What Is a Volleyball Ace?

An ace in volleyball occurs when a player serves the ball and it goes over the net and lands on the floor untouched by the other team. An ace is also defined as a serve that makes it legally over the net and is then directed outside the court by an opposing player. Aces are extremely rare in a normal volleyball game at high levels but happen more frequently in beach volleyball, where there are only two players on each side.

Potential

At the professional level, an ace that hits the floor is almost unheard of. The players are too accomplished and the potential chance of a ball going untouched before it can hit the floor is remote. An ace is much more likely to occur at this level as a result of a serve that isn't handled cleanly or cannot be passed to a teammate. At lower levels, aces can be scored by deliberately serving the ball to weaker players who then fail to return it or can't manage to pass it to a teammate.

Size

A regulation indoor volleyball court is 29.52 feet wide by 59.05 feet in length. Six players covering one side of this size court can cover most of the territory. But in beach volleyball, where aces are more common, two people are covering half of a 26.25 foot by 52.5 foot court. There is more "open" court space for an ace to fall.

Types

There are a number of ways to serve the volleyball in order to make it hard to return and thus score an ace. On the very beginning levels of the game players are taught to serve underhand, with most children simply happy to clear the net with the ball. Such a serve is not used at higher levels of the sport. During an underhand serve the player tosses the ball up and strikes it from below the waist. Overhands serves are thrown up and hit with the hand above the shoulder.

Considerations

A specific underhand serve that is employed is used only in beach volleyball. It is a serve originated by the Brazilian teams and involves hitting the ball underhand up in the air so high that it comes down on the other side of the net in a straight line. This is known as a sky ball serve.

Significance

There are some serves that are used that can result in an ace on occasion. A top spin serve can fool the player on the opposing team because if it is struck correctly it will sink faster than she expects, potentially handcuffing her and making a pass to a teammate difficult. Most college and professional volleyball players employ a jump serve with top spin, where they toss the ball high in the air and time a leap to serve it hard over the net with topspin. A floater serve is like a knuckleball with a baseball, hit so that there is no spin on the ball, making its path hard to predict.