When comparing volleyball statistics across generations, you must do so knowing about the changing scoring formats.
Look at it this way: the NCAA record for career kills was set by George Washington's Svetlana Vtyurina at 3,043 when she played from 1992-95. Since 2005, Jordan Thompson (2015-16, 18-19) is the only athlete who has even sniffed this record with 2,664 kills — and even this number is about 400 kills off.
So, why does it appear that some DI volleyball records haven't been broken since the 80s and 90s? It's simple: the sport has been scored differently through the decades, making it difficult to compare statistics.
Let's take a peek at the different eras of college volleyball separated by their respective rule changes:
1981-2000: Side-out scoring (15-point format)
Volleyball was one of the in the early 1980s as part of a Title IX initiative. At its 1981 inception, volleyball was scored in a side-out format.
Side out scoring is a scoring method in volleyball in which only the serving team has the opportunity to score points. In turn, the receiving team is attempting to win the rally in order to gain possession of the serve, instead of a point. With this scoring method, matches were scored through 15 points (and with at least a two-point advantage) and played until one team won three games.
Side-out scoring allows losing teams more of an opportunity for a comeback, offering for more unique momentum shifts. It also gave volleyball more of an offense (the serving team) versus defense (the receiving team) look, as well as a focus on the serve and serve-receive. Because teams could essentially just trade serves and not actually score any points, the lengths of these matches were extremely unpredictable — also, hence why they were only scored through 15 points — and the ceiling for stat lines could be much higher.
| Stat | 1981-2000 | 2001-2007 | 2008-present |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-season kills | 965 - Jill McCreary, Akron, 1990 | 850 - Kim Willoughby, Hawaii, 2001 | 827 - Jordan Thompson, Cincinnati, 2018 |
| Total attacks | 2,175 - Jill McCreary, Akron, 1990 | 2,082 - Tera Lobdell, Northern Illinois, 2004 | 1,807 - Jordan Thompson, Cincinnati, 2018 |
| Total assists | 2,026 - Tami Hamilton, BYU, 1984 | 1,905 - Kele Eveland, Georgia Tech, 2002 | 1,622 - Lexi Dannemiler, Michigan, 2012 |
| Service aces | 171 - Kim Spotswood, Morgan State, 1991 | 207 - Eileen Nicole Rodriguez, Albany (NY), 2002 | 126 - Micha Hancock, Penn State, 2014 |
📖 HISTORY: 10 of the greatest NCAA volleyball championships
Taking a look at the 2000 National Championship, Wisconsin fell to undefeated Nebraska after they traded blowout games (15-9, 9-15, 7-15, 15-2, 15-9).
2001-2007: Rally scoring (30-point format)
Next came rally scoring, the current scoring format in volleyball. From 2001 through the 2007 season, games were played through 30 points, which was double the previous amount of points in the side-out system (if matches were pushed to five games, then teams still played to 15 points in the fifth).
Rally scoring is a method of volleyball scoring in which both teams have an opportunity to score a point, regardless of whether or not they are serving. Thus, teams are rallying to score points, rather than gain or keep possession of the serve.
With rally scoring, the duration of matches were much more predictable, as every rally is guaranteed to result in a point. Blowout matches could go as short as an hour, a very new concept in the sport.
2002: Introduction of the libero | 2004: Libero gets unlimited substitutions
There were defensive specialists before liberos, but this 2002 rule changed the style of play in the backcourt. When they were first introduced to the rotation, liberos were designated back row defensive specialists who could not attack a ball or enter to serve. They were also only allowed 12 substitutions.
In 2004, these rules were amended to allow the libero the right to serve as well as unlimited substitutions — hence why the libero is required to wear a different colored jersey, which makes them easier to spot and aids the officials in enforcing this substitution policy. Liberos have since transformed floor defense and ball control, making defense more dig-heavy in college volleyball.
📝 LEARN: The college volleyball libero, explained
Check out how these season dig records vary through the years:
| Time span | Single-season dig records |
|---|---|
| 1981-2001 (before the libero position, 15-point side out scoring) | 777 - Kim Diehlmann, Hartford, 1990 |
| 2002-2003 (liberos introduced with limited subs, 30-point rally scoring) | 786 - Sarah Gascon, Southeastern La., 2003 |
| 2004-2007 (unlimited subs, 30-point rally scoring) | 942 - Lara Newberry, Chattanooga, 2007 |
| 2008-present (unlimited subs, 25-point rally scoring) | 852 - Kasey Elswick, UT Martin, 2011 |
2008-present: Rally scoring (25-point format)
This is when volleyball morphed into the style we see today. In order to make volleyball more viewer-friendly — and better for television — the NCAA changed the rally scoring format from 30 points to 25 points. If the match went to five sets, the teams still played to 15. In addition, the term "game" was changed to "set."
In , the NCAA used this rationale to corroborate the change:
"The 25-point sets will add an intensity and excitement level to our matches that has been missing," said Marcia Alterman, the committee's secretary-rules editor. "I believe that players, coaches and fans will agree that the critical nature of every point will emphasize the need for focus and consistency to every play."
And there you have it — these scoring rules make volleyball difficult to compare across generations, however, the different formats were introduced to refine the sport to changing times. Now, college volleyball is played faster, higher and more specialized than ever before, garnering attention from wider audiences every year.
