Volleyball game vs set
What is the difference between a volleyball game vs a volleyball set. It seems a simple question, but there is a bit more to cover than you might expect.
Volleyball game vs set – quick overview
What exactly is the difference between a volleyball game and a volleyball set?
In the common tongue, a volleyball game and a volleyball set are the exact same thing. Usually a volleyball match is won by winning 2 or 3 games, a volleyball game/set is usually won by winning 21, 25 or 15 points.
However, there can be some confusion about the word “game”. Most people are used to the word game as part of a match. However, in more recent years, more and more people started to use the term “set”. The official words used by organizations like FIVB and NCAA also have been switched to “set”.
Therefore, it would be more correct to use the word “set”.
Also, when comparing it to other sports, the word game can cause some confusion. Simply think about a basketball game, a football game, a baseball game.
How to win a volleyball set/game
By now, it’s clear that in volleyball, we usually win a match by winning 2 or 3 sets. However, how do we actually win a set?
Once again, rules can be different in different leagues, locations, age groups, etc. However, there are some standards that are often used. These are different for indoor and beach volleyball?
How to win a beach volleyball set/game
The most common set of rules, defines that a set goes to 21 points, but you must win with a 2 point difference. This means that you will not win the set if you have 21 points and the opposing team has 20 points, an additional point would be required to win the set.
A volleyball set is not capped, this means that the players will keep on playing until the 2 points difference is reached. Sets with more than 30 points are not super uncommon.
The last set is usually won by winning 15 points.
How to win an indoor volleyball set/game
The most common set of rules, defines that a set goes to 25 points, but you must win with a 2 point difference. This means that you will not win the set if you have 25 points and the opposing team has 24 points, an additional point would be required to win the set.
A volleyball set is not capped, this means that the players will keep on playing until the 2 points difference is reached. Sets with more than 30 points are not super uncommon.
The last set is usually won by winning 15 points.
Volleyball match rules
As I said at the start of this article. The rules of volleyball can differ between ages, locations, leagues, etc. I already covered the most common rules.
Let’s take a deeper look at the (most common) rules per category for volleyball.
- Middle School: Best 2 out of 3 sets.
- Junior varsity: Best 2 out of 3 sets
- College: Best 3 out of 5 sets.
- Internation indoor: Best 3 out of 5
- International Beach: Best 2 out of 3
Volleyball match vs game
A game is usually the same as a set in the common tongue. However, “set” is currently the correcter and more official term to use. A volleyball match is usually won by winning 2 or 3 games.
A game could also be referred to as: “volleyball, a game where you win matches by winning sets”. However, in most cases, you can expect the word “game” to be used as an alternative to “set”.
Volleyball set vs match
We talk about a volleyball match when the entire volleyball match is ended and the winner is the decided. Usually, a match is won after winning 2 (beach volleyball) or 3 (indoor volleyball) sets.
In other words, a volleyball game is made up of volleyball sets.
Usually, a volleyball match is decided when a team wins either 2 out of 3 sets for beach volleyball or 3 out of 5 sets for indoor volleyball. However, these are the most common standards, but matches or games don’t always have to be best 2 out of 3 or best 3 out of 5. I will cover this aspect, more in-depth, later in this article.
Note that “Set” in volleyball has 2 meanings. Within this article, we will talk about sets as a part of a game. The other meaning is the term used to explain how a volleyball player gets the ball to their teammate before they go for a swing.
Match point vs set points
So what’s the difference between a match point and a set point?
A match point is the point where a team can win the entire match. A set point is the point where a team can win the set.
Volleyball game vs set – conclusion
We can conclude that a volleyball game and a volleyball set are usually considered the same thing. A volleyball game -or set- is part of a volleyball match. A volleyball team (usually) wins a set/game after winning 15, 21 or 25 points, a volleyball match is (usually) won after winning 2 or 3 sets.
In the older days, the volleyball term “game” was a lot more common. However, in more recent years, the word “set” has become more popular. Official organizations have also switched to using the word “set” over “game”.
One of the main reasons for this phenomenon is to avoid confusion. In many other sports, “game” is an alternative for “match”. For example, winning a baseball game would mean the same as winning a baseball match.
All that said, if a volleyball player says that they won the game, he would usually refer to the set and not to a match.
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