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
Performance of the Week: Lake Orion's Nina Horning
September 15, 2022
Nina Horning ♦ Lake Orion
Volleyball ♦ Senior
Horning put another exclamation point on the recent announcement that she’s one of 10 finalists for this year’s Miss Volleyball Award by leading Lake Orion past Division 2 then-No. 3 Detroit Country Day 25-11, 25-17, 25-19 on Sept. 8. Horning had 10 kills during the third set alone and is approaching 1,400 kills for her career.
The 6-foot-5 outside hitter is a four-year varsity player for the Dragons, as she joined the program the season after Lake Orion won the Division 1 title led by another standout hitter, then-senior Paige Briggs. Horning made the Division 1 all-state second team as a sophomore and first team as a junior after leading her team to Oakland Activities Association Red and District titles. She has committed to continue her academic and volleyball careers at University of Cincinnati; she's interested in studying physical therapy.
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2022-23 Honorees
Sept 8: Arturo Romero, Muskegon Oakridge soccer - Report
Sept. 1: Austin King, Midland Dow tennis - Report
Aug. 25: Olivia Hemmila, Troy Athens golf - Report
(Photos courtesy of Nina Horning.)