How to Fill In a Volleyball Score Sheet (Step by Step)

How to keep a volleyball score sheet: lineups, service order, crossing off points, timeouts, substitutions and finishing a set. Includes a digital alternative.

Whether you're scoring a school match or a club tournament, the official volleyball score sheet can look intimidating. Once you know what each box does it's straightforward. This guide covers the standard paper sheet used by most federations and schools, then how to do the same job on your phone.

Before the match

1. Header: fill in the competition, date, venue, team names and officials.
2. Team rosters: list each player's number and name, and mark the libero(s) with "L".
3. Coin toss: record which team serves first (S) and which receives (R) in the first set.

Each set: the lineup

Before every set, each coach hands the scorer a lineup sheet. Copy the six numbers into the boxes I to VI for each team. Roman numerals mark the serving order: player I serves first, then II, and so on. Liberos are not written in the starting lineup.

Recording points

• Most sheets have a running score column of numbers 1 to 25 (or more) for each team. Cross off the next number with a slash every time the team scores.
• When a team wins the serve back, write the score at which that server's turn ended in the box under the player who was serving, then move to the next server in the serving order.

Timeouts and substitutions

• Timeouts: write the score at the time of the timeout in the timeout box, with the requesting team's score first.
• Substitutions: write the incoming player's number under the player they replace, and the score at which it happened. Count them so you can warn the referee when a team reaches its limit (six per set under FIVB).
• Libero replacements are not recorded as substitutions on the main sheet. Many competitions track them on a separate libero control sheet.

Finishing a set

1. Draw a line through the unused numbers in each team's running score column.
2. Write the final score, the start and end times and the winner.
3. Check the score with the referee, then start a new section for the next set. Teams change ends, and the team that received first in the previous set serves first.

Tips for new scorers

• Say the score out loud quietly after every rally and compare it with the scoreboard.
• Keep the lineup cards in front of you so you can spot a rotation fault before the serve.
• Use a pen that doesn't smudge, and bring a spare.

Prefer a digital score sheet?

For practice matches, rec leagues and tournaments that don't need an official paper sheet, an app is faster. Volleyball Scoreboard: Keeper records every point, the set scores, who served and the match result. Your history is saved by date and you can share a result card with the team.