Double hit or Illegal hit?

[BlitzkriegBob]

Okay, so I had a scrimmage last night, one school having its Varsity playing against the JV. Turned out that this was actually kind of a clinic for us officials also, as we had about six officials alternating between R1, R2, and line judging. We also had two experienced officials helping instruct the R1 and one other instructing the R2. I was very cool with all that, as this is the first time I've been able to get feedback on my work from some of the top officials in our association.

There were a lot of good things happening for me. This was my first time ever working as a line judge, and I liked getting that experience, and actually doing the things that I always ask my line judges to do for me during a match. I made a few calls where the R1 didn't even look my way as he was looking at the R2 for help, so that reinforced for me how important it is to make sure I use my line judges during a match. Also, I was the second one up as R1, and while the first guy worked the entire first set, I was actually replaced about halfway through the second set, as the instructor watching me praised my work.

The only question that came up while I was R1 occurred on this play: there was an overpass from Team R, and the MH from Team S attacks the ball, barely grazing it. The ball falls straight down, and the same MH has to dig it. I blow my whistle and call a double hit. The second instructor helping out the R1 (me), tells me that I should have called an illegal hit instead of a double. She said that if I made a double hit call on a team's first hit, that I would have a varsity coach all over me for that. I nodded my head sheepishly and we moved on. Later, off the stand, as I thought more about it, I wondered why a double hit would not be the proper call. I know that I wouldn't call a double if the two hits happened during one attempt to play the ball, or if the first hit was a block followed by a dig, but wondered why I wouldn't be able to call a double when there was an attack followed by a dig. Before I left, I asked another of the instructors why the illegal hit call was the correct call to make, and he told me he didn't have a problem with me calling a double on that. I'd like some thoughts on this, please.

As a side note to this question, I wish that if a state organization was going to change their policy about providing new rule books every year, that they would let us know way ahead of time. I'm currently looking for last year's rule book since we were only recently notified about a new alternating year policy. They caught me in time to keep my softball books, but I'm hoping I didn't throw out last year's volleyball books. I'm not a collector nor a sports historian so I've never seen the need to keep old rule books. I've been so busy working softball lately that I am just now starting my search, so wish me luck!

[Andy]

Originally Posted by BlitzkriegBob

....Later, off the stand, as I thought more about it, I wondered why a double hit would not be the proper call. I know that I wouldn't call a double if the two hits happened during one attempt to play the ball, or if the first hit was a block followed by a dig, but wondered why I wouldn't be able to call a double when there was an attack followed by a dig.

I agree with your reasoning here...it was two seperate attempts at playing the ball....double hit.