Volleyball Terms and Slang: A Beginner’s Glossary

Volleyball has its own language: aces, kills, digs, pancakes, side-outs and more. Once you know a few dozen terms, PVL broadcasts, match reports and coaching tips become much easier to follow. This glossary explains the most common volleyball terms in plain language, grouped by topic, including the Filipino words you will hear from local commentators and fans.

For the full rules behind many of these terms, see Volleyball Rules for who plays where, see Volleyball Positions Explained.

The 10 volleyball terms to learn first

Term	Meaning
Rally	One exchange of play, from serve until the ball is dead
Set (match)	One game within a match, played to 25 points (15 in a fifth set)
Serve	The hit that starts every rally
Pass	The first contact after a serve or attack, usually a forearm bump
Set (skill)	The second contact, placing the ball for an attacker
Spike or attack	The third contact, hitting the ball into the opponent’s court
Block	Front-row players jumping at the net to stop an attack
Dig	Keeping a hard-hit attack off the floor
Ace	A serve that wins the point directly
Kill	An attack that wins the point directly

Scoring and match terms

Term	Meaning
Rally point scoring	A point is scored on every rally, whoever served (FIVB rules)
Side-out	When the receiving team wins the rally and takes the serve
Set point	One point away from winning a set
Match point	One point away from winning the match
Deuce	Fan term for a set tied at 24-24 (or 14-14 in a fifth set); play continues until one team leads by two
Deciding set or fifth set	The tie-breaking set at 2-2, played to 15 points
Sweep	A 3-0 match win
Five-setter	A match that goes the full five sets
Time-out	A 30-second break; each team gets two per set

For a full explanation of scoring, see Volleyball Scoring System.

Position and lineup terms

Term	Meaning
Setter	The playmaker who takes the second touch and sets up attacks
Outside hitter	Attacks mainly from the left (position 4); in the Philippines, often called the open spiker
Opposite hitter	Attacks from the right, across the rotation from the setter; also called the opposite or utility spiker
Middle blocker	Plays at the centre of the net, blocking and hitting quick attacks
Libero	Back-row defensive specialist in a different-coloured jersey; cannot serve, block or attack above the net
Defensive specialist	A substitute brought in for back-row defence and passing
Rotation	Players moving one position clockwise when their team wins back the serve
Front row and back row	Positions 2, 3 and 4 at the net; positions 1, 6 and 5 behind them
5-1 system	One setter runs the offence in all six rotations
6-2 system	Two setters, each setting only from the back row

Skill and attack terms

Term	Meaning
Bump	A forearm pass
Overhand pass or set	Playing the ball with the fingers above the forehead
Approach	The run-up steps before a spike
Quick attack	A fast, low set hit by the middle blocker right in front of the setter
Tip or dink	A soft touch over or around the block instead of a full swing
Roll shot	A slower, looping attack aimed at open court
Back-row attack	An attack from behind the 3-metre line by a back-row player
Pipe	A back-row attack from the middle of the court
Jump serve	A powerful serve hit after a jump
Float serve	A serve with no spin that moves unpredictably in the air

Defence and block terms

Term	Meaning
Reception or serve-receive	Passing the opponent’s serve
Excellent reception	A pass good enough for the setter to run the full offence (a common stat in match reports)
Pancake	Keeping the ball up by sliding a flat hand along the floor under it
Double block	Two players blocking together
Roof	A block that sends the ball straight down, also called a stuff block
Joust	Players from both teams pushing the ball at the same time above the net
Cover	Players crouching around their own attacker to play a ball that rebounds off the block

Faults and rules terms

Term	Meaning
Four hits	Touching the ball four times before sending it over
Double contact	One player touching the ball twice in a row, outside the allowed exceptions
Catch or lift	Holding or throwing the ball instead of hitting it cleanly
Net fault	Touching the net between the antennae while playing the ball
Foot fault	Stepping on or over the end line while serving, or fully over the centre line
Positional fault	The receiving team out of rotational order at the serve
Rotation fault	Serving out of order
Antenna	The flexible rods marking the sides of the space the ball must cross
Attack line	The 3-metre line separating the front zone from the back zone
Video challenge	A coach’s request for a video review of a call, used in the PVL since 2022 (Wikipedia)

PVL and league terms

Term	Meaning
Conference	A competition within the PVL season, such as the All-Filipino Conference
Siklab, Sigla, Sinag	The three series of the 2026–27 All-Filipino Conference (PVL)
Twice-to-beat	A semifinal advantage where the higher seed needs only one win in two games
All-to-play rule	Siklab rule requiring every rostered player to play at least three rallies
Import	A foreign player, allowed in some conferences but not the All-Filipino
Set ratio and point ratio	Tiebreakers in the standings: sets won ÷ sets lost, points won ÷ points lost
Grand Champion	The new 2026–27 season-ending title decided in the Sinag Series

Track how these play out in the latest [LINK: PVL Standings].

Filipino volleyball words you will hear

Local broadcasts and fans often mix Filipino and English. These are some common ones (usage varies by commentator):

Word	Meaning
Palo	A hit or spike
Salo	A dig or receive, keeping the ball up
Toss	Often used for a set; a setter may be called a toser
Open spiker	Outside hitter
Utility spiker	Usually the opposite hitter

Stats terms in match reports

Match reports and live coverage often list player stats. The most common are:

• Points: total of attack kills, blocks and aces.
• Attacks: points won from spikes and other attacks.
• Blocks: points won by blocking.
• Aces: points won directly from serves.
• Digs: hard attacks kept off the floor.
• Excellent receptions: high-quality passes of the opponent’s serve.
• Excellent sets: sets that lead directly to a kill.

For example, Bella Belen posted 35 points, 20 digs and 19 excellent receptions in Capital1’s five-set win over Akari on 15 October 2026 (BusinessWorld).

How to learn volleyball terms faster

1. Watch with the terms in mind. Pick five terms per match and listen for them on the broadcast.
2. Follow the rally. Most rallies go pass, set, attack; naming each touch builds the vocabulary quickly.
3. Read match reports. Stats lines use the same terms every time.
4. Play. Terms like bump, set and dig stick fastest once you have tried them. See How to Play Volleyball.

Frequently asked questions

What is a kill in volleyball?

An attack that wins the point directly because the opponent cannot return it.

What is the difference between a dig and a pass?

A pass usually means receiving a serve or easier ball; a dig is keeping a hard-hit attack off the floor.

What does side-out mean?

It is when the receiving team wins the rally and earns the right to serve.

What is a pancake in volleyball?

A save made by sliding a flat hand along the floor so the ball bounces off the back of the hand instead of the floor.

What does libero mean?

Libero comes from the Italian word for free. The libero is a back-row specialist who can replace any back-row player without it counting as a substitution.

Keep learning

Put these terms to use with Volleyball Rules, Volleyball Positions Explained and Volleyball Scoring System, then follow the season on ArenaPlus Insider. If you also follow the betting side, Handicap and Over/Under Betting Explained shows how set and point terms turn into betting lines, and Insider covers other sports in ArenaPlus Basketball and Football Betting on ArenaPlus: A Beginner’s Guide.

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