30 Must-Know Volleyball Terms, Phrases and Slang

59 volleyball terms explained, from ace, dig and pancake to kill, libero and sideout, plus the slang players use on court.

Volleyball terminology is unusually compact, because almost every word names either one of the three contacts or one of the ways a rally ends. Learn the words related to volleyball in that order, pass, set, hit, and the rest follows, including the volleyball slang for the moments nobody plans, from a pancake to a six-pack. The words associated with volleyball positions and faults are collected with everything else in the volleyball glossary below.

New to the game? Our guide to volleyball rules explains how a game works from start to finish, which makes most of the terms below fall into place.

👉 Think you know volleyball? Test yourself with our Volleyball Quiz.

Must-Know Volleyball Terms, Phrases and Slang:

1. Ace
2. Block
3. Bump
4. Dig
5. Float Serve
6. Hit
7. Joust
8. Kill
9. Libero
10. Match
11. Net violation
12. Pancake
13. Pass
14. Quick set
15. Rally
16. Serve
17. Set
18. Spike
19. Stuff
20. Timeout
21. Tip
22. Volley
23. Approach
24. Back row
25. Court switch
26. Double hit
27. Jump serve
28. Rotation
29. Setter
30. Sideout

Volleyball Glossary: Every Term A to Z

Terms A to C

Term	What It Means
Ace	A serve the receiving team cannot play, scoring the point outright.
Antenna	The flexible rod on each side of the net marking the outer edge of the legal crossing space. A ball outside it is out.
Approach	The run-up and jump a hitter makes before an attack. Timing it to the set is most of the skill.
Attack	Any attempt to send the ball over the net to score, mostly a spike.
Attack line	The line three metres from the net. Back-row players must take off behind it to attack. Also called the ten-foot line.
Back row	The three players in the rear of the rotation. They defend, receive serve and may only attack from behind the attack line.
Ball handling error	A fault for catching, throwing or double-contacting the ball.
Beach volleyball	Volleyball played on sand by teams of two, best of three sets.
Block	One or more front-row players jumping at the net to stop an attack from crossing.
Bump	The basic forearm pass, used to control a serve or a hard attack.
Carry	A fault called when the ball is held or thrown rather than cleanly struck. Also called a lift.
Chance ball	An easy ball sent back over the net with no attacking intent, letting the defending team set up a full attack. Also called a free ball.
Court switch	In beach volleyball, teams change sides at fixed point totals so wind and sun even out.
Cross-court	An attack or serve hit diagonally across the court.

Terms D to L

Term	What It Means
Deuce	The informal name for a set tied at 24-24, from which play continues until one team leads by two points.
Dig	A defensive save of a hard-driven attack, keeping the ball off the floor and playable.
Dink	Another word for a tip, a soft push over the block.
Double hit	Contacting the ball twice in a row on one play. It is a fault, except on the first team contact off a hard-driven ball.
Five-one	A system with one setter and five hitters, written 5-1.
Float serve	A serve struck without spin so the ball wobbles and moves unpredictably in the air.
Foot fault	Stepping on or over the end line while serving. The point goes to the other team.
Free ball	An easy ball sent over without an attack, giving the receiving team a full play.
Hit	An attacking contact that sends the ball into the opponent’s court.
Joust	Two opposing players contacting the ball above the net at the same time, pushing against each other until one side gives.
Jump serve	A serve struck out of the air after a toss and a jump, adding speed and angle.
Kill	An attack that ends the rally in a point. It is the main attacking statistic in the sport.
Libero	The defensive specialist in a different colored jersey. They play back row only, cannot attack above net height and cannot block.
Line shot	An attack hit straight down the sideline.

Terms M to R

Term	What It Means
Match	The whole contest, played as a best of three or best of five sets.
Middle blocker	The player at the centre of the front row, responsible for blocking the opposing middle and hitting quick sets.
Net violation	Touching the net during play. It is a fault and gives the point to the opponent, which is the answer to what happens when a player touches the net.
Opposite hitter	The player on the right side of the front row, positioned opposite the setter in the rotation.
Outside hitter	The player on the left side of the front row, who takes the largest share of the attacks.
Overhand serve	A serve hit with the arm above the shoulder.
Overpass	A pass or dig that goes straight over the net instead of to a teammate.
Pancake	Sliding a flat hand under the ball so it bounces off the back of the hand instead of hitting the floor.
Pass	The first contact after a serve or attack, played to the setter. Everything the team does next depends on it.
Quick set	A low, fast set to a hitter already in the air, used to beat the block before it forms.
Rally	The play from the serve until the ball lands or a fault is called. Under rally scoring, every rally scores a point.
Rally scoring	The scoring system in which every rally wins a point.
Roof	A block that stops the attack dead and sends it straight down into the attacker’s court.
Rotation	The clockwise shift of all six players by one position each time the team wins back the serve.

