Hand Setting - Accidentally Overset

[gamepoint]

I know you have to be square when purposely hand setting over (making an offense move) but what about when you hand set and it accidentally goes over and drops on the opposing side (not square)?

[slackerdad]

If it's a clean set and the wind carries it, regardless of wether you are square or not, it's ok. If intentional, you must be square forward or backward.

My understanding is if there is no wind affecting the ball and it's overset without being square, it's a violation. It's definitely a judgment call.

[ardatak]

I say if you can't take advantage of a butter set that makes it's way over to your side, you don't deserve the point anyway.

[gamepoint]

slackerdad - I absolutely agree with you and I have been arguing for years and years using exactly that ruling. However, you can't see wind and it could be anywhere at anytime so I always just let it go regardless (assuming it was clean hands). From vbref.com that uses USA Volleyball rules:

Restriction on setting the ball over the net. Indoors, there are no restrictions on this action. In fact, the term "set" is not even defined in the indoor rules. However, outdoor rules (doubles and triples only) require a "set-over" to be perpendicular to your body. An exception is made for sets to a teammate that happen to get blown over the net:
O13.4.5 If the ball is intentionally set into the opponent's court, the player must contact the ball with two hands above his/her shoulders and set it directly forward or directly backward with relation to his/her body.

O13.4.5 Commentary: A legal set directed toward a teammate that crosses the net because of the elements is not a fault, regardless of the player's body position.

Setting over

For doubles and triples competition only, any ball that is intentionally set into the opponent's court must be contacted with two hands above the shoulders, and set directly forward or backward in relation to the player's body. An exception is granted if you cleanly "side set" your teammate and the ball is blown over the net by the wind.

[slackerdad]

I'd prefer all hand-sets over the net be illegal, including oversets and intentional sets where players are square. I like my sets tight (I'm only 6'1" with more shots than power, so I rarely face a block). I feel awful when my partner sets a marginally clean ball that barely clears the net. The defenders were waiting for a deep pokey or cut shot and had no chance to get an over set. If one were to come up, I could easily poke it over his head before it broke the plane. The overset isn't intentional, but it's an unfair advantage to a hand setter who may not be skilled but can just "put it on top of the net". It's more difficult to do that bump setting for sure and the defense has more time to read and react.

If they took out all hand-passing (except on hard driven balls), why not take out all "hand-attacking", ie setting the ball over on 2nd or 3rd contact? It sure would remove a lot of subjectivity. A lot of our games have no hand-setting because we don't want to deal with people arguing. Probably 95% of the disagreeing on the court is related to a set being clean. FWIW, the other 5% is probably "interference under the net" and "if a ball was really hard driven." All subjective. We rarely argue about balls in or out (if people see it differently, we replay) but calling sets gets personal.

[love2vball]

Jul 29, 2016 12:43:10 GMT -5 slackerdad said:

I like my sets tight (I'm only 6'1" with more shots than power, so I rarely face a block). I feel awful when my partner sets a marginally clean ball that barely clears the net. The defenders were waiting for a deep pokey or cut shot and had no chance to get an over set. If one were to come up, I could easily poke it over his head before it broke the plane. The overset isn't intentional, but it's an unfair advantage to a hand setter who may not be skilled but can just "put it on top of the net".

Don't feel bad about it. It's your opponent's problem not yours if your partner's sets are clean. The "blocker" can be an important position at most levels although it serves different purposes. At the intermediate skills levels where players make mostly shots and have a tendency to set over more often, establishing a "blocker" until he can read the pass or the ensuing set and drop or stay should clean up many oversets. It's more work than just staying back and reading, but if your opponent wants to win, they will get better at the reads and drops. There will also be occasions where the "blocker" can clean up on the oversets for easy points as well as being able to give the hitter a different look with his block and cause errors. Basically, the block is not just to get blocks. Look at it like you are improving your opponents skills and if you succeed in doing that, your setter will have to improve his own.