What is the responsibility of the first referee during a match?

The role of the first referee in a volleyball match is crucial for maintaining the game's integrity and fairness. Among their responsibilities, one key duty is to whistle ball handling faults. This includes making decisions on how players interact with the ball, particularly during serve reception, setting, and attacks. Ball handling faults occur when the ball is not played cleanly, and the first referee has the authority to make these calls to ensure that the rules of the game are upheld.

While the first referee does accept line judge calls and has the authority to whistle net faults, the fundamental duty concerning the flow of play and ensuring proper ball handling falls squarely within the first referee's responsibilities. This is why identifying their role specifically in whistling ball handling faults is critical.

In the context of the other options, while the first referee does interact with line judges and has to be vigilant about net violations, the primary focus of their authority during gameplay is related to the ball and its handling by players. This distinction is essential to understanding the first referee's primary responsibilities.