full season’s worth of data was taken in 2006 from a Division I collegiate women’s team, where every play — serves, passes, and digs — was graded on a scaled point system. Location of the attack was also noted, as was how far the player was from the net when they set the ball (usually coming off an opposing serve).

“The results from this Division I women’s team indicates that passing, setting, and digging all have relatively high importance. We believe this is a fundamental di?erence in the men’s and women’s games,” the study concluded. “The men hit the ball harder, meaning that rallies terminate sooner, and serving and attacking have greater importance. In the women’s game, rallies are longer, so digging is much more important.”

Sure, but top-flight youth, collegiate, or Olympic-level volleyball necessitates a complete, well-rounded skill-set, as this clip from a 2009 NCAA tournament regional between Texas and Minnesota shows. To be the best, you’d better excel at digs, serves, and everything in between.

Photo: AP/Adam Lau

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Authors: Erik Malinowski

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