Volleyball Setter Position: What Makes A Good Setter And Team Leader? 

Like quarterbacks in football, the volleyball setter position requires the setter to run the offense by deciding the volleyball plays her offense will run.

The volleyball setter position requires the setter to run the offense by deciding the volleyball plays her offense will run. (Ralph Arvesen)

The volleyball setter runs the offense by telling her hitters what plays they will run after the opposing team serves the ball.

The setter volleyball position is one of leadership and responsibility.

The setter volleyball player runs the offense by telling her hitters what plays they will run after the opposing team serves the ball. (photo Tennessee Journalist)

The setter leads their team's attack against their opponents, relays tactical information from the coach to her teammates and is the spark plug with the ability to see the big picture when it comes to directing her team's offensive plays.

When a team is on serve receive, the setter is responsible for running the offense, which requires him or her to inform each of their possible hitters what set they are going to give them.

Then they are required to try and touch every second ball in serve receive and set it accurately to a spot on the net.  

The setter leads their team's attack on their opponents, relays tactical information from the coach to her teammates and directs her team's offense. (Matt Duboff)

If you are the volleyball setter on your team, then you are in charge of directing the play for the offensive attack.

You can be compared to a quarterback on a football team, or a point guard on a basketball team. You, my friend are the shot caller.

If you are the volleyball setter on your team, then you are in charge of directing the play for the offensive attack. Conference USA Tulsa volleyball setter in action (photo Michael E. Johnston)

As the setter, you will get feedback from your coach (or call plays yourself) that you relay to your hitters about what sets you will be giving them after your team has passed the ball to the setter position at the net.

Yep, you get to call the plays your hitters run in the front row.

If you have back row hitters you'll tell them what sets you'll be giving them that they'll hit from the back row.

Like the quarterback, the setter is the playmaker on the court. 

Big baller, shot caller...whoops having too much fun..lets get back to work. 

The setter indicates to each of their hitters, before the opposing team serves the ball, what set she plans to deliver to each of them. 

Patriot League Army volleyball setter Mary Vaccaro (West Point US Military Academy)

Depending on what the coach has instructed the setter to do, sometimes she will tell each hitter individually "Hey my outside hitter, for this play you will hit the high ball outside", then she'll tell her middle "I'll be giving you a one set in the middle and she'll tell her right side hitter " You need to hit a red". 

Or a setter will make one call which represents one volleyball play.

A volleyball play is the hitting assignments all the hitters involved in the team offense get from the setter during a rally.

All the hitters will hit a particular set, depending on which "play" the setter calls. The UOP volleyball setter calls a back set and a front set in this photo. (photo Inky Hack)

All the hitters will hit a particular set, depending on which "play" the setter calls, which is based on what plays they've trained on in practice. 

This takes a lot of practice.

Let's say in this case a setter calls the "Blue play" to her hitters, where she utters one word "Blue" and all the players know what they are supposed to hit based on that one word.

The setter indicates to each of their hitters, before the opposing team serves the ball, what set she plans to deliver to each of them. Illini volleyball setter sets outside (Richard Yuan)

You know how they know? 

Not by magic, but because they practiced the "Blue" play for hours in training.

Just like they practiced the "green" play, the "yellow" play, the "orange" play. 

Get it?

Back to the Blue. Let's pretend. 

So for the "blue play" in this case, the outside hitter knows she hits a "shoot set", the middle knows she'll need to hit the "back one" and one of the back row hitters knows she hits a "pipe." 

There's no right side hitter because the volleyball setter is front row. So the setter will call the "blue play" when she is front row. 

That's an offensive volleyball strategy, a "play" that a team runs where all the players involved know what kind of set they will get from their setter and know what they are expected to hit based on that specific call.  

Blue!

See the difference? 

So to break it down...

If you are the volleyball setter, you have two ways you can call your offense.

You can tell your hitters individually what each of them are going to hit or you can call a "play" and all hitters involved would know what they are going to hit because this was what your team trained on for hours in practice.  

CROSSNET Four Square Volleyball Net & Game Set - Volleyball Set for Backyards - Yard Games for Kids and Adults Game Four Square Volleyball - Includes Poles, Carrying Backpack

CROSSNET Four Square Volleyball Net & Game Set - Volleyball Set for Backyards - Yard Games for Kids and Adults Game Four Square Volleyball - Includes Poles, Carrying Backpack

Follow me on Instagram @coach_apchap to improve your game even faster!

I share alot of individual, partner and easy-to-do volleyball serving drills we do in class with my followers.

Many of these volleyball practice drills you can do at home by yourself or try at your next practice with your teammates.

If you're a B team or JV player trying to make varsity next year...your goal should be to complete 1000 reps a day of at least three of the basic skills on your own...volleyball passing, serving and setting should be at the top of the list. 

Good times! Where do you need to go now? Here are three options: 

1. Learn more about the setter volleyball player by exploring he Related Links below. 
2. Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page Learning How To Play (Sitemap)
3. Or visit the pages in the Volleyball Positions section in the drop down menu at the top of the page. 
4. Reintroduce yourself to Miss Ricci the Raccoon, #5 , the setter and team captain for the All Beast VolleyBragSwag All Star Team. 

The setter, Miss Ricci Raccoon, #5, team captain, VolleyBragSwag All Beast All Star Team

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