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On Tuesday, Feb. 20, the NCAA announced its rule changes in the books. These rules will be put to use in the upcoming 2024 season and beyond for college-level players. There were six rule changes in total, but the main controversial one was allowing double touches. The rule book states, “Players may now contact the ball more than once on any single attempt on a team’s second contact so long as the ball is played to a teammate.” The reason this rule change is so controversial is because the elimination of the double contact violation supposedly eliminates one of the key aspects of the setter position. There are players who had practiced for years, perfecting the ability to set without violating the double contact rule, and that work has now seemingly gone to waste.
“It makes me really mad because I think that setting is an art, and I don’t think that doubles should be allowed because that means everyone could be a setter. I think it’s fair for the sets that have been messed up, so you’re not getting called for doubles,” senior Claire Miner said.
For most setters, the new rule change is good and bad for them. As Miner said, the good part of the new rule is when setters mess up they won’t get called for doubles, but the setters purposely setting for doubles ruins the so-called art of setting.
“Personally, I like it because I don’t have to worry about doubling for it, so it’s great,” freshman Izzy Hardy said.
Another reason the rule change is so controversial is that it’s only for college players. Athletes are asking why change the rule only for college-level play when it could be used in high school and club volleyball.
“Yes, [It should extend to more than College] because I feel like high schoolers may make more mistakes and can not get in trouble for doubling on accident,” Hardy said.
The rule isn’t just used for mistakes. Players can also purposely double as well. Several athletes want to practice this new skill for when they play college-level play if that is the path they want to go down.
One other reason the rule is controversial is because there are plenty of other rules in the book that players would change rather than the doubles rule.
“I would change foot faults because you don’t always have enough space,” freshman Neva Lord said.
Lord would change the footfaults instead of allowing doubling because she claims there is not enough space while serving. That’s not the rule athletes would have rather changed.
“[I would] probably [change] lifts when you’re tipping because it’s really annoying when you go to tip and they call it a lift,” sophomore Keagan Kaberle said.
Like Lord said, Kaberle would rather the rule change be in lifts rather than allowing doubles.
In the end, the new rule change is very controversial throughout all levels of play, but there is nothing athletes can really do. Athletes will have to adapt and learn a new way of playing.
“Setters put so much work into setting and for it all to go to waste when they get to college just feels wrong to me,” Kaberle said.
