Positioning related to other players
 

In judging whether one player is behind another player for the purposes of identifying overlaps, does the back-row player have to be closer to the endline than the front-row player? Or does it only matter that the front-row player is closer to the center line?

In other words, suppose the setter is pushed up to the net and the front-row player has a foot clearly closer to the net than the setter, but ALSO has her other foot closer to the endline than the setter. She's essentially straddling the setter's position.

Not that I would ever call this, but is this technically an overlap? Or does it ONLY matter that the front-row player's foot is closer to the net than the setter?

Only the front row -- not the back row (and only the side players -- not the center players).

This is from NCAA, but FED is the same.

10.3.1.1 In the front or back row, the right-side player must have at least part
of one foot closer to the right sideline than the feet of the middle player in
the corresponding row, and the left-side player must have at least part of
one foot closer to the left sideline than the feet of the middle player in the
corresponding row. Each front-row player must have at least part of one
foot closer to the center line than the feet of the corresponding back-row
player.

Thanks, Bob. That confirms what somebody else told me. I had never thought about it that hard, but I guess I always assumed that the front-row player had to be in front and the back-row player had to be in back. Always better to read the rulebook than to assume, I guess!

Not to mention the quirk in the rules where a right side player (front or back) can be closer to the left sideline than the same row left side player.

Here's an example where the LF is closer to the right sideline thatn the RF, and the RF is closer to the left sideline than the LF, but all is legal (I hope). Each letter represents a foot

R.........F
....CF
..L..........F

Yup, all legal here!

But many refs would (mistakenly) call this.