In this post, we look at volleyball digging targets and how they can impact the margins in a tightly contested match.
One of the more anticipated regional final matches in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball Tournament featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Wisconsin Badger, two programs that have combined to appear in the final four eleven times in the past eleven seasons.
Volleyball Digging Targets:
At some point in the second set, the commentators on the national broadcast noted that a handful of previous digs by Wisconsin were either too tight to the net or going over the net entirely. To get a more accurate analysis of the dig locations by each team, I rewatched every rally in the match to more fully understand where both teams were most commonly digging.
In the 3-set match, which the Huskers won, Nebraska out-dug Wisconsin 57-50.
One notable takeaway from these numbers is that each team dug exactly an equal amount of balls past the 10-foot line than it dug in the 2-10 foot range. However, Nebraska was much more effective in turning those digs into points.
Maybe even more notable is percentage of digs that were either tight to the net or over the net. Nebraska had three tight digs and six digs that crossed the plane of the net. Remarkably, the Huskers won the rally in which seven of those nine digs took place. Wisconsin wasn’t so fortunate. The Badgers dug four balls too tight to the net, and lost all four of those rallies. Wisconsin dug an additional eight balls over the net, and lost six of those rallies.
Compared to Nebraska, Wisconsin dug nearly 10% more of its total digs either too tight to the net or over the net. The Huskers did a good job of turning those mistakes into points.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
At our coaching clinics, we explain why attacking is the most important skill in volleyball. In this match, Nebraska’s 38 kills were just one more than Wisconsin’s 37. If 10% fewer of Wisconsin’s digs had been too tight or over the net, the Badgers would have gotten an additional five hitting attempts throughout the match, which would have resulted in approximately additional two kills.
In a match that featured two very close sets, and in a sport where we know the margins are very thin, those two extra potential kills might have changed the entire course of the match.