What Is a Dig in Volleyball?

A dig is credited when a player handles an opponent’s attack and keeps the ball in play. In the NCAA statistical definition, the qualifying ball must be an attack; the defender’s contact may keep it on the same side or send it back across the net (2026 NCAA Volleyball Statisticians’ Manual).

That makes a dig a box-score result, not one particular technique. A diving forearm pass may be a dig, but so may an overhead contact or a controlled touch while standing. The key questions are:

1. Did the opponent make an attack attempt?
2. Did the defender’s contact keep the ball in play?

If both answers are yes, credit a dig under NCAA statistics rules.

What counts—and what does not

Rally event	Dig?	Why
A hitter spikes; the libero passes it to the setter	Yes	An attack was kept in play.
A setter dumps; a defender controls it	Yes	An aggressive setter dump is an attack when kept in play.
A hitter tips with the intent to score; a defender saves it	Yes	An attack need not be a hard spike. NCAA rules include strategic tips among possible attack attempts.
A defender touches a spike, but nobody can reach the deflection	No	The ball was not kept in play.
A player passes a serve	No	That is serve reception, a separate statistical category.
A teammate plays a ball rebounding from an attempted block	It depends	The blocker’s touch is not a dig. A later teammate who keeps the attacked ball alive can receive the dig.
A player handles an easy free ball	No	A ball sent over merely to stay alive is generally not an attack attempt.

These distinctions follow the NCAA manual’s attack and dig rules. It expressly excludes a ball brought up from a block “put back,” while awarding a dig when a teammate subsequently keeps the attacked ball in play. It also separates serve reception from digs (NCAA manual, Sections 1, 3 and 4).

A common source of confusion is the quality of the contact. A dig does not have to reach the setter or produce an organized attack. It counts if the attacked ball remains playable—even when the dig crosses the net back to the opponent. Conversely, merely touching the ball is insufficient if the rally ends because the defending team cannot continue (NCAA manual, Section 4).

Worked rally and box score

Suppose Team Blue attacks four times:

1. The libero controls a spike to the setter: one dig.
2. An outside hitter saves a tip, and the ball crosses back over the net: one dig.
3. A middle blocker deflects an attack; a teammate controls the rebound: one dig for the teammate, none for the blocker.
4. A defender touches a hard attack, but the ball lands out of reach: no dig.

Team Blue’s opponent records three digs across those four attacks. In the player box score, the three digs belong to the players who made the qualifying defensive contacts; the team total is their sum.

If a player has 48 digs across 12 sets, the player averages:

Digs per set = 48 ÷ 12 = 4.00

Digs per set adjusts a raw total for playing time at the set level. It is more useful than total digs when players or teams have completed different numbers of sets, though it still needs context: opponents’ attack volume and which defender they target affect the opportunities available.

Indoor and beach usage

The basic idea carries into beach volleyball: Volleyball World describes its “Best Digger” category in terms of receiving attacks, keeping the ball in play and making defensive plays (Paris 2024 beach volleyball statistics). However, a published box score should be interpreted under the statistical definitions used by that competition or data provider; the detailed examples above follow NCAA indoor statistics rules.

In short: look for opponent attack + successful defensive contact + ball kept in play. That is the cleanest way to identify a dig and separate it from a serve reception, block touch or unsuccessful save.