Serving data (inspired by VolleyballAnalyst)

Okay, this one was inspired by someone who has high-level serving information above and beyond what I can do.  You can find that here.  It’s worth the read.  I’ll wait for ya!

The difference is that the other author is looking at professional men’s volleyball and my information is NJCAA college volleyball–a different gender and a different skill level.  No matter, why not share the information I have.  I can make up for some of it with a larger sample size!!   Below, the numbers are broken down as:

SERVES – ACES (%) – ERRORS (%)

JUMP SERVE, TOP SPIN 2006: 634 – 47 (7.4%) – 21 (3.3%) 2007: 601 – 93 (15.1%) – 62 (10.3%) 2008: 853 – 119 (13.9%) – 115 (13.4%) 2009: 519 – 41 (7.9%) – 53 (10.2%) 2010: 1095 – 162 (14.8%) – 85 (7.8%) 2011: 1636 – 173 (10.6%) – 157 (9.6%) 2012: 1946 – 161 (8.2%) – 197 (10.1%) 2013: 1422 – 119 (8.3%) – 196 (13.8%) 2014: 917 – 98 (10.7%) – 123 (13.4%) 2015: 1490 – 154 (10.3%) – 154 (10.3%) 2016: 940 – 116 (12.3%) – 151 (16.1%) 2017: 702 – 76 (10.8%) – 93 (13.2%) 2018: 1412 – 119 (8.4%) – 171 (12.1%)               TOTAL: 14,167 – 1478 (10.4%) – 1578 (11.1%)

JUMP SERVE, FLOATER 2006:  817 – 86 (10.5%) – 124 (15.2%)2006:  817 – 86 (10.5%) – 124 (15.2%)2006:  817 – 86 (10.5%) – 124 (15.2%)2007:  1856 – 162 (8.7%) – 134 (7.2%)2007:  1856 – 162 (8.7%) – 134 (7.2%)2007:  1856 – 162 (8.7%) – 134 (7.2%)2008: 536 – 57 (10.6%) – 39 (7.3%)2008: 536 – 57 (10.6%) – 39 (7.3%)2008: 536 – 57 (10.6%) – 39 (7.3%)2009: 791 – 61 (7.7%%) – 57 (7.2%)2009: 791 – 61 (7.7%%) – 57 (7.2%)2009: 791 – 61 (7.7%%) – 57 (7.2%)2010: 573 – 44 (7.7%) – 28 (4.9%)2010: 573 – 44 (7.7%) – 28 (4.9%)2010: 573 – 44 (7.7%) – 28 (4.9%)2011: 441 – 54 (12.2%) – 67 (15.2%)2011: 441 – 54 (12.2%) – 67 (15.2%)2011: 441 – 54 (12.2%) – 67 (15.2%)2012: 735 – 77 (10.5%) – 66 (9.0%)2012: 735 – 77 (10.5%) – 66 (9.0%)2012: 735 – 77 (10.5%) – 66 (9.0%)2013: 1093 – 73 (6.7%) – 70 (6.4%)2013: 1093 – 73 (6.7%) – 70 (6.4%)2013: 1093 – 73 (6.7%) – 70 (6.4%)2014: 476 – 39 (8.2%) – 39 (8.2%)2014: 476 – 39 (8.2%) – 39 (8.2%)2014: 476 – 39 (8.2%) – 39 (8.2%)2015: 944 – 89 (9.4%) – 93 (9.9%)2015: 944 – 89 (9.4%) – 93 (9.9%)2015: 944 – 89 (9.4%) – 93 (9.9%)2016: 1119 – 113 (10.1%) – 133 (11.9%)2016: 1119 – 113 (10.1%) – 133 (11.9%)2016: 1119 – 113 (10.1%) – 133 (11.9%)2017:  677 – 65 (9.6%) -59 (8.7%)2017:  677 – 65 (9.6%) -59 (8.7%)2017:  677 – 65 (9.6%) -59 (8.7%)2018: 997 – 92 (9.1%) – 91 (9.1%)                                          2018: 997 – 92 (9.1%) – 91 (9.1%)                                          2018: 997 – 92 (9.1%) – 91 (9.1%)                                          TOTAL: 11,055 – 1012 (9.2%) – 1000 (9.1%)TOTAL: 11,055 – 1012 (9.2%) – 1000 (9.1%)

