Be the Referee: Minimum Number of Volleyball Players
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Director of Brand Management
September 29, 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 – Minimum Number of Volleyball Players - Listen
We’re on the volleyball court today, where the home team starts the match with only six players.
Midway through the first set, one of those six players suffers an ankle injury and can’t continue – leaving the home team with just five players.
What should happen?
Is the home team forced to default the match for not having enough players?
Does the home team just continue playing with five?
Or do they continue playing with five, but with the loss of rally or point every time the player lost to injury’s position rotates to serve?
If you said they can continue playing but lose a rally or point every time the injured player’s position rotates to serve, you are correct!
A minimum of six is needed to start – but you can finish a match with fewer than that.
Previous 2026-27 editions
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: Football Overtime Penalty
By
Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials
October 4, 2022
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 – Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
What happens when the defense commits a penalty on an extra point try in overtime?
First, the set up. Team A starts with the ball 1st-and-Goal from the 10. On their very first play, they score a touchdown. The extra point is good – but the defense roughs the kicker. What are Team A’s options?
They can accept the penalty, move the ball closer to the goal line and maybe go for two.
Or, they can take the result of the kick and have the penalty enforced when Team B takes over — which means that instead of 1st-and-Goal from the 10 with a chance to tie the game and send it to a second overtime, Team B would have 1st-and-Goal from the 25.
This costly penalty will certainly have an impact on the next possession, where Team B will need a touchdown.
Previous Editions:
Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change - Listen