A Blast From the Past
 

My state association recently posted the film of the 1977 state championship match on YouTube. I started officiating in 2001 with side out scoring and striped shirts, but I had no idea some of the 1970's mechanics I saw in the film ever existed. They utilized four line judges (used at some levels today) and the umpire appears to start at the intersection of the sideline and the attack line and then run to assume a kneeling position under the net. That really blew me away. Click the following link to see for yourself:

1977 IHSA Girls Volleyball Class AA Champ. Game: Chi. (Mother McAuley) vs. Burbank (Queen of Peace) - YouTube

I wonder if there was a rule that the serve must travel beyond the attack line...thus the initial position of the umpire.

Very interesting. Thanks for the link.

Looks like the "Umpire" (if that's what the R2 was called at the time) started at least 15' off of the net, which is well behind the attack line.

That the "Umpire" squats/kneels underneath the net gives a bit more clarity to why that official was called "Umpire" prior to being called the Second Referee.

Looks like the depth of the umpire at time of serve varies. I am guessing that she is aligning herself with the forward most back row player(BR setter) so she is position to call that overlap.

Received this from a (very) long-time VB official in my area:

"Years ago, that was the correct mechanic for the R2 ('umpire' at the time). It was a very unsafe position and I nearly lost a leg in a college match because the player came down so fast I couldn't get out of the way.

It was a welcome change when they started having us stand outside the pole. There were also more lines judges when they had them.

Very different than now. Some changes have been an asset where others not so. Most of these were before the NFHS Rules were established and the schools played by the DGWS Rules and in some cases International Rules."