Volleyball and school program Offensive Systems: Different Ways to Run the BIC | Page 2

4 Gameplan defense. Some coaches like to be fantastic at one
thing – the whole narrow and deep concept. At USC, we needed
basi- cally to attack any team with our strength at their
weakness. Over the years, this has been our approach. We
always want to be able to do different things against different
opponents.

What is the BIC?
Undeniably, the BIC has become a real buzz term. In general, the
BIC is a back-row quick set (like the quick for the front row). Your
middle hitter pulls the opponent’s middle blocker away from the
BIC hitter’s zone, or makes the opposing blocker jump quicker so
he lands as the back-row hitter is hitting. When done to
perfection, the set goes just over the top of the quick hitter.
Basically, this set gets an open net. It is based off the setter’s
position on the court and changes constantly. At USC, the BIC is a
little bit different. For us it is actually a series of sets. For example, a quick can be a gap, a 31, a slide, a front one or back
one. “Quick” is a term for a series of sets. The same goes for the
BIC at USC. Essentially, we have four sets: a 30, BIC, 40 and 60
(going left to right along the net). The 30 would be in the zone
between your opponent’s right front and middle blocker. A BIC
would sometimes be a fixed spot to the middle of the court,
sometimes over the middle block- er. The 40 is right behind the
setter, typically where a back one would be. A 60 would be
halfway between the setter and the right pin.

Fixed and Floating
Many teams run a BIC where, in essence, the pass may come left
to right along the net. The setter is going to come to a particular
spot, the middle is going to come to a particular spot, and then
the BIC hitter is going to come over the middle and that floats
and changes. At USC, we do some of that, but we also do some of
the fixed-spot atta cks, where come hell or high water, we are
going to run the BIC and it is going to come to the middle of the
court – and the opponent has to find a way to stop it. Depending
upon who we have at the time in our gym and what they can do,
it is all varied and allows us to do what- ever we want and have a
game plan offense, where we know we can do several different
things well.

Definitions
Tight Quick: A ball set right next to the
setter that the hitter attacks on the
way up as op- posed to on the way
down. The ball is often set directly into
the middle’s hand.
Gap: An attack between areas 2 and 3
that the middle hits. It is always the
same dis- tance from the setter, no
matter the setter’s positioning on the
net.
31: A ball hit to the 3 zone about 6
feet from the top of the net (the first
number desig- nates the attack
position, while the second number
designates the height of the set above
the top of the net).
Back One: A ball set right next to the
setter that the hitter attacks on the
way up as op- posed to on the way
down. The ball is often set directly into
the middle’s hand. See also Tight
Quick.
30: A third-step tempo, back-row set,
into the gap of the opponent’ middle
and right side blockers.
40: A third-step tempo, back-row set,
direct- ly off the back of the setter
(floating). Or set back to the Center of
the court (fixed spot).
60: A third-step tempo, back-row set,
10 feet in from the right sideline
(overhead for the setter).