Penn State vs. Hawaii - Match Thread

You and Nyline might be correct on this, I'm not an expert.
Just did a little diging and found this info:

Volleyball positions in a team: Volleyball Team Positions
per  www.volleyballadvisors.com/volleyball-positions.html

Outside Hitter (also called wing spiker, left side)
Outside Hitter is the player who carries the serve receive responsibility along with the libero.
Outside hitter most often attacks the balls which setter sets to the antenna to the left side of the court. Volleyball Positions - Outside Hitter - Position 4Therefore after the serve outside hitters place themselves to the left front position. Sometimes setters run offensive plays in which outside hitters run to hit balls “inside” around the middle blockers.
Outside hitters play both the front row and the back row. In modern high level volleyball outside hitters are responsible for hitting the 3 meter or 10 feet line attacks, usually from the middle back position when playing in the back row.
Playing on the outside hitter’s position requires great all around skills because they play through the front row and the back row. Volleyball Positions - Outside Hitter
Wing spikers have to have the skills to pass, attack, block, serve and play defense.
Wing spikers along with the opposites are often players who score the most points in the game.
Outside hitter’s passing responsibility makes them extremely important player for the team.

Right side hitter (also called wing spiker)
Right side hitter has the similar role than outside hitter, they play front row and back row and are carrying pass, attack, block, serve and defense responsibilities. Volleyball Positions - Right Side Hitter - Position 2
Right side hitters aim to place themselves to the right front playing position.
When playing top level international volleyball on the back court right side hitters often have 3 meter or 10 feet attack responsibility from the middle back position.
Right side hitter can be also called a wing spiker.

Opposite Hitter
The opposite hitter is the player who most often scores the most points in the team.
Opposite hitters don’t have the passing responsibilities. They stand behind the passers on the rotation while libero and outside hitters pass the ball and place themselves to the left front, right front or right back playing position. Volleyball Positions - Opposite Hitter
The opposite usually get the most sets in the game.
Often counter attack sets after the defensive play go to the opposite hitters - they carry the responsibility of hitting the ball against a solid block when the pass is off the net.
Opposites need to have great blocking skills since they play against the opposite hitter of the opponent or opponent's outside hitter when in the front row.
Opposites also need to have defensive skills because they also play the back row where they are responsible of hitting 3 meter or 10 feet balls from the right back position.
In professional volleyball opposites along with setters have traditionally been the highest paid individuals - those are volleyball positions in most demand.


Playing Positions in Volleyball
per www.volleyball-strength-program.com/volleyball-positions.html

Outside Hitter Volleyball Positions
The outside hitter is usually the player on the team that has well-rounded skills.
For example, the outside hitter must become good at hitting the "high set outside" because this is where most of the sets go. The outside hitter is also usually good at hitting "out of system" sets because setting outside is usually the choice for when a team makes a bad pass.
The outside hitter should be a pretty good passer. The outside hitter usually steps back to help out with passing in serve receive. An outside hitter that can't pass very well is usually a target in serve receive.
Since the outside hitter has a fairly active role on the team, outside hitter's need to show leadership.
When the game is on the line, it's usually the outside hitter that get's set to make the play.

Opposite Position
The opposite is the player that plays opposite the setter. This is also referred to as the right side or weak side hitter.
The opposite mainly attacks from the right side of the court.
This player is usually taller because blocking is especially important on the right side.
The opposite isn't usually concerned with developing great passing skills because passing isn't a priority for this volleyball position.
When running a 6-2, the opposite is usually the player subbing into the match to play across the front row for a setter.


Wikipedia

Opposite
The opposite is a completely offensive position. He or she will most often score the most points in the game. Opposites don't even have to pass. They hide behind other players in order to avoid most passing opportunities.

Outside Hitter
The outside hitter has a big role in the offense and serve return system. He or she takes responsibilities along with the libero to handle the serve. The outside hitter will also help focus on attacking the left wing.

