Abstract:
In volleyball, the opposite player is the most requested hitter since she/he is the player with a higher probability of successfully carrying out attacks. Thus, the main objective of this study was to analyze and compare the spatiotemporal parameters and the effectiveness of attack for opposite players in top-level teams depending on gender. Inferential analysis was applied to analyze 1523 attacks coming from the opposite player (W=910and M=613) from 79 sets (W=42 and M=37) of the top-ranked teams in Women and Men 2018 World Championships. The analysis revealed that in complexes I and II male opposite players attacked more often from zone 1, using 2nd fast attack tempo, against a single or triple block, more effectively in complex I but with more errors in complex II than women. In female volleyball, opposites attacked more often from zones 2 and 6, in 2nd slow and 3rd tempo of attack while they faced up more often than men double or open block. In complex III women opposite players attacked from zone 2, using 2nd slow and 3rd tempo against double block more frequently than men who attacked from zone 1, in 2nd fast tempo against a single or triple block.