In volleyball, a pancake is when the ball is about to hit the floor, and a
player desperately dives and slides his/her hand across the floor, in an attempt to cause the ball to bounce off of the back of the
player's hand rather than the floor. If executed properly, the ball will bounce back up into the air, allowing another
player to pass the ball over the net.
They would have lost the game because of John's bad pass, but
Mike desperately performed a pancake, allowing Joe to hit the
ball over the net, saving the point.
Mary's pancake was ineffective, because her hand was not directly under the
ball when it fell.