Players Making Bad Choices? Don’t Be Too Quick to Judge!

Last week, I watched a closely contested match between unranked Ohio State and #3 ranked Penn State. The match went to five sets, with Penn State surviving the upset bid and winning the last set 16-14. Immediately, in the volleyball chat rooms, the theme was the number of “bad choices” that Ohio State exhibited in critical situations that precipitated the heartbreaking loss. It caused me to rewatch the final points in search of the so-called bad choices. What constitutes a bad choice on the volleyball court?

The game of volleyball, and sports in general, entails a million choices by coaches and participants. Some work, some don’t. Without question, bad choices exist on the volleyball court, but the criteria for a bad choice should not be whether there was a positive result.

The internet experts questioned the setting choices made by the OSU setter in critical situations during the PSU vs. OSU match. Before the label of “bad choice” is attached to an outcome, some variables must be considered with every choice made on the court.

Sample scenario: The score is 14-14 in the fifth set. The setter is in a two-hitter rotation, with the best attacker on the left side.

• The setter sets the best hitter who scores. Was this a good setting choice?
• The setter sets the best hitter who makes an attack error. Was this a bad setting choice?
• The defense commits two blockers to the left-side attacker, and the attack is successfully blocked to the floor. Was this a bad setting choice?
• The defense commits two blockers to the left-side attacker; the setter reasons that my hitter is better than the two blockers and will score. The attacker scores. Was this a good setting choice?
• The best left-side hitter has a history of not performing in tight situations. The setter reasons that the best hitter should get the set in a tight situation, the setter sets her despite this history, and the ball is hit out of bounds. Was this a bad setting choice?
• The defense commits two blockers to the left-side attack. The setter recognizes this defensive tactic and sets the middle hitter, who scores. Was this a good setting choice?
• The defense commits two blockers to the left-side attack. The setter recognizes this defensive tactic and sets the middle hitter, who makes an attack error. The best attacker doesn’t get to attack in a crucial situation. Was this a bad setting choice?
• It is an out-of-system pass that takes out the middle attack. The blockers release to the outside attacker, and the setter sets a backrow attacker, who scores. A good setting choice?
• It is an out-of-system pass that takes out the middle attack. The blockers release to the outside attacker, and the setter sets a backrow attacker who was having a career night attacking but does not generally hit out of the backrow. The backrow attack fails. Was this a bad setting choice?
• The coach tells the setter to set the best hitter on the left side. The setter follows instructions, but the hitter hits the ball out of bounds. Was this a bad setting choice or a bad coaching choice?

The possible situations are endless. The takeaway is that the result of a choice should not automatically mean that a wrong choice was made. Good players always have the potential to make bad plays. Conversely, given a situation, choices made might prove to be incorrect. Similar scenarios can be played out with blocking decisions, serving strategy, defensive alignment, etc. The best that a player or coach can do is use their best judgment in every situation. Critics must attend practice every day and see scenarios play out before they pontificate on the choices made by players and coaches in the heat of a contest.