The NCAA’s New Double Contact Volleyball Rule Makes Sense (As An Outsider)

Full disclosure, I know basically nothing about volleyball. The extent of my volleyball knowledge is everything I learned watching my sister play volleyball for a few years. Sometimes, when I’m talking to a girl who played volleyball, I break out the word “libero” and shoot for the stars (it doesn’t matter if she’s 6’7 and clearly at the net, I don’t know what that’s called). This is all to say, if something in here makes zero sense, it’s because I realistically have zero knowledge.

When I first saw a Tik Tok about this new rule, I was under the impression that the new NCAA rule was that a player could touch the ball twice in a row.

I thought, “wow that kind of ruins the dynamics of volleyball.” Little did I know, you had to set with both hands at the same time. Turns out during my time on the driveway setting what could best be described as “volleyball curveballs”, I was breaking the rules of volleyball.

Truthfully, when I first started this blog, I was going to say it was a dumb rule change. Firstly, because I didn’t understand the rules of volleyball, so I didn’t actually grasp what was changing. But secondly, I had seen a lot of current and former volleyball players, mostly setters, hating on the rule change. So, I was prepared to write a blog about how this change has ruined the complexity of volleyball (reminder: I genuinely have no clue what I’m talking about). And, the wording of the change, letting the ball hit two parts of your body on one attempt, isn’t especially simple language (that’s sports rules).

And I actually get very much where the hate is coming from. Imagine if the MLB changed how you could throw a pitch after learning incredibly specific mechanics. We’re still dealing with the consequences of the NBA penalizing defense a little too much, after a lot of current players grew up watching harder defense. But, at the same time, I’m under the impression this could be a great thing. With change, comes the ability for evolution.

Computer Umps of Volleyball

So I have two reasons why I, as an outsider, think this is a very good rule. First, a lot of subjectivity has been taken out of the game. During my research (Reddit and Twitter/X), it seems a lot of coaches and players were complaining about refs subjectively calling a double contact because of ball movement, and coaches going wild because a double contact wasn’t called.

I relate my reason for this back to baseball. If there’s one thing every baseball fan hates, it’s an umpire trying to figure out where the strike zone is. I’m pretty sure that if Angel Hernandez is ever seen at an MLB stadium after he retires (the man will never be fired), he will be booed and chased out of the stadium. Maybe even tarred and feathered for his crimes.

So with the introduction of this NCAA rule, which probably trickles down into every other lower league (and potentially the higher leagues, I think there are some in Europe and one might be starting in America), the subjectiveness is taken out. Pace of play is important, especially with a sport like volleyball that doesn’t have the mainstream grasp, spiking in popularity every 4 years and during the NCAA tournament. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember ever seeing a double contact called. But, then again, I don’t watch much volleyball, even during the Olympics (other than seeing Kim Jong Un impersonators).

There’s some good, though, about taking subjectivity out of the hands of referees. Even with technology refs still make terrible decisions (see Carabao Cup Final VAR). I like the fact that the game flow is being upgraded from subjective decisions by refs, a class of people not known for their eyesight or decision-making skills. Aristotle said that rhetoric is dangerous when it swirls passions in the courtroom. I imagine, having a coach and parents yell with feverish passion at a ref who has a day job, can be swaying.

The Old Set is Dead, Long Live the King

Secondly, the era of the straight set has seemingly come to an end. I can imagine the set is more complex than an up and down movement like the rule vaguely portrays. It’s what led to the first problem (subjectivity). From what I’ve gathered, curved movement indicates and incorrectly set ball. As an outsider, I think curved sets are very cool. There is a new dynamic of sets and spikes that have been created by the rule.

Quick tangent, the whole double contact thing doesn’t make a ton of sense to me. It limits the set to a singular movement. Maybe that is the point. Maybe the point was to limit curved sets over the net (which this rule change still outlaws). Nonetheless, it created a subjective rule that set the table for this rollout, leaving so many setters in its coattails.

Is it unfair to the setters who have worked incredibly hard to learn how to properly set? Yes, it definitely is. The rule cheapens the act of setting itself, letting a guy like me who spent years incorrectly setting saying things like, “it’s time for the Olympics boys.”

With all that said, sometimes the game modernizes. The volleyball tactical ecosystem will change. Imagine a setter knuckleballing a ball to a 6’5 hitter (?) for some weird spike that looks like it’s in zero gravity. Or, maybe even better fake spikes because of the rotation of the ball. Or, someone sticks to the old ways, like a rugby punter in football, and next thing you know there’s a highlight comp set to dirty European technomusic. The old set has died, but welcome the new set overlord.

If you’re a volleyball player and think I am incredibly off-base let me know in the comments.

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