Re: 4 on 6

[Todd <tdh@vbref.org>]

docshiva@pacbell.net writes:
> 
> Help!
> 
> In a 6-man league I officiate some teams will only field 4 players.
> In that situation, should the 4 be judged on 4-person rules where
> there are no positional faults, or should they be bound by 6-player
> rules, and assign one position as back row?  I'm wondering if
> there's an officiating standard for that situation.

No, there is no standard, unfortunately.  

Granting the 4-person team unfettered access to front-row players is
unfair, especially in a co-rec situation.  A co-rec team of 3 guys who
could always hit front row and 1 female setter to be considered back
row would generally have an unfair advantage over a 6-person team
running a 6-2 offense with one male and 1 female setter.

Allowing 2 front and 2 back row players would be fair, and should
appropriately discourage 4-player teams from playing in a 6-player
league.

As others have said, USAV mandates 6 folks on the court at all times.
Clearly, some relaxation of this is needed in recreational leagues
when you can't always get 6 people there on time.

It's important that the league clearly document its policy on this.  I
personally would not allow a team to register for a league with fewer
than 6 people on their roster.  There's no real problem with 5-person
teams...considering 3 up and 2 back is fine.  

With 4-person teams, it gets trickier.  From a league perspective, I'd
be hesitant to allow a legal 4-person team.  If I did allow it, they'd
be considered 2 up and 2 back, especially in co-rec play.  

--
                  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...."