Q
A
&
with the
RULES GURU
By Christine Barksdale
USAPA Managing Director of Athletic Competition
We’d Like to Hear From You!
Submit your questions to
[email protected].
Q: Dear Guru,
out!
Q: Dear Guru,
I was playing in a doubles match
and a ball heading to my partner
was going out of bounds so I yelled
“Out!” but he hit the ball anyway for
an overhead winner. A player for the
other team said when he heard me
yell “out,” he stopped play. He thought
we should do the play over.
A: Per Rule 6.D.11, “While the ball is
in the air, if a player yells ‘out,’
‘no,’ ‘bounce it,’ or any other
words to communicate to his or
her partner that the ball may be
out, it shall be considered player
communication only and not
considered a line call.” So, in this
case, play would continue, so the
team striking the overhead would
win the point.
20
A ball cracked in the middle
of a point, causing the
ball to not bounce and the
receiver missed the ball so I
called for a replay. Is that the
correct call?
A: Per Rule 11.E, “If a broken or cracked
ball impacted the rally, the referee may call a
replay. If there is no referee present, if the players
do not agree, the rally stands.
Q: Dear Guru,
I was a ref for a doubles match and noticed the
serving team was in the wrong position. The serve
went into the net, so it was side-out. Should I have
remained silent about the team’s position because the
serve was a fault or should I have called the fault and
pointed out the servers were in the wrong position?
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A: Per Rule 4.B.10,
“...the referee will stop
play immediately and
identify the fault.”
This means that as
soon as the server
makes contact with
the ball, whether it’s
an incorrect server
or incorrect position,
the fault should be
called. •