Rotations and serves in indoor volleyball

Indoor volleyball rotations and serves

Do all players serve in volleyball?

All volleyball players get the chance to serve during a match. 

What is the serving order in volleyball?

Coaches submit their serving order and starting lineup to the referee before play begins. When the match starts, players on both teams line up in their correct rotational positions as the player serving first prepares to contact the ball (learn more about rotational positions here). Players always serve from anywhere behind the end line.

For the rest of the match, players take turns serving according to how they rotate on the court. 

What does it mean when indoor volleyball players rotate? 

Volleyball players begin each rally in the same rotational position while they hold serve and while the other team serves. When a team wins back the serve (they sideout), their players rotate. That means each player changes position by moving one spot in a clockwise direction around the court. Player #2 steps back to take position #1 and becomes the new server. Players #4 and #3 move one position to their right. Player #5 slides forward to position #4, and players #1 and #6 shift one spot to their left.

The new server keeps serving until their team loses a point. The serve then reverts to their opponents, who now rotate clockwise before their new server starts the next rally.

Do volleyball servers have to stay in rotational position?

Technically speaking, yes. A volleyball server stands in position #1 (back right corner). However, servers don’t stand inside the court boundaries, so they can serve from anywhere behind the end-line. 

All the rotation rules still apply to the receiving team, however. That means the player who just finished serving now moves back into the court and takes position #1 in the back right corner.

What happens if a volleyball player serves out of order ?

Volleyball players must serve in their correct order #1-#6 as shown in their starting lineup. If they mix up their rotational positions or their serving order, the team commits a rotational violation. That will cost them a point and their serve. 

Rotations and serves in indoor volleyball Volleyballmag.com.