Indoor volleyball matches are run by two referees with clearly divided responsibilities. The first referee, sometimes called the 'up ref,' sits on an elevated stand at one end of the net and holds final authority over the match — that official's rulings on faults such as net touches, double contacts and lifts cannot be overruled by any other official on the court. The second referee, or 'down ref,' works at floor level on the opposite side of the net, handling duties such as monitoring the centerline and net near the bottom of the net, watching for overlap violations, communicating with the scorers' table, and timing timeouts and substitutions.
Both referees communicate rulings using a standardized set of hand signals recognized internationally under FIVB rules, allowing players, coaches and spectators to understand a call immediately regardless of language, and allowing broadcasters and fans watching from a distance to follow officiating decisions without needing to hear a verbal explanation.
A team, not a single official
Alongside the two referees, a full officiating crew includes line judges and a scorer, and the second referee in particular serves as a working link between the on-court decisions of the first referee and the administrative record-keeping happening at the scorers' table throughout the match.
Becoming a certified official
Volleyball referees typically progress through a structured certification pathway, starting at local or regional levels and advancing toward national and eventually international certification through federations like the FIVB, with each level requiring both a written rules examination and evaluated live officiating experience. Because the first referee in particular carries final, essentially unreviewable authority over most calls during a match, federations generally require substantial officiating experience at lower levels before certifying someone to work as first referee at higher-stakes competitions.
