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: Fifth-Quarter/Third-Half Rule

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

April 25, 2023

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 – Fifth-Quarter/Third-Half Rule - Listen

Did you know? ... Many sports now offer student-athletes the opportunity to compete on both varsity and subvarsity teams during the same week or even the same day.

The Fifth-Quarter or Third-Half Rule was instituted to help subvarsity teams with low participation numbers. Now, a student-athlete on the varsity team can participate in part of the JV game – so each level of team can play with a safer number of players.

For example, a football player who plays in three quarters of the JV game may also play in two quarters of the varsity game – for a total of five quarters played.

The rule is not designed for high-caliber players to play down a level and dominate games or pad stats.

The Fifth Quarter is available in basketball, football, and boys lacrosse – Soccer has the Third-Half Rule.

Previous Editions:

April 18: Soccer Referee in Play? - Listen
April 11: Softball Strikeout - Listen
March 14: Basketball Instant Replay - Listen
March 7: Hockey Overtime - Listen
Feb. 28: Baker Bowling - Listen
Feb. 21: Ski Finish - Listen
Feb. 14: Swimming Touchpads - Listen
Feb. 7: In or Out-of-Bounds in Wrestling - Listen
Jan. 31: Over the Back - Listen
Jan. 24: Competitive Cheer Judges - Listen
Jan. 17: More Lines - Listen
Jan. 10: On the Line - Listen
Jan. 3: Basketball Measurements - Listen
Dec. 13: Pregame Dunks - Listen
Dec. 6: Gymnastics Judges - Listen
Nov. 22: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 15: Back Row Illegal Blocker - Listen
Nov. 8: Swim Turn Judges - Listen
Nov. 1: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
Oct. 25: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
Oct. 18: Soccer Shootouts - Listen
Oct. 11: Safety in End ZoneListen
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