Volleyball PBP

[kurtpbp]

In 23 years of radio PBP, I have called almost every sport but volleyball. I will do so next week. Any tips on calling volleyball from those that have done so. Thank you very much.

[bschultz]

Memorize, memorize, memorize! I do mainly hockey and some say that hockey moves fast and you "don't have time to look down". While that's true, it's even moreso in volleyball.

Also, don't feel that you have to get every pass in...at least not until you're more comfortable with the sport.

[RCAnderson]

Where's Adam Admin when you need him? If anyone can help out fully on this, it would be him. I will say from my experience is you always have to be aware where the ball is on the court. Plus, always mention the score after a team does score.

[Tyler Bouldin]

I did a few volleyball matches in college. Still to this day I consider that sport the toughest to call because it's extremely fast-paced and if you look down at your notes/board during the action, you're in loads of trouble.

I agree that you need to memorize names with numbers as quickly as possible. Good luck!

[Brady Stiff]

Adam Amin is definitely the authority here...I got some great advice from him before my first volleyball match.

Familiarize yourself as much as you can with the rules of the game, and the libero position. I had never known what the libero was until I prepped for my first volleyball match. Memorization will definitely be key. Hopefully for you it's a conference match and the coach won't use a ton of players.

It's a fun sport to call. The athleticism is impressive, and the action is fast.

[Joe Lancello]

I'll echo what everyone's said here, especially about not trying to call every pass, you'll drive yourself nuts.

You may want to mention when the setter moves into the front row, therefore that team will only have to hitters to work with up front. Also, when someone who's having a big game rotates into the front.

When there's a block or joust that doesn't result in a point and the ball's still alive, which side of the net is it on? "Set..left side for Lee, blocked by Anderson, the Hurricanes will reload as Carlson backsets for Stoskopf on the far side..."

There's a sample on my talent page (in Missouri) if you want to hear a little.

[SilversSports]

I love doing volleyball, although I'm no where near the level of Adam.

Personally I go as said before on positioning for libero and setters, at some point describe the rest of the rotation. Players are often left or right side hitters so you'll often see after the serve the girls up front switch sides. While not so important on every play it does add some nice description.

Because of its fast pace I usually work with digs and attacks. Johnson a dig in the back court, Smith a hard drive from the left, tipped at the net by Jones and floated across from Bradley, etc.

After a kill I usually go back to describe the set, front/back, so: set up a beautifully by Howard on a low back set to Bradley allowing the easy tip from the A4 slot (if you know the volleyball positions on the net, but they do need explaining from time to time for that casual fan).

[sketti98]

Can anyone point me toward a spotting chart they like for volleyball? Maybe something similar to basketball is best?

[ATowne]

Can anyone point me toward a spotting chart they like for volleyball? Maybe something similar to basketball is best?

I'd be happy to share mine if you like it - just send me a PM with your email address and I can send a Word version.

http://andyptowne.files.wordpress.com/2 ... eyball.pdf

[Buffalo Dave]

Even though it's a little late in the season, I stumbled upon the topic tonight and thought I'd share my volleyball boards. I'm finishing up my ninth year of prep VB broadcasting and always enjoy calling matches. It's a vastly underrated sport.

You can see and download the Excel boards here:

http://www.davecollinsbroadcasting.com/toolbox.html

[hoopster777]

As a former volleyball player/current broadcaster, one of my big things is not using the word "spike". Maybe ok once in awhile when re-capping a play, but never as part of the action. No volleyball player "spikes" the ball. They hit it, tip it, roll it, rip it, etc...