## 5 Discussion
(2013), who found that Zone 6 was preferred (42.1%) for complicated receptions in university-level volleyball. Regarding serve destination, our data indicated that most serves targeted Zone 6 (41.231%), followed by Zone 5 (26.493%) and Zone 1 (14.552%). These findings are consistent with those of [PERSON] et al. (2018) for European volleyball teams, who noted that 40.8% of the serves were directed toward Zone 6, creating medium diagonal trajectories. [PERSON] et al. (2019) also reported similar outcomes in Spanish youth players, suggesting that the increasing use of jump serves brings youth training closer to elite profiles. Consequently, servers were executed more tactically to direct the ball away from the setter. Nevertheless, serving strategies in developmental categories must be adapted to players' characteristics and level of play. Concerning serve outcomes, our study revealed that 58.995% resulted in \"in-system\" receptions, 23.321% in \"out-of-system,\" receptions, and 15.485% led to direct points. The latter figure is higher than that reported by [PERSON] (2010). They reported that U20 (7%) and U18 (9%) for female players, suggesting an increase in serving effectiveness as the competition level increased. It also surpasses the 10.3% of direct-point serves reported by [PERSON] et al. (2011) in Spain's men's youth Super League and 8.4% reported in the 2007 Men's World Cup [PERSON] et al. (2011). These results imply that in unfavorable situations, volleyball teams tend to choose higher-risk serves, whereas in balanced contexts, they opt for more conservative tactical decisions, regardless of whether they have an advantage. Concerning direct-point serve efficiency in men's volleyball, different age categories showed varying trends: U14 = 11.6%, U16 = 7.3%, U19 = 4.3%, national adult level = 3.15%, and international teams = 3.05%. This indicates that higher competition levels lead to a greater risk of serving, thereby increasing the margin of error (2012). However, [PERSON] et al. (2018) analyzed 3292 serving actions among 16 adult men's European Championship teams and reported 47.2% effectiveness, underscoring the role of technical and tactical factors at the elite level. These findings emphasize the importance of research that is specific to sex and level of competition and serves to inform training programs and match strategies. Despite the significance of these findings, this study had limitations. It focused on the group stage, which may not fully represent the strategies used in the later phases of a tournament. Moreover, there was no comparative analysis between qualifying and non-qualifying teams, nor was there a breakdown of players' positions in this study. Another limitation is the absence of contextualization with other game variables such as the opponent's reception or subsequent attack strategy. Future research should address these limitations to provide deeper insights into strategies for serving elite women's volleyball players. Nonetheless, this study had several strengths. It focuses specifically on elite women's volleyball, a less explored area than that of men's volleyball. Its comprehensive analysis of serving, encompassing multiple variables (type, origin, destination, and outcome), provides a holistic perspective of this key game action. Rigorous observational methodology, including the use of specialized software such as DartFish ProSuite, ensures high precision in data collection. Furthermore, a substantial sample of 534 serves and robust statistical analysis provides a solid foundation for the conclusions drawn. The context of the Pan American Games adds valuable information about performance in major international tournaments. It is also important to consider that this study analyzed regional tournaments. Therefore, future studies should focus on analyzing Olympic Games to contrast our results. We also recognize that we analyzed a limited number of games; therefore, a larger volume of games should be considered in future studies.