Service Error
A serve that never starts a live rally. The ball goes into the net, lands out, hits the antenna, or you foot-fault. A rotation fault on the serve ends the rally the same way and gives the other team the point. Aces and errors belong in the same conversation. If the misses give away more points than the tough serves take, the coach will usually ask for a simpler serve.
Example
The server goes for a hard jump serve, tosses the ball too far in front, and misses long. The other team gets the point, and the stat line shows a service error.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a service error in volleyball?
The serve does not put a live ball in the other court. That includes a ball that stays in the net, lands out, hits the antenna, or comes with a foot fault. Serving out of rotation costs the point too.
How many service errors is too many?
When the errors outnumber the points you create with aces and weak passes. A common bench check is about two or three aces for each error on an aggressive server. A night of six errors and almost no aces is too many.