A comparative analysis of volleyball skills in balanced sets for men and women in Asian competitions

The study investigates volleyball performance indicators that distinguish winning and losing sets in men's and women's Asian competitions. It focuses on balanced sets, defined as those with a score difference of <= 5 points for men and <= 7 points for women, to avoid bias from lopsided sets. Data from the 2023 Men's and Women's AVC Challenge Cup was analysed. A six-level scale evaluated serve, reception, attack after reception and after defence, block and setting. Stepwise discriminant analysis identified the most significant performance indicators for winning a set in each gender. For men's teams, attack win percentage and serve win percentage were the most important factors. Teams with attack win percentages above 50% and serve win percentages above 7.5% exhibited a greater likelihood of winning. For women's teams, the analysis was not statistically significant, but attack win percentage after reception percentage showed the strongest influence. The study underscores the pivotal role of attack effectiveness in differentiating winning and losing sets, particularly for men's teams. Serve win percentage also plays a significant role for men. While the analysis for women's teams was inconclusive, attack success appears to be crucial. Future research could strengthen the findings for women's volleyball.