Terms S to V

Term	What It Means
Serve	The contact that starts every rally, struck from behind the end line.
Serve receive	The formation and the act of passing the opponent’s serve to the setter.
Set	Both the second contact that places the ball for a hitter, and one segment of a match played to 25 points.
Setter	The player who takes the second contact and decides which hitter gets the ball. The closest thing volleyball has to a quarterback.
Shank	A pass misplayed so badly the ball flies away from the court and cannot be run down.
Side switch	Another name for a court switch.
Sideout	Winning the rally as the receiving team, which takes back the right to serve.
Six-pack	Taking a spiked ball to the face or head. It is slang, and it is used with sympathy about half the time.
Six-two	A system with two setters who also hit, written 6-2.
Spike	Jumping and hitting the ball sharply downward into the opponent’s court. A spike that scores is a kill.
Stuff	A block that returns the ball immediately into the attacker’s court.
Timeout	A short break called by a coach to rest players, change tactics or interrupt the other team’s run.
Tip	A soft contact with the fingertips that drops the ball over or beside the block into open court.
Tool	Hitting the ball deliberately off the blocker’s hands so it deflects out of bounds.
Touch	A slight contact by a blocker on a ball heading out. In the indoor game a block touch does not count as one of the team’s three contacts.
Underhand serve	A serve hit from below the waist, common among beginners.
Volley	The general term for the back and forth of a rally within the allowed three contacts per side.

What Is It Called When…? Volleyball Terms by Situation

Know what happened but not the word for it? Find the situation on the left and the volleyball term on the right.

When…	It Is Called
The serve wins the point directly	Ace
A player touches the net while playing the ball	Net violation
A block sends the ball straight back down	Stuff (roof)
A player saves a hard attack	Dig
A player slides the hand flat under the ball	Pancake
An attack wins the point	Kill
The receiving team wins the rally	Sideout
Two opponents push the ball above the net	Joust
A player touches the ball twice	Double hit
The ball is caught or thrown	Carry (ball handling error)
A pass goes straight over the net	Overpass
An easy ball comes over without an attack	Free ball
The attacker pushes the ball softly over the block	Tip
The attacker hits the ball off the blockers’ hands and out	Tool (wipe)
The score reaches 24-24	Deuce, play on to two clear
A player in the back row defends specially	Libero
A team serves out of order	Rotation fault
Teams change sides	Court switch
A ball hits a player in the face	Facial

#1 Ace

A serve that wins the point directly, either because it lands untouched or because the receiver cannot keep it in play. Aces are counted as a separate statistic and often decide close sets.

In a sentence: “Another ace, that’s three in a row.”

#2 Block

Jumping at the net with arms raised to stop or slow down an attack. A block touch does not count as one of the team’s three contacts, so the team can still play three more touches after it.

In a sentence: “Great block, they had nowhere to hit.”

#3 Bump

The informal word for a forearm pass, with the ball played off the joined forearms. It is the standard way to receive serves and hard attacks.

In a sentence: “Bump it to the setter.”

#4 Dig

A defensive play that keeps a hard-driven attack off the floor, usually with the forearms or a dive. Digs are counted as a statistic, and the libero usually leads the team in them.

In a sentence: “What a dig, she was on the floor and still got it up.”

#5 Float Serve

A serve hit without spin, so the ball moves unpredictably in the air. It works because of air turbulence around the ball, the same way a knuckleball works in baseball.

In a sentence: “Her float serve dances in the air.”

#6 Hit

The common word for an attack, a ball spiked or driven over the net. Coaches track hitting efficiency, calculated as kills minus errors divided by total attempts.

In a sentence: “Good hit, right down the line.”

#7 Joust

Two opposing players pushing the ball against each other above the net at the same time. If the ball stays in play after the joust, the rally continues, and the team that receives it gets a fresh set of three contacts.

In a sentence: “A joust at the net and she won it.”

#8 Kill

An attack that wins the point directly, either landing on the floor or forcing an unplayable dig. Kills are the main offensive statistic, especially for outside hitters and opposites.

In a sentence: “Huge kill from the outside hitter.”

#9 Libero

A defensive specialist in a different-colored jersey. The libero may replace any back-row player without a regular substitution, but cannot attack the ball from above net height or serve in most international competitions.

In a sentence: “The libero takes every serve in the back row.”

#10 Match

A complete game, best of five sets in indoor volleyball and best of three in beach volleyball. Indoor sets go to 25 points, the deciding fifth set to 15.

In a sentence: “The match went to five sets.”

#11 Net violation

Touching the net while playing the ball, which loses the point. Since rule changes in the 2010s, minor net contact that does not affect play is no longer called in many competitions.

In a sentence: “Net violation, the middle touched the top tape.”

