Be the Referee: Volleyball Obstruction
By
Brent Rice
MHSAA Assistant Director
September 23, 2021
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 – Volleyball Obstruction - Listen
Ever wonder why in volleyball some balls hit into obstructions remain in play, while others are replayed, and some end the rally?
If a ball hits an obstruction over a playable area during a rally, and then is played by the same team, it has the same status as any other hit. However, that isn’t the case in all other instances.
If the ball hitting the wall or an object attached flush to the wall doesn’t actually interfere with a player’s legitimate effort to play the ball, the ball is dead and a loss of rally and point shall be awarded. If it does interfere with the playing of the ball, a replay is declared if the wall is less than six feet from the boundary.
If the ball hits a suspended backboard over the playable area, a replay will be declared as long as the referee believes the ball would have remained in play. Serves that hit any obstruction are a loss of rally and point.
Previous editions
Sept. 16: Catch or No Catch - Listen
Sept. 9: Intentional Grounding – Listen
Sept. 2: Pass Interference – Listen
Aug. 26: Protocols and Mechanics – Listen
Lansing Hosts 'Officiate Michigan Day II'
July 30, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
More than 800 sports officials hailing from both peninsulas and all over the state are expected to attend the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s “Officiate Michigan Day II” on August 4 at the Lansing Center to train and learn from clinicians experienced at the high school, college, national and international levels of competition.
The event is designed to benefit officials with any level of experience, veteran to beginner, with opening and closing sessions for the full group and sport-specific sessions for baseball, basketball, competitive cheer, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, volleyball and wrestling.
Registration and check-in begin at 7:30 a.m. Aug. 4, with the opening general session scheduled for 9 a.m. Two-hour sport-specific sessions will be conducted in the morning and afternoon, and attendees will receive a box lunch and opportunities to attend one of five workshops during the meal period. The general closing session will conclude the event from 3:30-4 p.m.
The morning general session will be presented by newly-appointed MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl, a past NCAA Baseball College World Series umpire and longtime official in both baseball and football. The closing session will feature retired MHSAA wrestling official James C. McCloughan, who received the Medal of Honor in 2017 for his military service in Vietnam as a combat medic with the U.S. Army.
Registration remains open – those interested may sign up on the MHSAA Website. Cost to attend is $25. A full schedule including clinicians also is available at that link.
The first Officiate Michigan Day was held July 27, 2013, in Grand Rapids.