Oh, Fuuuuuuuuudge!
 

In the immortal words of Ralphie Parker (of "A Christmas Story" fame): "Only I didn't say 'fudge' ".

Here's the situation.

Libero for receiving team is in position 5. Receiving team wins the rally. Libero moves to serving position. Player in position 2 leaves the court for the "double replacement".

I am trying to quickly find my "opposites" to make sure the serving team's players are in correct rotation. Something looks off, but I'm feeling rushed to get the ball back in play. I whistle for serve, play proceeds and the serving team wins the rally.

As soon as the rally ends, my worst suspicions are confirmed as a player comes off the bench (through the libero replacement zone) and runs to position 4.

At this point, I know that the serving team played the rally with only 5 players on the court, and I know that it's my fault. I'm pretty sure that's not allowed (now confirmed by 5.2.1.1) and I think that I can go back, change my mind, and award the rally to the receiving team.

After the match, my partner (a D1 official) said that I should have changed the result of the rally as soon as I was sure they had not replaced the libero properly. I also should have consulted with him when I knew what had happened but was unsure of how to handle it.

I'm kicking myself every which way as a result of this stupid play. :mad: I guess I will not allow myself to feel rushed to get the ball in play anymore. :(

Don't beat yourself up too much - we've all done something similar at one time or another.

Two things to take home from this:

1. Trust your instincts. When something "looks off" take another few seconds to take another look.
2. While we all strive to keep the game flowing, never allow yourself to be rushed to get the ball back into play. Take the time you need to do it right.

What was the Libero tracker doing during the rally??? :o

That is an excellent question! I don't know the answer, but she wasn't helping me, that's for sure.