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Pufahl appointed as secretary-rules editor for women’s volleyball

By Greg Johnson
NCAA.org

Anne Pufahl loves to officiate, but she is putting away her whistle to become the secretary-rules editor for women’s volleyball.

Secretary-rules editors are non-voting members of NCAA playing rules committees who serve as official interpreters on rules issues throughout the year. Pufahl, the director of intramural sports at Marquette, will begin her role as secretary-rules editor for women’s volleyball on September 1. She will replace Marcia Alterman, whose term as SRE ends at that time.

“I’ll miss calling matches,” Pufahl said. “But I can have more impact in volleyball doing this than officiating a match at one school.”

Pufahl takes over the position with plenty of experience. She has spent 12 years as a women’s volleyball coordinator of officials, including last season when she oversaw the officials in the Big 12 Conference, the Summit League and the Sun Belt Conference.

Pufahl is also the director of the Officials Training Program for the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials.

Last season, she called matches in the Big Ten Conference and the Horizon League, as well as some Division III contests. In the past, she has officiated four Division III national championship matches and one Division I final.

Pufahl began officiating during her playing days at Wisconsin-La Crosse in the 1980s.

“I started calling intramural games, and it was a good way to make some spending money,” Pufahl said. “From there, local high schools needed officials, so I started working those matches.”

Pufahl went to graduate school at Illinois-Chicago, where she earned a master’s degree in recreation administration. That is also where her big break into collegiate officiating took place.

“An official couldn’t show up for a Division I match, and they asked me if I would do it,” said Pufahl, who has developed clinic program and materials to train college volleyball officials in 29 locations across the country. “The other official that day happened to be the Big Ten Conference coordinator. He told me I did a nice job and asked if I would be interested in working for him.”

Years ago, Pufahl received first-hand experience in volleyball rules committee work through the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport.

“I remember thinking it was cool to impact the game and leave a legacy,” Pufahl said. “Whatever you can do to better the sport is your legacy. I’m looking forward to this.”