STANDING, TOP SPIN 2006:  609 – 32 (5.3%) – 35 (5.7%)2006:  609 – 32 (5.3%) – 35 (5.7%)2006:  609 – 32 (5.3%) – 35 (5.7%)2007:  666 – 69 (10.4%) – 87 (13.1%)2007:  666 – 69 (10.4%) – 87 (13.1%)2007:  666 – 69 (10.4%) – 87 (13.1%)2008:  373 – 49 (13.1%) – 50 (13.4%)2008:  373 – 49 (13.1%) – 50 (13.4%)2008:  373 – 49 (13.1%) – 50 (13.4%)2009:  229 – 26 (11.4%) – 28 (12.2%)2009:  229 – 26 (11.4%) – 28 (12.2%)2009:  229 – 26 (11.4%) – 28 (12.2%)2010:  696 – 56 (8.0%) – 69 (9.9%)2010:  696 – 56 (8.0%) – 69 (9.9%)2010:  696 – 56 (8.0%) – 69 (9.9%)2011: 122 – 8 (6.6%) – 13 (10.7%)2011: 122 – 8 (6.6%) – 13 (10.7%)2011: 122 – 8 (6.6%) – 13 (10.7%)2012: 24 – 0 (0%) – 7 (29.2%)2012: 24 – 0 (0%) – 7 (29.2%)2012: 24 – 0 (0%) – 7 (29.2%)2013: 129 – 14 (10.9%) – 36 (27.9%)2013: 129 – 14 (10.9%) – 36 (27.9%)2013: 129 – 14 (10.9%) – 36 (27.9%)2014: 125 – 12 (9.6%) – 25 (20.0%)2014: 125 – 12 (9.6%) – 25 (20.0%)2014: 125 – 12 (9.6%) – 25 (20.0%)2015: 177 – 22 (12.4%) – 15 (8.5%)2015: 177 – 22 (12.4%) – 15 (8.5%)2015: 177 – 22 (12.4%) – 15 (8.5%)2016: 319 – 28 (8.8%) – 35 (10.9%)2016: 319 – 28 (8.8%) – 35 (10.9%)2016: 319 – 28 (8.8%) – 35 (10.9%)2017: 811 – 67 (8.3%) – 84 (10.4%)2017: 811 – 67 (8.3%) – 84 (10.4%)2017: 811 – 67 (8.3%) – 84 (10.4%)2018:  98 – 7 (7.1%) – 11 (11.2%)                          2018:  98 – 7 (7.1%) – 11 (11.2%)                          2018:  98 – 7 (7.1%) – 11 (11.2%)                          TOTAL: 4,378 – 390 (8.9%) – 495 (11.3%)TOTAL: 4,378 – 390 (8.9%) – 495 (11.3%)

STANDING, FLOATER 2006: 1315 – 120 (9.1%) – 114 (8.7%)2006: 1315 – 120 (9.1%) – 114 (8.7%)2006: 1315 – 120 (9.1%) – 114 (8.7%)2007: 1106 – 94 (8.5%) – 120 (10.9%)2007: 1106 – 94 (8.5%) – 120 (10.9%)2007: 1106 – 94 (8.5%) – 120 (10.9%)2008: 752 – 140 (18.6%) – 170 (22.6%)2008: 752 – 140 (18.6%) – 170 (22.6%)2008: 752 – 140 (18.6%) – 170 (22.6%)2009: 1980 – 117 (5.9%) – 116 (5.9%)2009: 1980 – 117 (5.9%) – 116 (5.9%)2009: 1980 – 117 (5.9%) – 116 (5.9%)2010: 1132 – 79 (7.0%) – 53 (4.7%)2010: 1132 – 79 (7.0%) – 53 (4.7%)2010: 1132 – 79 (7.0%) – 53 (4.7%)2011: 1519 – 94 (6.2%)- 89 (5.9%)2011: 1519 – 94 (6.2%)- 89 (5.9%)2011: 1519 – 94 (6.2%)- 89 (5.9%)2012: 455 – 40 (8.8%) – 53 (11.7%)2012: 455 – 40 (8.8%) – 53 (11.7%)2012: 455 – 40 (8.8%) – 53 (11.7%)2013: 542 – 50 (9.2%) – 77 (14.2%)2013: 542 – 50 (9.2%) – 77 (14.2%)2013: 542 – 50 (9.2%) – 77 (14.2%)2014: 1522 – 117 (7.7%) – 117 (7.7%)2014: 1522 – 117 (7.7%) – 117 (7.7%)2014: 1522 – 117 (7.7%) – 117 (7.7%)2015:  829 – 53 (6.4%) – 78 (9.4%)2015:  829 – 53 (6.4%) – 78 (9.4%)2015:  829 – 53 (6.4%) – 78 (9.4%)2016: 1481 – 110 (7.4%) – 148 (10.%)2016: 1481 – 110 (7.4%) – 148 (10.%)2016: 1481 – 110 (7.4%) – 148 (10.%)2017: 1285 – 104 (8.1%) – 101 (7.9%)2017: 1285 – 104 (8.1%) – 101 (7.9%)2017: 1285 – 104 (8.1%) – 101 (7.9%)2018: 587 – 52 (8.9%) – 64 (10.9%)         2018: 587 – 52 (8.9%) – 64 (10.9%)         2018: 587 – 52 (8.9%) – 64 (10.9%)         TOTAL: 14,505 – 1170 (8.1%) – 1300 (9.0%)TOTAL: 14,505 – 1170 (8.1%) – 1300 (9.0%)

COMPARATIVE TOTALS

JUMP TOP:                14,167 – 1478 (10.4%) – 1578 (11.1%) JUMP FLOAT:           11,055 – 1012 (9.2%) – 1000 (9.1%) STANDING TOP:        4,378 – 390 (8.9%) – 495 (11.3%) STANDING FLOAT: 14,505 – 1170 (8.1%) – 1300 (9.0%)

I’m not sure of a conclusion to draw–other than it’s rarer to have someone stay on the ground and apply top-spin…and that they are less effective doing it than any other way.  Other than one outlier (2008 Standing Float) with outrageous ace AND error rates–the result of two very specific servers, the Jump-Top Spin offers the highest chance of an ace.

The catch is–somewhere in Coaching Volleyball magazine a few years back, there was a different study (wish I could remember where I put it) that showed this was true–but that after the first serve, a Jump-Top Spin serve quickly lost its efficiency for scoring compared to either sort of float serve.