Thinking Outside the Box: Is There a Volleyball Equivalent to Punting?

Posted on by Nyline
Not thinking outside the box.
Not thinking outside the box (above).  Thinking outside the box (below)

We recently came across the story of Pulaski Academy, AR football coach Kevin Kelley, who never (or almost never) punts.  And he always goes for the on-sides kick.  We saw it on FiveThirtyEight.com, which featured the story as part of a joint series (with ESPN Films) of short-documentaries.  That video, which you can access by Clicking Here, follows Kelley’s 2015 team as it prepares for a big game against rival  Highland Park, TX, which had won 84 games in a row at home.  We have an earlier YouTube video, from 2014, below.

The concept intrigued us.  Is there any aspect of volleyball where conventional thinking dictates strategy, but where a different approach might be more effective?  Maybe, maybe not.  To weigh in, go to the DigNittanyVolleyball Forum thread.