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| An image from an international match between Italy and Russia in 2005. A
Russian player on the left has just served, with three men of his team
next to the net moving to their assigned block positions from the
starting ones. Two others, in the back-row positions, are preparing for
defense. Italy, on the right, has three men in a line, each preparing to
pass if the ball reaches him. The setter is waiting for their pass
while the middle hitter with no. 10 will jump for a quick hit if the
pass is good enough. Alessandro Fei
(no. 14) has no passing duties and is preparing for a back-row hit on
the right side of the field. Note the two liberos with different color
dress. Middle hitters/blockers are commonly substituted by liberos in
their back-row positions. |
There are 5 positions filled on every volleyball team at the elite
level. Setter, Outside Hitter/Left Side Hitter, Middle Hitter, Opposite
Hitter/Right Side Hitter and Libero/Defensive Specialist. Each of these
positions plays a specific, key role in winning a volleyball match.
- Setters have the task for orchestrating the offense of the
team. They aim for second touch and their main responsibility is to
place the ball in the air where the attackers can place the ball into
the opponents' court for a point. They have to be able to operate with
the hitters, manage the tempo of their side of the court and choose the
right attackers to set. Setters need to have swift and skillful
appraisal and tactical accuracy, and must be quick at moving around the
court.
- Liberos are defensive players who are responsible for
receiving the attack or serve. They are usually the players on the court
with the quickest reaction time and best passing skills. Libero means 'free' in Italian—they
receive this name as they have the ability to substitute for any other
player on the court during each play. They do not necessarily need to be
tall, as they never play at the net, which allows shorter players with
strong passing and defensive skills to excel in the position and play an
important role in the team's success. A player designated as a libero
for a match may not play other roles during that match. Liberos wear a
different color jersey than their teammates.
- Middle blockers or Middle hitters are players that can
perform very fast attacks that usually take place near the setter. They
are specialized in blocking, since they must attempt to stop equally
fast plays from their opponents and then quickly set up a double block
at the sides of the court. In non-beginners play, every team will have
two middle hitters.
- Outside hitters or Left side hitters attack from near
the left antenna. The outside hitter is usually the most consistent
hitter on the team and gets the most sets. Inaccurate first passes
usually result in a set to the outside hitter rather than middle or
opposite. Since most sets to the outside are high, the outside hitter
may take a longer approach, always starting from outside the court
sideline. In non-beginners play, there are again two outside hitters on
every team in every match.
- Opposite hitters or Right-side hitters carry the
defensive workload for a volleyball team in the front row. Their primary
responsibilities are to put up a well formed block against the
opponents' Outside Hitters and serve as a backup setter. Sets to the opposite usually go to the right side of the antennae.
At some levels where substitutions are unlimited, teams will make use of a
Defensive Specialist
in place of or in addition to a Libero. This position does not have
unique rules like the libero position, instead, these players are used
to substitute out a poor back row defender using regular substitution
rules. A defensive specialist is often used if you have a particularly
poor back court defender in right side or left side, but your team is
already using a libero to take out your middles. Most often, the
situation involves a team using a right side player with a big block who
must be subbed out in the back row because they aren't able to
effectively play back court defense. Similarly, teams might use a
Serving Specialist to sub out a poor server situationally.
