When confusion strikes the court, Certified Referee Andrea Mayorga has the power to set the record straight! She’s back with another dose of rulebook wisdom to help settle the debate — and for the official final word, you can always consult the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook.

Q: When serving and stacking, where does the teammate(non server) need to stand? – Sarah N

A: 4.B.7 Partner Positions-In doubles, with the exception of the server, there is no restriction on the position of any player, as long as all players are on their respective team’s side to the net. They can be positioned on or off the court.

Q: Some additional serving questions to cover:

Is it a fault to call the wrong score?

Is it a fault to serve from the wrong side?

Is it a fault if the wrong player serves or receives?  – Ching

A: No fault in all these scenarios (with corrections allowed as follows):

•  4.K – Wrong score called: If the wrong score is called, the referee or any player may stop play before the return of serve to correct the score. The rally shall be replayed with the correct score called. After the return of serve, play shall continue until the end of the rally and the score correction made before the next serve.

•  4.B.10 – If the correct server or correct receiver is not in their correct positions when the score is called, the referee or a player may stop the rally in progress to identify the player/position error and the rally shall be replayed. If the correct server or correct receiver is not in their correct position when the score is called and the rally is played out, the rally shall stand (you would then correct the player positions and move on).

Have a technical pickleball question (or a rules mystery that keeps sparking court debates)? Email skye@playtimescheduler.com and your question might be featured in an upcoming edition of “Ask A Ref”!