Officiating & Technology
Referee roles and hand signals, the scoring table, the video challenge system, and how the whistle governs match flow.
5 articles
Officiating & Technology
Referee Roles and Hand Signals
A first referee has final authority from an elevated platform at the net, a second referee works court level, and both communicate rulings through a standardized set of FIVB hand signals recognized worldwide.
January 20, 2026 · 2 min read
Officiating & Technology
The Scoring Table Crew
Behind the two on-court referees sits a scoring table crew that tracks the official score, rotation order, substitutions and timeouts — the administrative backbone that keeps a match's official record accurate.
January 17, 2026 · 2 min read
Officiating & Technology
The Challenge System
Modern volleyball allows coaches to challenge close officiating calls using video review — a system that has evolved over the past decade to give teams a limited number of challenges per match, with rules varying somewhat by competition.
January 14, 2026 · 2 min read
Officiating & Technology
Whistle Mechanics and Match Flow
The first referee's whistle authorizes every serve and stops play on every fault — small procedural rules about timing and sequence that keep a fast-moving match orderly and fair to both teams.
January 11, 2026 · 2 min read
Officiating & Technology
Line Judges and In/Out Calls
Positioned at the corners of the court with flags rather than voices, line judges make the split-second in-or-out calls on balls landing near a boundary line that the referees, watching the whole court, often cannot see as clearly.
January 8, 2026 · 2 min read