Author Date

2023-11

Degree Name

Department

Statistics

College

Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Defense Date

2023-11-15

Publication Date

2023-11-29

First Faculty Advisor

Dr. Gilbert W. Fellingham

First Faculty Reader

David Hyte

Honors Coordinator

Dr. Del T. Scott

Keywords

sports statistics, volleyball, serving, analytics

Abstract

Volleyball coaches generally have the belief that getting a serve to float, i.e. hitting the ball in such a way that spin is minimized causing unpredictability in the ball’s movement in the air, is the aspect that makes the ball most difficult to pass. This analysis explores whether or not a serve floats, the serve’s direction, location, and speed to determine what creates the most effective serve in regards to pass rating. The findings show that successfully getting the ball to float on a serve is indeed important. Also, serving the person immediately across from the server, and serving to the area between the server and the sideline are important indicators of serving success.