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The worst SITUATION I've seen happened a couple weeks ago at AAUs in the National Championship match. The match was called extremely well by two excellent officials, but the ending was marred by a terribly unfortunate situation.
As you may know, ESPN3 broadcasts many of the AAU championship matches, including this one, the 18 Open championship match between Munciana and Sports Performance (SPVB). If you get ESPN3, you can find this match archived online still.
SPVB won the first set and led 24-23 in the second. Muncie's attacker hit a ball near the endline. The (certified) line judge called the ball in confidently and without hesitation. The R1 paused, then overruled the line judge, called the ball out, and awarded championship point to Sports Performance. Frustrating way to end the season, but good for the R1 for having the confidence to call what she saw, even at that point in the match.
Here's the problem...
The ESPN3 broadcast was being shown on the jumbotron on the wall of the arena. As any good broadcasting team would do, they showed the controversial call over and over and the replays seemed to be conclusive to everybody in the arena. The ball was in.
The R1 did everything exactly right. She called what she saw, and she treated that decision the same way she would've treated a decision in pool play of a match in January. There is nothing more you can ask of an official, and she obviously deserved to be assigned to a match of that level. That being said, it was an abysmal situation for all parties involved - players, coaches, fans, and I'm sure the officials themselves.
Good officiating, terrible situation.
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