New FAQ: In or Out? Ball Compression and the Sideline

[Todd <tdh@vbref.org>]

Tom,  

Could you please add these to the rec.sport.volleyball Frequently
Asked Questions list at http://www.volleyball.org/rsv_faq.html  ?
I guess they'd be best placed as H.19 and H.20 in the "Play of the
Ball / TIPS and MISCELLANEOUS" section.


The following additions have been reviewed and given the nod by Tom
Blue, USA Volleyball Rules Interpreter.


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Q1: A ball is hit very hard and touches the outside edge of the line.
    I called it "in" because I saw the ball touch the line, but this
    guy tried to convince me that it was "out" because the ball's
    initial infinitesimal point of contact was outside the line, and
    that the ball only touched the line after it compressed.  What's
    the call?

A1: You made the right call.  USA Volleyball rules on this matter
    simply state: "The ball is 'in' when it touches the floor of the
    playing court including the boundary lines....[The ball is out
    when] no part of the ball contacts either a boundary line or the
    area within the boundary lines."  Notice the  word choice:
    "touches the floor," "contacts" and "no part."

    If the line judge sees any part of ball touch the line, it's "in,"
    (even if the super slow-motion replay reveals that it only touched
    the line after compression).


Q2: I saw a ball hit the floor just outside the line.  I called it
    "out," but some other guy tried to convince me it was "in" because
    part of the ball was was hanging over and shadowing the line on
    contact. 

A2: You made the right call.  It's "out" since the ball did not
    _contact_ the sideline (or the area within the boundary lines).
    There is no "ball shadow," "overhang" or "infinite vertical
    sideline plane" verbiage in the rules!


Best Regards,
--
                  Todd H.   tdh@vbref.org
USAV Regional Referee, Great Lakes Region, Palatine, IL
Todd's Volleyball Referee Page http://www.io.com/~tdh/vball/
"So you're a Ref and an engineer? Oh that explains it...."