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Wait a minute here!? Could we clarify what really consitutes a block, period? I understood that back row players are not allowed to make a block or block attempt regardless. Back row player attempting to save an overpass with a block/block attempt shouldn't even be contested in the first place. Blocking actions by front row players are judge to be somewhere close to the net or vicinity of the hit whether the player jumps or not, are they not? Therefore any back row players, penetrating the front zone making a block/block attempt of the sort would be a violation, regardless whether or not the hands are above the net or not.
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I think you're missing the point. We're not talking about players attempting to block, we're talking about players attempting to keep a ball on their side, and the ball breaks the plane and is hit into their hands. In the past, this has been judged not to be a back row block, but rather first contact. However, if said back row player had hands facing the net, instead of in toward his/her own court, I would have ruled that a block attempt regardless.
This year's rule change still does not make hands facing the net in the above scenario legal, just makes the situation I described much more likely to be a back row block rather than first contact.
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A slightly different scenario:
So the point I'm getting to, is that if a libero penetrates into the front zone, and uses a blocking action to play up the ball as a first contact. To clarify that the libero is not anywhere near the net nor in close vicinity of the hit, becuase of the tip coverage postition, and keeps the ball on the team's side. Let's say that the hands of the libero is above the height of the net, and there was no other block/block attempts by any front row players. Is the libero guilty of block/block attempt?
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If I'm picturing your scenario, the libero isn't near the net, but plays the ball while above the net? If the libero isn't near the net, it's not a block attempt, even if he/she plays the ball with hands above the net. Two things to watch out for, though:
1. If the libero plays the ball while it's entirely above the net and it then is either legally blocked or fully passes beyond the plane of the net, it's an illegal attack on the libero.
2. If the libero uses finger action to play the ball from within the attack zone, and the ball is subsequently attacked from anywhere while the ball is entirely above the height of the net, then it's an illegal attack, with the player at fault being the libero (for the illegal set). Most the the "libero set" faults I've had have been with liberos covering tips or in hitter coverage, libero finger sets the ball from the attack zone, and the setter dumps it on two. Illegal attack.