The Opposite/Right Side Hitter in Volleyball: A Beginners Explanation
Posted on: 1/27/25
Last Updated: 1/27/25
Author: Thalia A. U.
THE Opposite/Right Side HITTER EXPLAINED FOR BEGINNERS
Volleyball positions are an important part of enhancing your knowledge of the sport as each one has its own strengths and sets of challenges. That’s why I have created a blog series where I explain each position within our sport from the fundamentals, to players you can learn from.
This fifth post in the series is all about the Opposite/Right Side Hitter position! Parts one, two, three, and four covered the Setter, Libero, Middle, and Outside so be sure to check those posts out as well.
In this post we will go over:
1) What is the RS position + What are they responsible for?
2) What sets apart a great RS from a phenomenal RS?
3) Coach T’s Opposite Hitters to watch
1) WHAT IS THE Opposite HITTER POSITION, & WHAT DO THEY DO?
The Opposite hitter (OPP), also known as a right side hitter (RS), is a position with its own unique set of challenges and responsibilities, and is one of the 6 positions on a volleyball court.
A Right side hitter is considered to be an offensive player where they hit on the right side of the court (position 2), and an overall defensive player. Unlike the libero who mainly plays defense, and the setter who mainly plays offense.. the opposite is apart of it all!
The right side hitter is known as the most versatile players on the court as they have their hands in all areas of importance during a match. They are considered an offensive hitter, blocker, defensive player, and most importantly the setters “right-hand man” (no pun intended, haha).
Similar to a shooting guard in basketball, the right side hitter typically is one of the leaders in scoring (attacks, serving) as well as the most versatile player out of the 6 volleyball positions (out of the 5 positions for basketball, SG is most versatile).
Also like a shooting guard in basketball who is considered to be more defensive than offensive, the right side is a big help with blocks, digs, and serve-receive passing first and fore-most… as most volleyball athletes know the outside hitter (usually) gets distributed the ball the most offensively, versus the middle or right side hitter.
It’s clear the right side hitter is an impactful position on the court, so let’s dive into what attributes a great opposite hitter has to further explain the position.
2) WHAT SETS APART A GREAT opposite, FROM A PHENOMENAL opposite?
A phenomenal opposite typically has these attributes:
Versatility
Athletic ability
Consistency
Efficient + quick decision making
. Communication Skills
Adaptability
Versatility: As we stated the opposite hitter is the most versatile position on the court. This means the starting right side/opposite will be consistent and efficient in both offense and defense (serving, digs, serve-receive, blocking, and attacking).
Athletic Ability: Since the RS/OPP needs to be versatile and good at all areas of volleyball, it makes sense to assume they also need to have a baseline of athletic ability. This can be trained, or strengthened with much repetitions.
Consistency: It’s one thing to be versatile, but its another to be consistent. Being a right side means you have your hands in all areas of importance on the court, so your consistency is needed to ensure effectiveness for blocking, attacking, digging, passing, and serving. (This doesn’t mean you need to be perfect, but that you are the most consistent on the court when accounting for all measured stats).
Efficient + Quick decision making: As the RS/OPP you work as the setters right hand man, so you need to make efficient and sometimes quick decisions that will benefit the team. This can look like assisting the setter in a 2nd ball set up, aiming your attack at an open area, moving on time for the block, and much more.
Communication skills: This point can also be mentioned for all positions on the volleyball court as efficient communication can make or break a volleyball teams success.
Adaptability: The best RS/OPP are able to adjust their playing style to best fir their teams needs during each game. This can look like prioritizing defensive blocking on game, prioritizing your serve, etc.
3) COACH T’S Right Side Hitters TO WATCH
The best way to get better at volleyball can be done not only by getting repetitions yourself but also by watching the sport.
Here are the Opposite Hitters that I currently watch and learn from:
Kennedy Martin: An OH/RS playing for Florida University.
Matt Anderson: An OH/RS, Penn State Alum, and Men’s USA volleyball team athlete
Reese Robins: Louisville starting opposite hitter, in her Sophomore year (2024-2025).
Merrit Beason: Nebraska Alum, and pro volleyball player for the Atlanta Vibe.
IN CONCLUSION…
There is a lot that goes into volleyball, but learning the positions is a great place to start when looking for improve your knowledge of the game.
If you are looking to become an OPP/RS I strongly suggest you do your “homework” by watching the opposites I mentioned, or finding your personal favorites to learn from. This alongside a lot of repetitions and coaching will help you improve tremendously in your position.
Be sure to check out the YouTube video linked at the top to get extra information and tips!
Hope to see you in a future blog post!
-Coach T