Can you "set" a service return in beach volleyball?

Question

playing beach volleyball last weekend someone was trying to convince me that a rule change now allows someone playing a serve in beach volleyball to play the ball with their hands apart as if they are setting the ball, so long as they are square to the net. maybe in indoor, but i think this is still an illegal contact in beach vball. you can "set' the ball over the net so long as your shoulders are square to the net but not on the serve. can someone please clear this up for me. thanks!

Answer 1

Excellent question.  I believe you are correct.  Playing a ball with an open handed set on the first off-speed or service contact is technically legal provided that the ball comes out "clean" and the shoulders are square to the shoulders.  However, in practice, this is impossible, and never occurs.  I cannot find a good source for this information, but from my experience, it's never acceptable to use an open handed set to receive a serve, or an off-speed ball.