MPS vs PMS
MPS vs PMS in Volleyball Lineups
MPS and PMS describe the order of three adjacent roles in a lineup: middle, power or outside, and setter. They are coaching shorthand, not FIVB or USA Volleyball rule terms. Public rosters may use either Outside Hitter or Power for the same pin-hitter role.
Animation focus: MPS/PMS starting-order comparison.
Open trainerKey Points
- MPS = Middle, Power/Outside, Setter.
- PMS = Power/Outside, Middle, Setter.
- The labels change the starting-order diagram. The volleyball rules stay the same.
Meaning
M means middle. P means power or outside-style pin attacker. S means setter.
Power is a regional label for the left-side or outside pin role. Many official profiles and coaching materials use Outside Hitter or Outside instead.
Status in the rules
FIVB and USA Volleyball rules define rotation order, front-row and back-row positions, positional faults, and movement after the service hit.
Those rule sources do not define MPS or PMS as official volleyball terms. The acronyms are best understood as lineup shorthand.
What does not change
Rotation order, front-row and back-row zones, setter release, and libero restrictions do not change when the label changes.
The same role pairs still matter: setter opposite opposite, outside/power pair opposite, and middle pair opposite.
How to read it
The acronym works as a way to match a lineup card to a diagram. If a team uses Outside instead of Power, P refers to the outside hitter or left-side pin.
The practical question is not the acronym. It is the movement problem: where each player legally starts, and where each player moves after contact.