An interesting question I noticed on FaceBook today, thanks to Denise Austin & Dave Gunter for the Q & A.
Q. Today a player went diving out to save a bad pass and dragged the side line out. The very next play during this rally the player played it right to where the line had moved and it tagged the line. But at the start of the rally it would have been out. The player challenged it and the ref came down found the ball mark with line judge, went back to straighten the line, looked at the ball mark and said it’s out because the line should not have been there.
Right or Wronge?
From the FIVB casebook
5.1.5
What should the referee do if a ball landed inside the line, but obviously the line had been displaced substantially during a previous defending action?
Ruling
The 1st Referee should have the line corrected, and then call the ball “in” or “out”, depending on where the ball landed.
Rules 8.3, 8.4, Referee Guidelines and Instructions
5.1.6
What should the referee do if a ball was played inside the court, touching the side line but obviously the line was minimally displaced during a previous defending action?
Ruling
In this case the 1st Referee should call the ball “in”. Small movements of the lines during a rally shall not result in the replacement of the line and a decision would be made with the line in its position at the end of the rally.
The exception to this would be if the line would have been displaced at the very last stages of the play.
Rules 8.3, 8.4, Referee Guidelines and Instructions