6-2 Positions
The 6-2 positions are practically the same as the 5-1 positions with one exception. In a 6-2 setup, the opposite hitter is actually an extra setter. This allows teams to be more flexible with the setting actions.


www.volleyball-training-ground.com/volleyball-positions.html

Outside Hitter
The outside hitters have a few different responsibilities. When they are receiving the serve, they are usually those that pass the ball to the setter. With this position, the outside hitters are typically people that are good at passing the ball.
Outside Hitter Passing BallWhen the outside hitters are also the most accurate hitters on the team. When they are spiking, their place is on the left side of the court (if you are facing the net). Since they are hitting on the outside, their sets are usually higher and to the outside of the court.
There are usually two outside hitters on the floor at all times and they usually play opposite of each other in the rotation. That way, one of them will always be in the front row.
The characteristics for this position is that they must pass the volleyball well, they usually jump high, and are accurate hitters. This is one of the volleyball positions that people enjoy as they get to hit quite frequently.

Opposite Hitter
Opposites are the last of the volleyball positions to discuss. In the rotation of players, they always play opposite the setter’s position and that is where this name comes from.
Opposite Hitter - They are generally a third option on the offense at the net as a hitter. Their hitting position is on the right side of the court if you are facing the net.
In most cases, the setter will have to do a back set (set the ball over his head) to deliver it to the outside. These back sets can sometimes catch the defense by surprise and allow the opposite to get an easy kill.
As a blocker, they are responsible for blocking in the same position which means they are usually blocking against the outside hitter of the other team. A strong opposite blocker can offset the strength of the outside hitter from the other team.
They are also the player that will set the ball if the setter is unable to do so.
This person is usually a jack-of-all-trades as they are required to have all of the facet of skills for a volleyball player. They usually aren’t the best at anything, but can do everything.


VolleyTalk

As a major generalization, an outside hitter is referred to any hitter that hits from the perimeter of the court. The term implies a left side hitter, but some schools will refer to a right side hitter as an outside hitter. Easiest way to distinguish is to say left side hitter v. right side hitter or opposite.
In women's volleyball, the right side is vastly different than the men's game. The right side is critical in the men's game but not as much in the women's (although we are seeing trends of that slowly changing).
There are different schools of thought on the right side. Some coaches can put a middle at that position, because women's volleyball use the step out, which will be an attack on the right side. In theory it will also provide a stronger block as 2 middles will be up on the opposing left side hitters. Some will put in a left side hitter to get more fire power and someone to hit the "D" set from the back right.
Skill wise, it is different, but not by much. Again, it will all depend on the way a coach has set up an offense. For a left side hitter, there are some timing and angle issues to work on. For a middle, there has to be the knowledge of what play is called so not to interfer with the other middle. Most importantly, the right side is usually the second setter, if the true se
Read more: volleytalk.proboards.com/thread/8009/right-side-outside-hitter#ixzz3u8cmeycS

In international, especially european volleyball, rightsides (which are called opposites btw) are usually big hitters who can hit any kind of set from pretty much anywhere front/back; left/right. They do not always hit from one side. You will see the OHs and the Opp changing sides depending on the rotation. They are not expected to receive. They are also their team's go to player during crunch time.
Read more: volleytalk.proboards.com/thread/8009/right-side-outside-hitter#ixzz3u8cQJU4Y

I guess it depends on the whole team chemistry. You will always have an OH or OPP who is either a more of a "pure hitter" or "well rounded" player.
OHs are usually a lot more involved, especially in PASSING and defense. OPPs are mostly pure hitters but not necessarily the dominant hitters of their team. Most of the time they do not serve receive. OPP will run a lot of quicker plays (combinations) compared to the OHs.
Also, a thing to consider, I have seen many OHs switch to be an OPP. In fact, most OPP played as OHs at one point or another. However, if a person has been playing as an OPP forever or a long time, they will very unlikely be changing to OHs. It is hard to adapt to a volleyball being set from a completely different angle, at a different speed (usually slower and higher) to the left rather than faster and shorter to the right.
Read more: volleytalk.proboards.com/thread/8009/right-side-outside-hitter#ixzz3u8bwmpbf

A RS (where you are playing a 6-2 or similar) is usually a pure hitter, but an OPP (where you are playing a 5-1) is usually the second best setter on the floor since they are usually the designated setter if the actual setter plays the first ball. Of course, that varies from team to team
Read more: volleytalk.proboards.com/thread/8009/right-side-outside-hitter#ixzz3u8bYYeD0

In a three player reception scheme, especially if both OHs are receiving, for at least one rotation the Opp ends up on left and the OH at right. (With 6 subs per set you can't always have backrow players receiving...) So, many OHs and Opps WILL hit from both sides during the course of a match.
Read more: volleytalk.proboards.com/thread/8009/right-side-outside-hitter#ixzz3u8apQMNq