Be the Referee: Volleyball Replays

By Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials

September 13, 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 – Volleyball Replays - Listen

In volleyball, you’ll sometimes see the first referee gives a double thumbs-up signal. That’s not because the referee was impressed with a huge spike. So what does it mean?

A double thumbs-up signal indicates there will be a replay of the rally or point. What causes a do-over for a rally or point?

This most often occurs when something or someone enters the proximity of the playing area, but can also happen when the ball gets lodged in the net or overhead obstruction. When it hits certain objects on the wall short distances from the court, and when a player gets a little anxious and serves before the first ref’s whistle.

And, unlike any other sport, the point will be replayed if the officials just can’t come to an agreement on the call. The point gets wiped off the board, and the whole rally starts anew, like it never happened.

Previous Editions:

Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change
- Listen

Be the Referee: Bowling Ball Rules

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

December 17, 2024

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 – Bowling Ball Rules - Listen

We’re bowling today, and the question is: Can a bowler use a bowling ball with no holes?

The answer is yes – but there are some rules around it.

A ball with no holes would have to follow static balance rules. If the ball weighs more than 10 pounds, it may not have more than three ounces of difference between any two halves of the ball.

Additionally, there needs to be a plus sign (+) engraved on the ball where the bowler will place their dominant hand if the ball has more than a three-quarter ounce imbalance between any two halves of the ball.

If there is no imbalance, the plus sign is not needed, and the bowler can place their dominant hand anywhere on the bowling ball they like.

Previous 2024-25 Editions

Dec. 10: Neck Laceration Protector - Listen
Dec. 3: Basketball Goaltending - Listen
Nov. 26: 11-Player Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 19: 8-Player vs. 11-Player Football - Listen
Nov. 12: Back Row Setter - Listen
Nov. 5: Football OT - Listen
Oct. 29: Officials Registration - Listen
Oct. 22: Volleyball Serve - Listen
Oct. 15: "You Make the Call"
- Soccer Offside - Listen
Oct. 8: Roughing the Passer - Listen
Oct. 1: Abnormal Course Condition - Listen
Sept. 25: Tennis Nets - Listen
Sept. 18:
 Libero - Listen
Sept. 10:
 Cross Country Uniforms - Listen
Sept. 3: Soccer Handling - Listen
Aug. 24: Football Holding - Listen

(MHSAA file photo.)