How to read a volleyball box score
Updated October 7, 2026
Hitting percentage is kills minus attack errors, divided by total attempts: 12 kills and 4 errors on 32 swings is (12 - 4) / 32 = .250, said "two-fifty". The rest of a box score, or stat line, lists what each player did in the match: kills (K), attack errors (E), total attempts (TA), assists, aces, service errors, reception errors, digs and blocks.
One line, column by column
Here is a made-up line for one outside hitter over a match. The columns follow the NCAA statistics rules; some box scores use slightly different labels, such as D for digs.
| Player | K | E | TA | PCT | A | SA | SE | RE | DIG | BS | BA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 7 | 12 | 4 | 32 | .250 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 16.0 |
Attacking: K, E, TA and PCT
- TA (total attempts)
- Every time a player attacks the ball over the net trying to score: a spike, a tip, a set or any overhead shot. A ball sent over just to keep it alive isn’t an attempt. Each attempt ends one of three ways: a kill, an error, or the other team keeps it in play.
- K (kill)
- An attack the other team can’t return, so it scores a point. An attack that forces a blocking error also counts as a kill.
- E (attack error)
- An attack that loses the point: hit out, into the net, off the antenna, blocked straight down on the hitter’s side, or called for a net, centerline, back row or illegal contact fault.
- PCT (hitting percentage)
- Kills minus errors, divided by total attempts. Written as a three-place decimal, like .250, and said "two-fifty". It goes below zero when a player has more errors than kills.
PCT = (K - E) / TA
No. 7 above: (12 - 4) / 32 = 8 / 32 = .250. Their other 16 swings were kept in play by the other team, so they count in TA but are neither kills nor errors.
Setting and serving: A, SA and SE
- A (assist)
- A pass, set or dig to a teammate who kills the ball. Assists are only given on kills, so a team’s assists are close to its kills and never more.
- SA (service ace)
- A serve that scores directly: it lands untouched, the pass can’t be kept in play, the passer is called for a fault, or the receiving team is out of position.
- SE (service error)
- A serve that doesn’t get over, lands out or hits the antenna. Foot faults, taking too long and serving out of turn count too.
Passing and defense: RE, pass ratings and DIG
- RE (reception error)
- A serve the player couldn’t handle: it landed near them, their pass couldn’t be kept in play, or they were called for a fault. Every ace for one team is a reception error for the other.
- DIG
- A pass of an attacked ball that is kept in play. A ball blocked back onto the attacker’s side and played up isn’t a dig.
Many coaches also rate every serve receive pass from 0 to 3. Scales vary a little; a common one is:
- 3
- A perfect or near perfect pass. The setter can set anyone.
- 2
- A good pass, but the setter has fewer options.
- 1
- A poor pass. The setter has one option, or someone else has to set.
- 0
- An ace, or a pass that goes straight back over the net.
Add the ratings and divide by the number of passes. Passes of 3, 2, 2, 0 and 3 average 10 / 5 = 2.0. John Forman, who writes the Coaching Volleyball site, suggests teams aim for 2.0 or better.
Blocking and points: BS, BA and PTS
- BS (block solo)
- One player blocks the ball back into the other team’s court for a point, with no other blocker.
- BA (block assist)
- Two or three players block together for a point. Each of them gets a block assist, even if only one touched the ball.
- PTS (points)
- Kills plus aces plus solo blocks, plus half of each block assist. No. 7: 12 + 2 + 1 + (2 × 0.5) = 16.0.
Team block totals count a block assist as half, so two players sharing a block add one block to the team, not two.
Keeping the stats yourself
How to keep volleyball stats covers recording these during a match, on paper or in an app, and how to split the job between helpers. Rufio Stats, a stat app for phones and tablets, records serve receive passes on the same 0 to 3 scale and works out hitting percentage from the taps you enter.
Terms on this page
- Outside hitter
- The attacker who hits from the left side of the net.
- Pin and antenna
- The pin is the end of the net where outside hitters attack, and the left pin is on your left as you face the net. The antenna is the striped rod above each sideline; the ball has to cross the net between the two.
- Centerline
- The line under the net that splits the court into two halves.
- Tip
- A soft shot the hitter pushes just over the block with the fingertips.
- Setter
- The player who usually takes the second contact and sets the ball to a hitter.
More beginner guides
- Volleyball rules for beginnersScoring, serving, faults, rotation, the libero and timeouts, with notes where high school and college rules differ.
- Volleyball for parents: what’s going on out thereWhy players switch spots, who the libero is, how a club tournament runs, and what to bring.
- Volleyball positions and rotationsThe six zones, what each position does, why players rotate, and what 5-1, 6-2 and 4-2 mean.
Sources
- NCAA and AVCA, Volleyball Statisticians' Manual (2024).
- Coaching Volleyball (John Forman), Scoring serving and passing effectiveness (coaching article).