new sport
 

I am going to give it a go for next season. MS season starts in March. I have gone to some matches and am reading the rule book. Will get in deeper after Basketball season ends. Any pointers?

I'm sure you will get some good information on this forum, there are some very knowledgeable officials who post on the board. I feel that you have a head start just because you officiate other sports. Blowing a whistle, conveying a professional attitude, dealing with coaches, etc. translate very well from sport to sport and those can take some time to master.

I just have a couple of suggestions;
1. Watch as much volleyball as possible, preferably close to the action. Learning to call ball-handling violations takes a long time and the more you watch the sport, the sooner you will be able to make proper judgements.

2. As a down-official (R2) keep your focus on the action between the 10' lines (attack lines). Being a basketball official you are familiar with "off-ball" officiating and that will serve you well during a match. As you get more comfortable you will be able to expand your field of vision and recognize when you can take your attention away from the net area and possibly assist the R1.

3. I think it helps immensely when watching a match to sit with an experienced official and discuss the calls during the match. It is great to be able to talk with match officials after a match but there are so many judgement calls during a match that it is sometimes very difficult to remember specific plays after it is over. Being able to ask questions about a play immediately after it happens will be much more helpful.

4. Work some scrimmages before the season, preferably with an experienced official by your side. Once you actually start officiating matches you will be full of questions. Again, having someone to answer questions immediately will be very beneficial to your development.

I'm sure you'll get some more specific recommendations (and maybe that is what you are looking for) from other folks. I just think that a lot of the advice you receive after you have actually officiated a match/scrimmage or two will make more sense to you than before you step on the court.

Thanks. MS games are where I will start. JV/V starts in August.

Welcome to the volleyball community! I'll offer a few more suggestions to add to the excellent list started by PARef.

1. Don't listen to anyone who says that doing volleyball is easy. Like you, I came from another sport, softball. While the physical aspects are not as grueling, the mental aspects are very taxing. When I have a fellow umpire ask me about volleyball because they hear it's "easy money", I tell them it's easy money just like softball would be if all you had to call was balls and strikes or safes and outs.
2. Start learning about the different volleyball offenses that teams will run. Life will be easier when you start recognizing where your setter for each team is coming from, and that begins with watching the teams warming up before the match even starts. Make it a point to watch the warmups even if you are just spectating, and that will help you understand its importance. Here is a good explanation of offenses that helped me: Volleyball Offense Explained and Detailed.
3. Watch these training videos found at: USA Volleyball Referee Training & Education: Training Videos. These are USAV videos, and there will be some differences from working an NFHS match, but overall I think these are great for learning some basics about your responsibilities.

I hope you enjoy working volleyball. I certainly have. I think you will find the coaches to be much more civil than those you encounter working basketball!

Thanks, Bob.