Set calls

A first pass at a shared vocabulary for our sets: what each one is called, who hits it, where it goes, how fast it is, and how it's signaled. Every club does this a little differently, so treat it as a starting point to argue about.

The numbers follow the common US system. The net is split into nine 1-metre zones from the left antenna, and a two-digit call is zone then height: a 31 is a quick in zone 3, and a 14 is a high ball to zone 1. Most teams shorten these to 1, 3, 4 and 5. The setter flashes hand signals behind their back before the serve, mostly to tell the middle what to run. Pin and back-row hitters usually call their own set out loud. Click any set to pick it out in both diagrams. See the 5-1 rotations for where everyone starts.

Show

Front view: looking at the net from behind our end line. Zones 1–9 run left to right, and the height is the top of the set above the tape. Dashed sets are back-row attacks, which also travel away from the net.

Top view: the hitter's approach (solid arrow) and where the set goes (dashed) from the setter at the target.

1st tempo

The hitter is already jumping, or about to, when the setter touches the ball. The set is low and fast, and the hitter swings at it on the way up.

2nd tempo

The hitter is taking the last two steps of the approach as the setter touches the ball. The set is quicker and flatter than a high ball, but the hitter still reads it.

3rd tempo

The hitter waits until the ball leaves the setter's hands, then starts the approach as it climbs. It's the high, safe set used when the pass is off.

Set	Hitter	Zone	Tempo	Hand signal	Call	Description
1A, quick, 51	Middle	5	1st tempo	One finger	“One!”	A quick just in front of the setter, a foot or so above the tape. The middle goes up before the setter touches the ball and swings at whatever arrives. This is what holds the other team's middle blocker in the middle.
2Two-ball, 52	Middle	5	2nd tempo	Two fingers	“Two!”	Same spot as the 1 but set about two feet higher, so the middle can jump a beat later. It's more forgiving when the pass pulls the setter off the net, and it's the easiest quick for a new setter–middle pair to learn.
331, shoot	Middle	3	1st tempo	Three fingers	“Three!”	A flat, fast set out to zone 3, about halfway between the setter and the left antenna. The middle's approach angles away from the setter, which drags the blocker off the middle and opens seams for the outside.
Back 1B, back quick, 71	Middle	7	1st tempo	Pinky	“Back!”	The 1, set behind the setter's head. The middle approaches just past the setter's right shoulder and jumps before the ball is touched.
Slide91 slide, one-foot	Middle (sometimes the opposite)	8–9	2nd tempo	Closed fist	“Slide!”	The middle runs behind the setter along the net and takes off from one foot, like a layup, to hit a low back set near the right antenna. The blocker has to chase a moving target.
GoShoot, hut (some teams), 32	Outside	1	2nd tempo	— (hitter calls it)	“Go!”	A faster, flatter set to the left antenna. It gets there before the other team's middle can close the block, but the outside has to be on time and the pass has to be good.
4Hut, high outside, 14	Outside	1	3rd tempo	Four fingers (if signaled)	“Four!” / “Hut!”	The high, safe ball to the left antenna. The outside waits for it, then approaches. It's the default out-of-system set: whoever is setting gets it high and outside and gives the hitter time.
RedFast back, 92	Opposite	9	2nd tempo	— (hitter calls it)	“Red!”	The opposite's version of the Go: a quick back set to the right antenna. It's timed off the middle's quick, so both blockers have to decide at once.
5High back, 95	Opposite	9	3rd tempo	Open hand, five fingers (if signaled)	“Five!”	The high back set to the right antenna. It's the opposite's safe ball, and the out-of-system escape when the setter is pulled deep on the right side.
PipeP, back-row middle	Back-row outside	5 (behind the 3 m line)	2nd tempo	Circle, thumb and finger	“Pipe!”	A back-row attack through the middle of the court, set a metre or so off the net. The hitter has to take off behind the 3 m line and can broad-jump forward. Run it with the middle's quick, so it's a four-hitter offense.
DD-ball, back-row right	Back-row opposite	8–9 (behind the 3 m line)	3rd tempo	— (hitter calls it)	“D!”	A back-row attack from the right side, most often when the setter is front row and there are only two front-row hitters. It's set higher and further off the net than a pipe.