How to Build a Standings Table with Dynamic Columns and Zones

Volleyball standings tables look simple on the surface, but the API returns them in a more flexible shape than a typical football table — column labels and row values arrive as parallel arrays rather than fixed named fields. This guide shows how to parse that structure correctly and build a table that adapts automatically to whatever columns a given competition provides.

Why Standings Use a Dynamic Column Structure

Different volleyball competitions track slightly different columns — some show sets won/lost, others show set ratios, points differ by competition rules. Rather than a fixed schema, /league_standings returns a columns array (the header labels) and each row's own columns array (the values, in the same order):

{
  "columns": ["Rank", "Team", "P", "W", "L", "S", "Pts"],
  "standings": [
    {
      "total": [
        {
          "team_id": "83f6313f-...",
          "team_name": "Poland (W)",
          "columns": ["1", "Poland (W)", "5", "5", "0", "15-3", "14"]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The header label at index 0 ("Rank") corresponds to the value at index 0 in every row ("1"), and so on — you always render by matching index, never by assuming a fixed field name like row.wins.

Fetching the Standings

import requests

response = requests.get(
    'https://live-volleyball-api.com/api/v1/league_standings',
    params={'api_key': 'YOUR_KEY', 'league_id': 'lva-nations-league', 'lang': 'en'}
).json()

data = response['data']
columns = data['columns']

for group in data['standings']:
    print(f"\n{group['title']}")
    for row in group['total']:
        pairs = zip(columns, row['columns'])
        print(', '.join(f"{label}: {value}" for label, value in pairs))

Rendering a Column-Agnostic Table Component

Because the column set varies by competition, the safest approach is a table component that never hardcodes column names — it just renders whatever columns and row columns arrays it receives:

function StandingsTable({ headerColumns, rows }) {
  return (
    <table>
      <thead>
        <tr>
          {headerColumns.map((label, i) => <th key={i}>{label}</th>)}
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        {rows.map(row => (
          <tr key={row.team_id}>
            {row.columns.map((value, i) => <td key={i}>{value}</td>)}
          </tr>
        ))}
      </tbody>
    </table>
  );
}

Highlighting Qualification Zones

Each row can carry a zone_id referencing the top-level zones array, which provides a name and color for that qualification band (e.g. "Qualified", "Final Round"):

function getZoneColor(zoneId, zones) {
  const zone = zones.find(z => z.id === zoneId);
  return zone ? zone.color : 'transparent';
}

function StandingsRow({ row, zones }) {
  const color = getZoneColor(row.zone_id, zones);
  return (
    <tr style={{ borderLeft: `4px solid ${color}` }}>
      {row.columns.map((value, i) => <td key={i}>{value}</td>)}
    </tr>
  );
}

Not every row has a zone_id — mid-table positions are often null, so getZoneColor falling back to transparent handles that gracefully.

Handling the Overall / Home / Away Tabs

The tabs array tells you which table views are available (typically ["Overall", "Home", "Away"]), and each standings group carries a matching total, home, and away array using the exact same column structure:

function StandingsWithTabs({ group, columns, zones }) {
  const [activeTab, setActiveTab] = useState('total');

  const tabMap = { Overall: 'total', Home: 'home', Away: 'away' };

  return (
    <div>
      <div className="tabs">
        {['Overall', 'Home', 'Away'].map(tab => (
          <button key={tab} onClick={() => setActiveTab(tabMap[tab])}>
            {tab}
          </button>
        ))}
      </div>
      <StandingsTable headerColumns={columns} rows={group[activeTab]} />
    </div>
  );
}

Handling Multi-Group Competitions

For competitions with pool/group stages, standings is an array with one entry per group — render each with its own title heading:

data.standings.forEach(group => {
  console.log(`Group: ${group.title} (Week ${group.week}/${group.max_week})`);
});

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't the API just return named fields like wins and losses directly?

Different competitions track different stat sets, so a fixed schema would either omit useful columns for some leagues or include irrelevant nulls for others — the dynamic columns array lets each competition define exactly what it tracks.

Can the column order change between requests for the same league?

No, the column order is stable for a given league and season — always pair columns and each row's columns by matching index, but you don't need to re-derive the mapping on every request.

What happens if the home or away array is empty?

It means home/away splits aren't tracked for that competition — check for an empty array before rendering that tab, and consider hiding the Home/Away tab toggle entirely if both are empty.

How do I know which color to use for a team with no zone_id?

Treat a null or unmatched zone_id as "no special zone" — render with no border color or a neutral default rather than trying to force it into one of the defined zones.