Rally scoring adds new twist to game
Fans of Utah State women’s volleyball may have noticed one major change at matches this season; the scoring system is different.
In past seasons, NCAA women’s volleyball has been scored under the side-out format. Under the side-out format, only the serving team could score points. Matches were played the best three-out-of-five games and each game went to 15 points. The winner was required to win by two points.
For the 2001 season, the scoring system was changed to rally scoring. In rally scoring a point is scored on every serve. Even if a team is not serving, a point can be scored. Matches are still played the best three-out-of-five, but are played to 30 points with the winner still required to win by two points.
A similarity carried over between the two systems is the fifth game, if necessary, is played under rally scoring to 15 points.
According to the NCAA Web site (www.ncaa.org), the factors leading to this change are the hopes rally scoring will “increase the intensity of play throughout the match, broaden the appeal of women’s collegiate volleyball and result in less variance in match time.”
When asked why the change was made, USU head coach Burt Fuller said, “To catch up with the world, the whole world is going to rally scoring.”
Rally scoring is the scoring method used at most other levels of play, including NCAA men’s volleyball and international volleyball. Changing NCAA women’s volleyball to rally scoring creates greater consistency across different levels of play.
“The rest of the world went rally score. I think a lot of the initial part was to try to get volleyball in a time frame that could be more marketable to TV,” Fuller said.
Because a point is scored on every serve, the time of a rally scored volleyball match becomes much more consistent than under side-out scoring and fits well into a television time frame.
Fuller said internationally games are played to 25 points and the final game to 15.
“That would tend to be real, real short. Our adoption here in the country has gone to 30 point, which I think is pretty good for colleges,” he said.
One change Fuller said he would like to see implemented is the use of a libero.
“I would personally like to see the use of the libero, like they have in men’s college,” Fuller said.
The libero is a defensive player who wears a different colored jersey and does not count as one of the team’s 18 substitutions per game when entering or leaving the game.
Special rules apply to the libero as well.
Liberos cannot jump and swing, cannot serve, and cannot set using their hands while in front of the 10 foot line to a player in front of the 10 foot line.
“They’re basically out there to pass and dig and be a great defensive player, to try to allow the short, good volleyball players an opportunity to play,” Fuller said.
Among the USU team, reactions to the new scoring format and rule changes are mixed.
“I haven’t decided if I like it or not,” senior middle blocker Michelle Matheson said. “It’s good because the games don’t go quite as long.
Sophomore outside hitter Erin Cartwright said, “When rally scoring first came out I didn’t want it. I wanted to go back to the old way, but now I’m used to it.”
Freshman defensive specialist Melissa Wilton played under side-out scoring in high school but played under rally scoring in club volleyball.
“I like rally scoring just because I’m used to playing it,” Wilton said. “The past couple of years in club, it’s been rally. I’m used to it. I like it. It makes the game go by quicker.”
Senior outside hitter Lisa Borom said, “I like the regular scoring [side-out] better, but I like rally scoring because it’s faster.”
Fuller said “We’re winning rally score matches so I guess I like rally score right now. It is more exciting.”
As a referee, Fuller said he remembered games under side-out scoring were extremely long so he prefers rally scoring.
“[Rally scoring] is more exciting, keeps you on the edge of your seat, and puts a premium on ball control,” he said.
In addition to making things more exciting, rally scoring changes how easy it is for a team to comeback once they have fallen behind.
“I don’t think it makes comebacks easier,” Fuller said. “You look at a rally score game in three segments. If you’re not doing real well in segment one or two, by segment three it’s pretty tough to come back. You can’t have more than one bad segment, and even if one bad segment is there, you’re probably in trouble.”
“It makes it really hard to catch back up,” Matheson said.
Rally scoring also changes the importance and strategy behind serving. Even if a team is controlling the serve, their opponent can still score points on them.
“It makes serving more important,” Fuller said. “You have to be a good serve receive team because you’re getting a point. It is almost like rally scoring has made every ball worth two points. It’s either a point here or a point there. It’s a two point swing on every play.”
Wilton said she thinks it puts more pressure on the serving team.
“Everything counts and you can’t just think we’ll side-out next time. Everything counts this time and you can’t just take it for granted,” Wilton said. “That’s why we work on serving all the time in practice.”
Borom said, “Before you could be really aggressive, and if you miss your serve it wasn’t as big a deal, but now if you miss your serve it’s a point for the other team.”
With every ball worth a point, it may seem like rally scoring puts more pressure on the team in close games, but Fuller said this is not necessarily the case.
“I think it might have early, but now I think everyone is pretty much used to it,” Fuller said. “Either you’re going to play well or you’re not going to play well. I would say with us we have done enough drills that are scoring related where our kids are used to everything.”
Borom said, “You never feel like you have a real lead, you could be up 10 points on a team but it seems like they can come back so fast. Maybe you do have that lead, but it doesn’t feel like that when you’re on the court.”
One other rule change was implemented this season, allowing a served ball to hit the net. In the past, if a ball hit the net on the serve, it was dead. With the rule change, any ball hitting the net on the serve is still alive and can be played. The reactions to this rule are also mixed.
“I think it just keeps the game going, it’s a great rule. There aren’t many that hit the net and trickle over,” Fuller said. “It’s just a little extra bonus if you hit the net. Some teams go for it, we don’t try to go for the net, but if we get it though we’re happy.”
Borom said, “I love it. It’s kind of a cheap rule when it dribbles off the net, but I like it.”
Wilton said, “It’s good when you’re giving serves like that. It’s hard to pick up on stuff like that. I guess it’s good because the front row have to be ready to pass also. Everyone is getting ready to pass, you have to be ready for anything.”
Matheson said, “It’s fine if it comes off and just nicks it and goes deep, but when they fall off and roll right over the net it drives me nuts.”
Cartwright said, “When one just dribbles over, it’s huge if your team does it. But if the other team does it, it is the hardest serve to get.”
Fuller said the purpose of implementing rally scoring was to help the game, and the change has benefited both fans and some teams.
“I thought it would benefit the smaller more mobile, ball control teams but there is still a big advantage to blocking well and hitting well,” Fuller said.
Wilton said, “It lets the underdogs- people who aren’t as tall or powerful, like people that play defense- get points back that way.”
Cartwright said, “I think it makes it better for t
he fans, that’s what some fans have told me. Rally scoring is a lot more fun for them to watch.”
With the rule changes, both players and coaches had to adjust to the new scoring system, but the Aggies have not had too difficult of a time adjusting to the new system.
“The younger kids have been playing [rally scoring] in club so they’re used to it. Our returning kids, we played that all through the spring, and we play it every day in practice. At this point in the season we’re adjusted to it,” Fuller said.
Matheson said, “We just have to go out and play, that’s what it comes down to.”
When asked if the change was difficult for her, Cartwright said, “Not for me, it really didn’t affect me that much.
Borom said the change wasn’t too difficult for her either.
“It wasn’t really that big of a deal.” Borom said. “You don’t realize how fast the games going to end because you look up and it’s 25 and the game is almost over.”
Even with mixed reactions to the changes, the team has adjusted and continues to play their game.
“It’s still volleyball, it just a little different scoring,” Fuller said. “I like it. It’s exciting. It keeps the game going. I would say right now we love it.”