September 23, 2023

There are a few rules of thumb when analyzing game statistics. You can’t have more assists than kills. Your kills, blocks, and aces can not be more than your total points scored. In fact, they should not be more than 60% of your total points as your opponent will always have errors. And you can’t have more aces than service points. It get tricky with digs because there is no real parameters to check. But it remains very obvious that when your opponent serves and your team passes, so many teams are recording these as digs and THEY ARE NOT.

So we are faced with a number of decisions. Do we not report on digs anymore? Well that doesn’t sound fair! Do we weigh digs less on our player rater algorithm? Nah, I don’t think so. I think the third alternative makes the most sense. Let’s start counting a new category called “serve-receive”!!

In our opinion, serve-receive for libs, DS’s and outsides, is the most critical factor in your college success. If you can pass really well, you are probably going to be successful at the college level. It is one of the most distinguishing factors of success past high school. Breaking it out, and distinguishing it clearly, will cut down on the common mistake of recording it as digs.

So let’s clarify… what is a good serve receive percentage? How successful do you need to be to play in college. Let’s just say if your serve receive percentage is less than .950 you will probably be on the bench. That’s a very general statement but think about it. That’s 95 out of 100 times you need to get to the serve, receive the ball, and pass accurately. When you hit, you can not get a kill 60% of the time and you still have a solid hit percentage. But a 95% expectation is pretty off the charts. Some coaches may be tracking this for their team. Most are not.

Other than having independent and trained scorekeepers or opposing coaches keep your stats, this added category may be the best way to curtail this challenge. Our whole goal is to bring uniformity, accuracy, and pride in reporting your team results, and being able to recognize the truly best in NJ by comparison.

Do you agree? Comment on this post or send us feedback at njpowerranking@gmail.com.