Postmatch Postulation

By Robert Doan

After finishing a match, what is the next obligation of an official? Should you have a postmatch conference with your team, or should you simply grab your things and go home? There are also other considerations, such as whether there is time for a postmatch conversation. Is a postmatch conversation necessary? These are common questions from officials. Many experienced officials will tell you the postmatch conversation can be one of the most rewarding experiences of the match. Let’s discuss several key elements for a proper postmatch conversation.

Develop a Plan

Before the match, make sure to develop, with members of the officiating team, an exit strategy out of the gym (or court area) and head to a quiet place for a postmatch conversation. More and more high schools and colleges are providing a changing space for officials. A quiet locker room or office is an ideal location for prematch and postmatch conversations. If there is not a locker room or office for the officials to meet, find a quiet area away from match personnel and spectators. This can be someone’s car during the high school season or a corner of a referee room during the travel season. If it is appropriate, invite line judges and the scorer/assistant scorers to the postmatch.

Postmatch Conversation

The postmatch conversation usually is initiated by the first referee (R1) of the match (as shown in the PlayPic). If scorers and line judges are available (certified officials), start the conversation with them. Some common questions for the scorer and assistant scorer include:

•How did the match go for you?

•Did you feel we communicated well?

•Was there anything in the match you wish we would have done differently or that we could have helped?

•What was something we did that you want us to continue to do with the scorer and assistant scorer?

After the conversation feels complete, let the scorer and assistant scorer leave the meeting and focus attention on the line judges. The following are common questions and interactions with line judges:

•How did you feel during the match?

•Do you feel you were able to get your eyes to the line before the ball came?

•How was eye contact with the R1?

•Did you feel supported?

Of course, those questions are only examples of conversation starters. As an R1, it is important to discuss several plays that happened during the match to offer praise or recommendations for the future. It is also important for officials to help line judges improve their craft, but hold back on the urge to provide a line judge clinic after the match. The two line judges might be tired from working the previous match, so try to choose one or two items to give praise or recommendations to improve. Feel free to invite the line judges to stay for the referee postmatch if you and they feel comfortable. Many certified line judges are also referees and value postmatch conversations with the referees. They also might decline, which is fine as well.

For the referees, here are common start-up questions and interactions:

•How was my eye contact?

•Did you feel supported when I talked with the coaches?

•What did you think about the ballhandling line that was set?

•Did you agree with the backrow decisions?

Similar to the other examples, the sample questions are conversation starters. Discuss plays from the match that were difficult or out of the ordinary. If one of the referees missed a call, discuss how to make the correct call next time. In general, discuss the good and the bad with the idea in mind that you both want to keep improving.

Postgame Conversation No-Nos

Be disengaged. There have been many times when one official is trying to have a good postmatch conversation while the other is checking a cellphone or packing up items. If there is something pressing in your life, feel free to let the other official know, and maybe the postmatch can happen at a different time (maybe during the ride home if traveling quite a distance).

Be argumentative. Just because someone saw a play differently does not mean you or the other referee are wrong. Absorb the information, then process it later. Feel free to discuss the feedback with a trusted mentor to hear his or her perspective. There have been multiple times when I believed the feedback I received was “wrong,” but my mentor verified it was indeed correct. Even if whatever was said did not sit well with you, respectfully move on in the conversation. Officials are more than likely just trying to help.

Take too long. An easy match when everything goes smoothly should not have a postmatch conversation that takes 30 minutes. It might not even be appropriate for a five-set match that had many decisions to have a 30-minute postmatch conversation. Be respectful of each other’s time and either discuss the most important portions

Caseplays

Conduct Issues Between Sets

Play: As the teams change courts at the conclusion of the first set, A1 and B2 begin arguing. The referees determine each player must be sanctioned with an individual misconduct penalty. Ruling: When misconduct occurs between sets, the sanction is assessed at the beginning of the next set and recorded on the scoresheet for that set. When opponents are sanctioned for simultaneous unsporting acts, the serving team player is penalized first, followed by the receiving team player (NFHS 12-2 Procedure for Unsporting Conduct Violations; NCAA 6.4.3, 6.4.5; USAV 21.5).

Injury Involving Blood

Play: R1 dives to play a ball and cuts her elbow, which leads to blood on the court. R1 goes to the athletic trainer for help. It takes management a couple of minutes to clean up the court. Once the floor is cleaned, R1 returns to the court. The second referee does not allow R1 to play since she was still under the trainer’s care at the end of the 30-second evaluation period. Ruling: In all codes, that decision is incorrect. Since the player was ready to go when the playable area was cleaned, there was no delay in the resumption of play. The referees should allow R1 to play (NFHS 11-4-3; NCAA 11.3.7.2, 11.3.7.4; USAV Guidelines for Dealing With Blood).

Centerline Fault

Play: A1 lands after an attack, and one foot is beyond the centerline, encroaching completely into team B’s court. A1 does not make contact with a team B player, but a team B blocker must step around A1’s encroaching foot.

