Unlocking more sets from your setter: “Mastering the 3 C’S”

Posted on: 7/14/24

Last Updated: 7/14/24

Author: Thalia U.

Throughout my 8 years of coaching volleyball I’ve heard the frequent question “she/he never sets me!!” or “How do I get [our setter] to give me the ball more?”.

Ironically I was a setter throughout my high school career so I have heard this question not only as a coach but also as a player from my team-mates/hitters.

It can feel frustrating to assume your team’s setter isn’t distributing the ball to you as much as you would like, but there are a few ways that may help better your chances of getting set more frequently.

It’s first important to note that volleyball is a team sport, and if you have a poor attitude/outlook on the game because of your assumption (true or not) that your setter blatantly chooses not to set you, then it may be time to re-think your athletic mindset first.

However, if you are content with being a team player and are just looking for more opportunities to build that trust with your setter to become a more interval part of your team’s offense this blog post may help you!

We will be going over my 3 C’s to “unlocking more sets from your setter”:

1) Communicate

2) Connection

3) Correction

1) Communicate

Communicating is a vital part of volleyball, but communicating to your setter as a hitter is one of the most impactful ways to get the ball more often.

Since we know volleyball is a game of 3 touches (pass, set, hit) this helps us understand when to communicate with our setter.

We also know that setters are never given a perfect pass for an entire match, and often run off the net to still create an opportunity to set up your team’s offense. With this in mind, it helps us understand what to communicate to our setter.

When to communicate:

Once the ball comes over the net to your team’s side you can start analyzing what offensive opportunities your setter will have based on your team’s first pass. As your setter is running for the 2nd ball you can: 1st Transition to hit, and 2nd Communicate/call for the ball. This lets your setter become aware that you’re ready to hit. If none of your teammates let your setter know they are ready then you will likely get that ball (especially if you are LOUD).

What to communicate:

This can look like calling “OUTSIDE” when you transition to hit if you’re in the outside position. It can also look like calling “10 FT” when you’re in the back row to give your setter another option (especially if they were pulled off the net for the pass)

Don’t get upset if you call the ball and the setter doesn’t set you, do it EVERY play you’re ready to hit. It is telling your setter you’re ready to hit, but it’s not telling your setter what play to run (they are the offensive leader like a quarterback in football, don’t forget!)

2) Connection

Connection is key towards building a relationship with your setter, and also increasing the likelihood you will be set more often in games. Building a connection with your setter helps increase the trust between you two on and off the court.

You can’t help it if you and your setter don’t naturally want to be best friends, but that doesn’t mean you can’t build trust and a likeliness between you two!

You can build a connection by:

• Asking them to set you a few balls before/after practice

• Coming up with new plays to run (shoot/quick, fake, etc) Make it fun!

• Attempting to bond outside of the court (team-bondings, school, etc)

• Have their back (support them after they make a “mistake” and celebrate their successes)

  As a hitter you should be able to adjust to any set to (at least) attempt a kill, and those are the same expectations a setter has when going for a tough set. You can mention your “preferences/corrections” but also acknowledge how you could do better next time in adjusting.

Connection can also be built around trust, so make sure you are a team player who adds positive energy to your teammates and coaches (not just your setter).

3) Correction

This should be one of the last things you do after building a connection/trust/communication between you and your setter. As a setter, I know how impossible it was to be “perfect” because each pass made me move differently which in turn made my sets look a bit different each time.

You can ask for a correction by:

• Saying you prefer to be set a bit off the net

• Asking for a higher set

• Etc

  This should not be done frequently as a setter is not a perfect player who does no wrong, but instead, only be utilized once players have trust and can communicate these “corrections” after noticing a small pattern.

  Your corrections will be taken more deeply if you communicate your corrections frequently. For example, you can acknowledge a great set, but that your timing was late so that was “on you”.

In conclusion…

There is no way to guarantee your setter will distribute the ball to you more often, but there are ways to increase your likelihood by creating a trusting bond that involves communication and in-frequent corrections (of yourself mainly).

Try out my 3 C’s and let me know in the comments how it worked for you!

Hope to see you in another blog post!

-Coach T