Block
 

NFHS girls volleyball. If a front row player #6 attempts to kill the ball and in R1's opinion the ball would not have cleared the top of the net. The hit by #6 goes into the net and the blocker #4 has her arms up close to the net. When #6 hits the ball hard on their 3rd hit it cause the ball and the net to contact #4 and it comes back on #6's side and her team mate bumps it over. Should this be 4 hits or would it count as a block because the ball and net did contact #4 the blocker.

My guess: If the BALL contacted B4, then it's a block -- play on. If only the NET contacted B4, then it's not a block, and 4-hits on A.

Bob is absolutely correct.

One additional point to remember...

"...in R1's opinion the ball would not have cleared the top of the net."

This point is entirely irrelevant. Whether it would have cleared the net or not is a non-factor in the situation described.

Is there a "benefit of the doubt" in this play?

Benefit of the doubt has no relevance in this play...other than we are taking it as the net contacted the blocker due to the force of the ball into the net, so no net violation on the blocker.

Otherwise, it's as simple as the blocker touched it...which gives the original attacking team a new three hits.

That the ball would not have cleared the net had the blocker not been there is not relevant in this situation at all.

I will agree that this is a legal block and the team is allowed 4 hits, but want to add something. It is only a legal block if the contact with the ball by #4 is above the top of the net. To often the argument is that there was a block, but the contact occurred with the net pushed back into the defensive player AND through the net.

In our rec league this becomes an issue. We use honor calls and on several occasions I have had players say yes they touched a ball which erases a 4 hit call. They did touch it, but not above the height of the net. There is only 1 way a player can legally block a ball that is below the height of the net and that is if they reach over and down below the height of the net.

Not true.