Ruling: In all codes, A1 should be whistled for a centerline fault. In NFHS, a player may encroach into the opponent’s court with a foot, feet or hands, only if some part of the foot/hand remains on or over the centerline. Once the player’s foot went beyond the centerline, a fault occurred (9-57). In NCAA and USAV, a player is allowed to have a foot or hand completely across the centerline, but the encroaching player cannot interfere with or create a safety hazard for any opposing player (NCAA 15.2.4.2; USAV 11.2.2.2).

of the match or agree to continue the conversation at a different time. Overall, postmatch conversations can be extremely helpful. You can often walk away feeling assured that you and your partner tried your best. Postmatch conversations are great opportunities to get better. The main advice expert officials have given has been to take notes during the postmatch conversation and to be open to feedback. Returning to the original question, “Do we have to do a postmatch conversation?” The response would be, “Why would you not take advantage of this great opportunity?”

Robert Doan, Ph.D., has been a high school, college and USAV official for more than a decade. He is a resident of Charleston County, S.C. *

Libero Do’s and Don’ts

By Rick Brown

Thelibero position in volleyball is a great opportunity for shorter players to aspire toward mastery of passing, digging, serving and ballhandling skills, and is a blessing to teams who have the services of an exceptionally talented defensive specialist to cement their efforts to keep the ball off the floor. As an even “more specialized” defensive specialist, a libero may be a team’s best serve-receiver and digger during each rally, used for back-zone setting when the team is out of system, and also be one of the best servers. Some liberos are known for having hands of “butter” (not to be confused with butterfinger hands that produce double hits). So, the various rule codes facilitate the intent of allowing the libero to fulfill the position’s ”destiny” by having her available to be on the court in five out of six service rotations. The libero may lead the team’s serve-receive floor defense on every rally and also replace a middle blocker in one position in the service order in each set per the three rule codes. While some of the complexities might be hard to initially grasp for newer officials, here is a breakdown of the most important rules regarding the libero position to help you stay on track.

You Say lih-BEAR-oh, I Say LEE-buh-ro

Regardless of how the name is pronounced, to play a libero, a team must designate the number of this player on the lineup submitted for each set. NFHS and NCAA rules allow a single libero to be designated for each set while USAV rules offer this option along with the ability to list two liberos for the match on the first-set lineup sheet (NFHS 6-4-2; NCAA 12.1.1; USAV 19.1.1). Teams are never forced to list or play a libero. However, the higher the level of play, the more likely a team will play a libero. Happily, failure to identify a libero number on a lineup is treated with a prevention focus; the coach is “reminded” by the second referee with a smile, “Did you intend to play a libero?” The referees are assisted by additional sets of eyes from the scorer and assistant scorer/ libero tracker in spotting a duplicate number for a libero and starting player, as well as failure to identify a libero.

Clearly Contrasting

There are restrictions on libero playing actions and movement on and off the court. As such, a libero is required to wear a jersey that clearly contrasts with the jerseys worn by teammates. To allow officials who are responsible for identifying libero movement on and off the court as well as libero playing actions during each rally, libero jerseys have to be sufficiently different to identify the libero from every angle. Rules require libero jerseys clearly contrast with dominant/predominant color(s) of teammates’ jerseys, generally excluding trim. Each set of referees determines whether jerseys are clearly contrasting. Although sleeves are typically not a concern, some referees consider the effect of long sleeves in determining libero jersey compliance in terms of clearly contrasting. Rule sets state the libero jersey may not be made up solely of the same dominant (USAV 19.2a) or predominant color(s) (NFHS 4-2-2; NCAA 12.1.3.1) as worn by teammates even if the like colors are placed differently on the jersey. Referees, the scorer and assistant scorer must be able to quickly identify the libero. Referees need to be able to easily identify the libero in a group of moving teammates to spot who played the ball and apply the applicable rules. With the libero free to enter the court on any dead ball — with but a few restrictions — to replace a back-row player and with libero replacements by both teams at the same time complicating things, it is no wonder we instruct assistant scorers to emulate an oscillating fan with their heads and eyes to help them spot replacements as well as approaching subs.

Replacement

“Replacement” is the terminology used for a libero’s entry onto the court through an area between the team’s attack line and end line (Libero Replacement Zone/LRZ) and is unlimited throughout each set, as long as the libero’s position does not rotate to the front zone with the libero still on the court unless the libero will serve the next rally. All rule codes require the libero to exit the court during one service rotation. When a libero leaves through the LRZ, the player the libero last replaced must return through the LRZ for the exchange to be considered legal. After sitting out at least one completed rally, the libero may then replace another back-row teammate, and this process may go on repeatedly through each set.

A libero listed on the submitted lineup may enter the set before the first rally to replace any back-row teammate. Except for a few unusual situations, the libero’s subsequent entry and exit from the set occur without authorization or involvement from the second referee, who only intervenes when the process is flawed.

Serving

All three codes allow a libero to serve in one position in the service order in each set. When two liberos are used in a USAV match, both liberos may serve but only in a single spot in the serve order — not for each middle blocker. If a libero moves from an oncourt position to serve the next rally, this requires a legal double replacement (next legal server exits court while the player the libero last replaced returns to the court in the position the libero would occupy). For NCAA and USAV, if the libero would be serving in a second position