Be the Referee: Foot Save in Volleyball
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Director of Brand Management
October 20, 2026
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Foot Save in Volleyball - Listen
We have a soccer move today – but we’re on the volleyball court. Let me explain.
Team A dumps the ball over the net. A player for Team B is not able to get her hands on it but kicks it up into the air before it touches the ground. The ball is then set up for a spike, which delivers Team B a point. Or does it?
Is kicking the ball a legal move?
It is. Play would continue with the kick counting as the first touch. Team B is then able to set and spike as they would if the first hit came from a player’s hand.
There’s no rule against making a save with your foot, as long as the ball doesn’t touch the ground.
Previous 2026-27 editions
Oct. 13: Soccer Advantage - Listen
Oct. 6: Defensive Holding - Listen
Sept. 29: Minimum Number of Volleyball Players - Listen
Sept 22: Soccer Changes - Listen
Sept: 15: Dead Ball Penalty - Listen
Sept. 8: Libero Ejected - Listen
Sept. 1: Soccer Foul After Shot on Goal - Listen
Aug. 25: Fumble Out of Bounds - Listen
Be the Referee: Fumble Out of Bounds
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Director of Brand Management
August 25, 2026
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Fumble Out of Bounds - Listen
We are on the football field today, where the offense has the ball on their own 20-yard line. It’s 3rd-and 10. They run a draw play, with the running back gaining nine yards before fumbling at the 29 yard-line.
The fumbled ball goes forward to the 35-yard line before another offensive player recovers. Where should the ball be marked?
Because the ball was recovered in-bounds, it’s first down for the offense at the point of recovery, the 35-yard line.
If the ball had rolled out of bounds at the 35-yard line, before anyone could recover it, it would have been brought back to the spot of the fumble – the 29-yard line – making it 4th-and-1 for the offense.
(Photo by Larry Arreguin/Team Arreguin Photos.)