So you’re watching volleyball, and you get it, the six players on the court rotate every once in a while after a point and before a serve. But, why? Where? In what order? Where can they go after they rotate? Here is everything you need to know to understand the college volleyball rotation.
First, when and why does this happen?
A rotation occurs after every sideout, which is when the receiving team gains the right to serve by winning a rally. So basically, if you are the receiving team, and you win the point, or the serving team commits an unforced error, the players are required to rotate and the serve is switched. The new serving team will rotate clockwise one spot. The purpose of this is to rotate all the players through the serving position.
If you continue winning points, you stay in position.
VOLLEYBALL GLOSSARY: Volleyball terms explained
The rotation order
The rotation order is determined by the starting lineup and must be maintained throughout the set, per the NCAA rulebook. To break it down. six players are on the court, three are front-row players and three are back-row players. The positions are named by their place on the court, but these position are not to be confused with the position they play such as setter, middle blocker, outside hitter,…