#12 Pancake

A one-handed dig in which the player slides the hand flat on the floor under the ball, so the ball bounces off the back of the hand. It is legal and spectacular.

In a sentence: “She pancaked it at the last second.”

#13 Pass

The first contact on the team’s side, usually played to the setter. A perfect pass is graded 3, an unplayable one 0, which gives the pass rating teams track.

In a sentence: “Great pass, the setter has every option.”

#14 Quick set

A fast, low set for a middle blocker who is already in the air when the ball arrives. Quick sets leave the opposing blockers little time to react.

In a sentence: “The quick set beat the block before it formed.”

#15 Rally

The exchange from the serve until the ball hits the floor or a fault ends it. Under rally scoring every rally wins a point, whoever served.

In a sentence: “That rally had four digs on each side.”

#16 Serve

The hit that starts each rally, played from behind the end line. Serves must clear the net within the antennas, and the server has eight seconds to serve after the whistle.

In a sentence: “Serve to the libero’s weak side.”

#17 Set

The second contact, usually an overhand pass by the setter to an attacker. Set also means a game within the match, played to 25 points.

In a sentence: “Perfect set for the outside.”

#18 Spike

A hard, downward attack from above the net, the main way to win points. A spike that ends the rally is recorded as a kill.

In a sentence: “He spiked it straight down into the floor.”

#19 Stuff

A block that sends the ball straight back down onto the attacker’s side, also called a roof. Stuff blocks are the most demoralizing play in the game.

In a sentence: “Stuff block, right back in his face.”

#20 Timeout

A break requested by a coach, 30 seconds long, two per set in most competitions. Some international events also use technical timeouts.

In a sentence: “The coach calls timeout to break the run.”

#21 Tip

A soft attack in which the ball is pushed with the fingertips over or around the block into an open spot. A tip is legal as long as the ball is not caught or thrown.

In a sentence: “She faked the hit and tipped it over the block.”

#22 Volley

In volleyball, the overhead pass with the fingertips, the technique used for setting. The name of the sport comes from volleying, hitting the ball before it touches the ground.

In a sentence: “Volley it high to the outside.”

#23 Approach

The steps a hitter takes before jumping to attack, usually three or four. The last two steps, quick and close together, turn running speed into jumping height.

In a sentence: “Speed up your approach on the last two steps.”

#24 Back row

The three players behind the attack line. Back-row players may not attack the ball from above the net in front of the line, but they may attack from behind it.

In a sentence: “She’s in the back row, so she has to jump from behind the line.”

#25 Court switch

Teams change sides after each set. In beach volleyball they switch every seven points, and every five points in the deciding third set, to balance wind and sun.

In a sentence: “Court switch at 7, the wind is on the other side.”

#26 Double hit

A player touches the ball twice in a row. It is a fault, except on the first contact of a team, when a double touch is allowed as part of a single action.

In a sentence: “Double hit on the set, the referee saw it.”

#27 Jump serve

A serve hit at the top of a jump with topspin, like a spike from the end line. It is the most powerful serve, but it carries more risk of errors.

In a sentence: “Big jump serve, they couldn’t control it.”

#28 Rotation

The order in which players move through the six positions, one place clockwise each time the team wins back the serve. Being out of rotation at the serve is a fault.

In a sentence: “They’re out of rotation, point to us.”

#29 Setter

The player who makes the second contact and runs the offense, the volleyball equivalent of a quarterback. A team running a 5-1 system uses one setter, while a 6-2 uses two.

In a sentence: “The setter is reading the block perfectly.”

#30 Sideout

Winning the rally while the opponent serves, which brings the serve back and makes the team rotate. A team’s sideout percentage is one of the key statistics in the game.

In a sentence: “Good sideout, now we serve.”

Volleyball Slang Players and Fans Actually Use

Slang	What It Means
Kong	A one-arm block, named after the ape in the movies.
Husband and wife	A ball that drops between two players who each think the other will take it.
Campfire	A ball that falls in the middle of a group of players, who stand around it like a campfire.
Chicken wing	A desperation save with the bent arm or elbow.
Facial	A spike that hits the defender in the face.
Roof	A stuff block that sends the ball straight down.
Tool	An attack aimed off the blockers’ hands so the ball goes out off them.
Shank	A badly mishit pass that flies off in any direction.
Six-pack	Being hit in the face by a spike, also called a facial.
Overpass	A pass that goes straight over the net, an easy gift for the opponent.
Pancake	A save with the hand flat on the floor.
Free ball	The call for an easy ball coming over without an attack.

Volleyball Expressions and Sayings in Everyday English

• Bump, set, spike: The three contacts of a perfect volleyball play, also used to describe any process done in the right order.
• Free ball!: The call telling teammates that an easy ball is coming over, used jokingly for any easy opportunity.
• Mine!: The call a player makes to take the ball and avoid a collision, the most common word on any volleyball court.

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