Good evening, here is the current Pre-Match & Match Administration Officials Mechanics Manual for all volleyball officials working WPIAL High School Volleyball matches this season. Please print this guide and review it before your matches to best-prepare your crew for every match. We ask all officials to follow with this pre-match routine and in-game guideline for consistency on all matches. Best of luck to all officials and have fun this season.
Golden Triangle Volleyball – Pre-Match & Match Administration Officials Mechanics Manual
Match Confirmation – Referee contacts host school (Athletic Director / Secretary) via email. Ask host management for a locker room in your communication (if needed). CC officials assigned to match in the email. Please discuss uniform preference in email or group text message to the crew (do not include the AD / Secretary in your uniform discussion)
Match Arrival – R1 & R2 should arrive 30-45 minutes prior to every match – Line judges 30 minutes. Conduct pre-match expectations with crew near the table. Wear the correct uniform and equipment. All officials must match. If not showing up in your uniform, please dress business casual. All officials should have a clean, professional look with good hygiene.
Host Management / Site Manager – Find the site manager. Discuss communication on how the host administration will resolve potential issues.
Check Nets & Balls – R1 & R2 inspect nets and balls prior to warmup.
Coach’s Certification (In Substitution Area) Prior to 20 Min. Timed Warmup – R1 tweets whistle to greet head coaches / captains. R1 addresses all housekeeping matters that involve the warmup, ground rules, table, uniforms, jewelry, injuries, etc. The R1 then reads the PIAA Sportsmanship Message.
PIAA requires all registered sports’ officials to enforce the sportsmanship rules for coaches and contestants. Actions meant to demean opposing contestants, teams, spectators, and officials are not in the highest ideals of interscholastic education and will not be tolerated. Let today’s contest reflect mutual respect. Coaches please certify to the contest official(s) that your contestants are legally equipped and uniformed according to NFHS rules and PIAA adoptions. Good luck in today’s contest.
Coin Toss – Home team decides side of court. Teams will not change sides. Away team calls coin toss. Home team calls coin toss for the deciding set (3rd Set for JV / 5th Set for Varsity). Team winning the coin toss in the deciding set will choose to serve or receive. They do not pick sides.
Warm-Up Protocol – Host Team decides their warm-up format.
R2 blows quick, warning whistle blast 15 seconds prior to court change.
6-7-7 Format
20:00 – 6 Minutes Shared
14:00 — Team A
7:00 – Team B
2-4-4-5-5 Format
20:00 – 2 Minutes Shared
18:00 — Team A
14:00 – Team B
10:00 — Team A
5:00 – Team B
5-5-5-5 Format
20:00 – Team A
15:00 — Team B
10:00 – Team A
5:00 — Team B
Line Judges – R1 talks to the line judges. Make sure the line judges are comfortable with signals and protocols. Line judges (certified officials only) take their corners between 9:00 – 3:00 mark to warm-up their eyes. Line judges should understand the timeout & end-of-set mechanics. At the end-of-set, the line judges walk across the court straddling the 10-foot lines. The line judges then walk across the court and stand or sit for the intermission in a designated area behind the scorer’s table.
Anthem – R1 & Line Juge #1 stand on the ref stand side of the court. R2 & Line Judge #2 stand on the tableside of the net. Student line judges do not need to follow this recommendation.
Match Notes
1. R2 Responsibilities (Before the Set) – Establish positive communication between the official scorer and game clock operator. Make sure they are confirming the score and timeouts throughout the match. The official scorer should notify the R2 if there is an illegal server by the end of a rally. The R2 can whistle the play dead for an illegal server with the help of a lineup card. Work with the table on lineup sheets in between sets. Never stand into the court when giving a courtesy lineup-check. Stay off the court. Identify the captain. Captain signals / waves to R1. Allow the libero to enter the match when done checking the lineup. Make sure the clock operator stops the clock, so it does not sound during the serve or during the rally.
2. Timeouts – R2 whistles all timeouts and then signals the side and how many timeouts used to the R1. The R2 then signals to the game clock operator to start the clock immediately after both teams exit the court. Whistle warning blast at 0:15. Horn to end all timeouts. The R2 signals to R1 timeouts taken after all 12 players are back onto the court. R1 mimics / mirrors timeouts used. The R2 hands the court back to the R1. The R1 scans the receiving team to see if they are prepared for serve and then beckons to serve.
3. End of Set – R1 awards point, followed by the action that ended the rally. R1 gives the end-of-match signal. R2 mimics/ mirrors. The R2 should then turn to game clock operator and signal them to run the 3-minute intermission on the game clock. The R2 may assist in handing the lineup sheets to the coaches to build good rapport with both coaches. The R2 can also put the lineup sheet on each team’s side of the table so they know where to find their lineup sheet at the end of each set. Use good judgment. In a heated match, consider stepping toward the court and turning to monitor the table as the coaches collect their lineup sheets. Prior to a deciding set, the R2 will call in both captains to conduct a coin toss. The clock does not run until the coin toss has concluded and both teams know who is serving / receiving. After the R1 signals who is serving, the R2 then signals to the game clock operator to run the 3-minute clock.
4. Injuries – Most injury timeouts last 30 seconds. The R2 should wear a watch to monitor the time. There is no 30-second injury timeout for serious injuries. Be considerate and understanding the difference between a minor injury and a serious injury.
5. Coach’s Conduct – R1 & R2 should identify a mechanic or signal for carding a player / coach. Use cards when necessary – Listen to understand, not to penalize. Use professional language and talk in volleyball terms. Talk head coaches down instead heating them up. The R2 should defend their R1 when appropriate to deescalate all situations. Do not ignore coaches. Communicate effectively.
6. Bench Protocol – All players must sit in their seats in the front row. Players may stand or “warm-up” in the row behind the bench. One assistant coach may stand, but the assistant coach must sit before we resume play. Make sure the players respect the integrity of the chair line when pursuing the ball. Address the extended bench policy in the pre-match with the head coaches.
7. Spectator Behavior / Artificial Noise Makers – Please contact the site manager and have the PA Announcer address any issues. Site management and PA announcer should alert all spectators that unruly spectator behavior. The use of artificial noise makers are grounds for removal from the facility.
7. Exit Strategy – Use the “toot-and-scoot” routine to get out of the gym after a competitive match. Get to your destination for the post-match debrief.
8. Post-Match Debrief – Please try to conduct a 5-10 minute post-match debrief after all matches. Talk about the JV match briefly in between JV and Varsity matches. This review can continue during the varsity match warm-up. The varsity match debrief can take place in the gym after an easy-going match. In heated / competitive matches, please discuss your match review in the locker room, a conference room, or in the parking lot. We should be discussing areas of successful officiating and areas that need improvement (signals, mechanics, techniques, misapplication of the rules, faulty judgement, poor body language, etc.). The debrief should include plays-of-interest also known as “hot plays.” The debrief should not last longer than 15 minutes. Walk out of the athletic facility together as a crew and safely to your vehicles.
9. Match Report – The R1 listed in the Arbiter does not have to be the R1 for the varsity match. The crew should decide amongst themselves who should R1 / R2 both matches when they arrive. Use common sense. The R1 for varsity match should submit the match report. Match reports are in the Golden Triangle website. The link is also in the Arbiter. Click R after the match in the Arbiter and it will take you to the website.