Volleyball 101: Glossary
Here are some key volleyball terms to add to your vocabulary…
Published
17 SEP 2025
Est. reading time
3 min
All eyes were on the U.S. Women’s National Team this summer, as they took part in the Volleyball Nations League before heading to Thailand for the FIVB World Championship.
And those tournaments will have attracted plenty of new fans to the sport, thanks to a host of thrilling encounters in both competitions.
So, if you’re new to volleyball — or if you just want to refresh your memory — here’s a glossary of some of the key terms to try and get your head around…
Match: Indoor volleyball is played as the best of five sets.
Set: A period of play that typically runs to 25 points, which a team must win by two clear points. The deciding set often goes to 15 points.
Rally: The sequence of play from the moment the ball is served until a point is won. Every rally results in a point, regardless of which team has served.
Side-out: When the receiving team wins the aforementioned rally and gains the right to serve.
Rotation: The clockwise movement of players around the court after winning back the serve.
Serve: The action that starts off play, by hitting the ball from behind the end line into the opponent’s half of the court. Varieties of serve include overhand, underhand, jump serve, float serve and topspin serve.
Pass (also referred to as Bump): Receiving and controlling a serve or hard-driven ball, with use of the forearms.
Set: Not to be confused with the sets in a match, this is a two-handed overhead pass that’s used to position the ball for a team-mate to attack.
Attack (also referred to as Spike or Hit): An aggressive overhead strike to send the ball into the opponent’s court.
Block: A defensive play where one or more front-row players jump near the net, to stop or deflect an opponent’s attack.
Dig: A defensive action to prevent the ball from touching the court after an opponent’s attack.
Kill: An attack that directly results in a point, when an opponent is unable to return the ball.
Ace: Similar to the above, but in this case it’s a serve that directly results in a point.
Assist: The set or pass that leads directly to a kill.
Hitting percentage (also referred to as Efficiency): This is a calculation to produce a score of a player’s attacking performance. The formula for it is: (Kills - Errors) ÷ Total Attempts.
Fault: A violation of the rules. For example, a net touch, foot fault or double hit.
Foot Fault: Stepping on or over the end line while serving.
Lift (also referred to as Carry): When the ball rests too long in a player’s hands or is pushed instead of cleanly hit.
Double Contact (also referred to as Double Hit): When a player hits the ball twice in succession (except on a block).
Finally, here is a quick summary of the various positions in volleyball…
Outside Hitter: A player who attacks from the front-left side and often receives the serve.
Opposite Hitter: This player attacks from the front-right side, and is often a strong blocker.
Middle Blocker (also referred to as Middle Hitter): Plays in the center of the net and specializes in quick attacks and blocking.
Setter: The team’s playmaker, who sets up the ball for attackers.
Libero: Primarily a defensive player, they wear a different colored jersey and typically cannot attack or serve.
Defensive Specialist: A player who can be substituted for a front-row player, to improve back-row defense.
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