In that vein of thought, I began asking myself the same question. I could see the new net rules being adopted by the high schools, but I’m not sure about the center line rule changes not mentioned much in this article. The changes to the net rule do not seem to be a safety issue, but the center line? That could open up a ton of opportunities for broken toes, twisted ankles, torn ACL/MCLs. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Summary:

In reflection, I saw a lot of great rallies that continued some great volleyball instead of the ball being called dead early due to a minor net violation. I did see some ugliness too, but I coach 15 year old girls and its to be expected sometimes, they are still learning. Overall, I don’t think the rule changes ruined the game for me, I actually think they made it better. I really think the players did an amazing job evolving to the changes and the parents, coaches and referees underestimated them, and that’s dangerous.

The biggest change, and the hardest to get used to, was the new signature line on the USA Volleyball scoring sheet that each coach had to sign after a match. I think I coached 35-40 matches this season and actually remembered to sign the sheet on my own about 5 times.

Oh, and the net does exist for a reason; to allow the players to play the ball off of it.