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
Highlight Reel: Ravenna/Laingsburg
November 12, 2014
The Ravenna volleyball team defeated Laingsburg 3-0 in a Class B Regional Semifinal on Tuesday. Click the headings below to see highlights and the final link to watch the match in full.
Wolfpack-Bulldogs Long Rally - Early in the first set of this Class C Regional Semifinal, Laingsburg and Ravenna made some nice plays during this rally, which was eventually won by the Bulldogs.
Look Out Below For Ludlow - Laingsburg keeps things close in the first set with Ravenna with a nice cross-court kill by Emma Ludlow.
Jacobs Finds The Open Spot - Lindsey Jacobs directs the ball to a back court opening to score for Ravenna in the second set against Laingsburg.
No Returns on Hanson - Sydney Hanson wraps up the second set for Ravenna with a non-returnable shot into the Laingsburg court.
Adams Puts Dogs In Final - Erica Adams comes up with the kill on match point to send Ravenna's Bulldogs into the Class C Regional Final.
Watch the match in its entirety and order DVDs by Clicking Here.