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Be the Referee: Back Row Illegal Blocker
By
Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials
November 15, 2022
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Back Row Illegal Blocker - Listen
We’re on the volleyball court today where Team A’s back-row setter is in the front zone near the net and jumps to try to make the team’s second contact. The ball enters the plane of the net where Team A’s back-row setter and Team B’s front row player simultaneously touch the ball above the top of the net. What’s the call?
Illegal block on Team A’s back-row setter.
A back-row player attempting to play a ball in the space directly above the net is considered an illegal blocker if the ball is attacked or blocked by an opponent into the back-row player while reaching above the height of the net.
Team B would receive a point and would be next to serve.
Previous Editions:
Nov. 4: Swim Turn Judges - Listen
Oct. 25: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
Oct. 18: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
Oct. 11: Soccer Shootouts - Listen
Oct. 11: Safety in End Zone - Listen
Oct. 4: Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change - Listen
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Be the Referee: Protocols & Mechanics
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 26, 2021
“Be the Referee” is back for 2021-22 with MHSAA assistant director Brent Rice explaining how rules have reverted or been modified due to last year’s COVID-19 adjustments.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Protocols and Mechanics – Listen
Other than a few select instances, all MHSAA protocols, procedures and playing rules have returned to what they were pre-COVID.
This means that football team boxes will return to the area between the 25-yard lines, traditional ball-handling and other officials mechanics will return in all sports and postgame handshakes will be permitted as each school sees fit.
Additionally, there will be some rules modifications that were adopted during the pandemic that will likely be kept as part of the normal playing rules moving forward. The one that stands out for this upcoming fall season is that in volleyball, teams will not switch benches or sides of the net unless the referee determines that a team is at a disadvantage due to the layout of the facilities and obstructions.