Game-Centred Study Using Eigenvector Centrality in High-Level Women’s Volleyball: Play Efficacy is Independent of Game Patterns… Or is it?

Abstract

In sports, it is often assumed that distinct game patterns may influence the outcome of the play differently. However, a few articles about men’s volleyball have suggested that play efficacy may rely more on the quality of individual attack actions, and not on game patterns. Therefore, the goal of this paper was to scrutinize if and how game patterns influence play efficacy in high-level women’s volleyball. Eigenvector Centrality was assessed to integrate direct and indirect relationships between games actions. Thirteen matches from the women’s World Grand Prix’2015 were analysed (46 sets; 2,016 plays). Actions were categorized according to game complex (K0 to KV) and three levels of the efficacy of each play: error, continuity, and point. The results showed that play efficacy was independent of game patterns (the central pattern was non-ideal setting conditions in all complexes and preference for using slow attacks in the extremities of the net). There were, however, some regularities for each game complex. For example, while in KI to KIII, Zone 4 was the most used attack zone, in KIV and KV there was a complete inversion to Zone 2. Moreover, results revealed that women’s volleyball games are more predictable in relation to the play space (attack zones) while increasing the risk through enhanced game speed (attack tempo), in comparison with what studies in men’s volleyball have shown. Future studies should consider situational variables (e.g., match status, home vs away matches), and individual players’ actions should be considered in order to understand their relationships with team patterns better.

Últimas Tendencias en el Análisis Técnico-Táctico del Voleibol de Alto Nivel. Revisión Sistemática (Latest Trends in Technical-Tactical Analysis of High-Level Volleyball. Systematic Review)

“…Variables de Contexto Social Nivel Drikos & Tsoukos, 2018b;Laporta, et al, 2021a;Martins, et al, 2021bMartins, et al, , 2021cRamos, et al, 2017aRamos, et al, , 2017bSánchez-Moreno et al, 2018. Calidad de Rival Drikos, et al, 2021García de Alcaraz & Marcelino, 2017;Valhondo et al, 2018;Yu et al, 2018Yu et al, , 2020 Denardi et al, 2017;Drikos et al, 2018aDrikos et al, , 2020Drikos et al, , 2022aGarcía de Alcaraz et al, 2020;Grgantov et al, 2018;Hileno et al, 2018;Laporta et al, 2018aLaporta et al, , 2018bLaporta et al, , 2019Laporta et al, , 2021aLaporta et al, , 2021bMartins et al, 2021aMartins et al, , 2021bMartins et al, , 2021cMartins et al, , 2022Paulo, et al, 2018;Ramos, et al, 2017ª, 2017bRodrigues Rocha et al, 2022;Sanchez et al, 2019;Sánchez-Moreno et al, 2018;Sotiropoulos et al, 2021aSotiropoulos et al, , 2021bValhondo et al, 2018. Espaciales de Partido Conti et al, 2018Denardi et al, 2017;Gonzalez-Silva et al, 2020;Grgantov et al, 2018;Rodrigues Rocha et al, 2020…”

“…Rol Conejero Suarez et al, 2018Conti et al, 2018;Costa et al, 2017;Denardi et al, 2017;Drikos et al, 2022a;García de Alcaraz et al, 2019;Lima et al, 2019;Martins, et al, 2021a;Matias et al, 2021;Rodrigues Rocha et al, 2020;Sanchez et al, 2019. Resultado Drikos et al, 2018aGrgantov et al, 2018;Ramos, et al, 2017b;Yu et al, 2018Modelo Hileno et al, 2018Laporta, et al, 2021b.…”

“…Por último, en relación con los modelos de juego, encontramos que los sistemas de cobertura que se utilizan en el voleibol masculino de alto nivel son variados, pero se basan principalmente en tres líneas con al menos un jugador por línea y sin dejar en ningún momento la primera línea descubierta (Hileno et al, 2018). Por otro lado, en el voleibol femenino, aunque se demostró que el patrón central de juego fue la ausencia de condición ideal, se encontró una tendencia a jugar por zona 4 en KI y KIII y por zona 2 en KIV y KV (Laporta et al, 2021b).…”

“…Con respecto a la eficacia y los modelos de juego, estos estudios encontraron que la eficacia es independiente a los patrones de juego (Laporta et al, 2019;Laporta et al, 2021b), y que dentro del voleibol de alto nivel coexisten diferentes modelos que se diferencian en función de las zonas y tempos de ataque, el tipo y número de líneas defensivas o el tipo de bloqueo planteado (Laporta et al, 2021b).…”

Inter-player variability in game patterns in high-level women's volleyball: A study with Outside Hitters (Near vs. Away) using Social Network Analysis. [Variabilidad entre jugadores en los patrones de juego en el voleibol femenino de alto nivel: Un estudio con bateadores externos (Cerca versus Lejos) usando Análisis de Redes Sociales].

“…Similar to other sports, volleyball has several game phases, usually defined in the literature as game complexes (Hurst, Loureiro, Valongo, Laporta, Nikolaidis, & Afonso, 2016;Laporta, Afonso, Valongo, & Mesquita, 2019). Each game complex represents a subsystem of the game as whole: while game complexes are interdependent, they have their own set of features (Laporta, Valongo, Afonso, & Mesquita, 2021). In this vein, volleyball is organised in seven interdependent game complexes with distinct game flow characteristics (Hurst et al, 2016): Complex 0 (K0) or serve, Complex I (KI) or side-out, Complex II (KII) or side-out transition, Complex III (KIII) or transition, Complex IV (KIV) or attack coverage, Complex V (KV) or freeball, and Complex VI (KVI) or downball.…”