In the middle front of the court there is the middle hitter. This person is either the tallest on your team or can jump pretty high. Their job is to hit 1’s and 2’s. A 1 is a set that is really close to the net. And a 2 is a set higher and a little bit further off the net. A middles main job is to block hits coming from the other team. Whether the hit is outside, right side or middle they have to be ready to block it.
The other two front row positions are outside hitters and right side. Outside hitters are to the left of middles. Right side hitters are to the right of middles which is pretty easy to remember. All three of the front row positions hit and block. It’s just the locations that are different. Sets to outside are pushed out further and sets to right side are sent behind the setter.
Now that we have an idea of what front row is like, we will move into back row. In the middle back there is a libero. A libero’s job is to cover the very back of the court. They only play back row and can substitute for any player. They have their own set of rules and are the only player wearing a different jersey. Libero’s mostly dig balls and if the setter can’t get second ball they do.
One of the most important positions is the setter. The setter doesn’t have a specific location in the middle of a play because the 1st pass might not go in the same place every time. But before a play starts the setter will be stacked behind someone on the court or right side so they don’t get first ball. The setters’ job is to set the ball to a hitter once the 1st pass has been sent to them. The setter gets to choose who to set to and when it’s a good situation to set that position.
Last but not least there is the defensive specialist. This person also plays back row on the outside. Their job is to pass to the setter and to cover the balls in front of the libero and behind the 10 foot line with right side. Outside and right side back row are called the wings.
In conclusion back row is more defense and front row is more offense while setter is in the middle. It becomes more complicated the more in depth you get but there are some of the basics of positions and what they do.