Abstract

Objective of the study is to quantitatively determine the influence of the opponent's serve type on the structure of attacking actions and their effectiveness in the competitive activity of junior volleyball players.

Methodology and organization of the study. The scientific work was conducted based on the analysis of matches of the Russian Junior Championship. Over 1,300 game episodes were processed, including rallies following a jump power serve and a floating serve. The analysis was carried out based on video recording of matches, followed by expert assessment of reception quality, set tempo, and attack direction. The quality of the first touch was assessed on a three-point scale. Attack effectiveness was calculated as the ratio of successful actions and errors to the total number of attacks. Mathematical statistics methods were used to identify differences.

Results and their discussion. The average reception quality indicator for a power serve was 1.76±0.36 points, whereas for a floating serve it was 2.12±0.34 points (p<0.01). The proportion of perfect reception for a floating serve was 18.5% higher (p<0.05), which expanded the range of tactical decisions for the setter. The attack structure showed a pronounced dependence on the quality of the first touch. After a power serve, the proportion of high sets to the edges of the net reached 68.4±5.9%, whereas for a floating serve it was 55.6±5.1% (p<0.05). The frequency of first-tempo attacks decreased from 17.9±3.2% to 10.8±2.7% (p<0.05), indicating a limitation of combinational variability when reception worsens.

The overall attack effectiveness after a floating serve was 44.2±4.6%, whereas after a power serve it decreased to 38.6±4.8% (p<0.05). With forced reception, attack effectiveness decreased to 33.9±4.2%. A moderate positive correlation was found between reception quality and attack effectiveness (r=0.61; p<0.01), confirming the key role of the first touch in building attacking actions. Analysis of directions showed an increase in the proportion of attacks from zone 4 to 63.7% when reception worsened, while the use of the central zone decreased to 6.4%. The coefficient of variability of the attack structure increased from 16.9% with perfect reception to 30.4% with forced reception, indicating a simplification of tactical decisions under competitive pressure.

Conclusion. The opponent's serve type has a statistically significant effect on reception quality and attack effectiveness. The power serve reduces the variability and effectiveness of attacks, which confirms the determining role of the first touch in the team's tactical stability and the need to improve reception under competitive pressure.

References

1. Masyagina N.V., Guba V.P., Presnyakov V.V. K voprosu vybora metodov statisticheskogo vyvoda o razlichii vyborok v sportivno-pedagogicheskikh issledovaniyakh [On the issue of choosing methods of statistical inference about differences in samples in sports and educational research]. Fizicheskaya kultura: vospitaniye, obrazovaniye, trenirovka, 2025, No. 6, pp. 19-21. 

No. 5, pp. 29–29

Received: 25.02.2026 | Published: 08.05.2026

CC BY 4.0