Rules Summary

	4th-6th Grade (ES) House Girls and Boys	7th-8th Grade (MS) House Girls
Net Height	7’	7’ 4”
Playing Area (per side)	30' x 30'	30' x 30'
Service Line	25' (5 ft forward from end line) 20' alternative service line allowed for underpowered players, and 18’ for individual players with mutual agreement of coaches and referees, in first half of season. Foot faults receive one warning within each service rotation and thereafter within the same rotation lose the point.	30' (regulation end line); 25' alternative service line allowed for underpowered players in first half of season. Foot faults receive one warning within each service rotation and thereafter within the same rotation lose the point.
Ball	Volley-Lite (softer & lighter)	HS regulation
Warm-ups	10 minutes before 1st set; 2 minutes between sets	Same
Time-Outs	(2) 30-second per set	Same
Scoring	Rally scoring, 3 sets with first 2 sets to 25 points and the last to 15 (win by 2) starting at 0-0; may start at 4-4 if needed due to time constraints	Same
Extra Point Incentive	Extra point awarded for any three-touch combination leading to an immediate win (not returned in play)	Extra point awarded for a three-touch combination with the last touch involving an arm swing above the shoulder leading to an immediate win (not returned in play)
Substitutions	Continuous substitution, entering as new server; may also enter at front left if several players are out	Same
Re-Serve	Re-serve if first service in a new rotation is bad. Upon winning a point in a new rotation, no re-serve on the next point.	Same
Consecutive Service Wins	Maximum of 3 consecutive points per server rotation	Same
Playing Time	Equal playing time policy	Same

 

	9-12 Grade (HS) House
Net Height	7'4"
Playing Area (per side)	30' x 30'
Service Line	30' (regulation); Foot faults are enforced by loss of point
Ball	HS regulation
Warm-ups	10 minutes before 1st set; 2 minutes between sets
Time-Outs	(2) 30-second per set
Scoring	Rally scoring, 3 sets with first 2 to 25 points and the last to 15 (win by 2) starting at   0-0; may start at 4-4 if needed due to time constraints.
Extra Point Incentive	No extra points
Substitutions	Continuous substitution
Re-Serve	No re-serves
Consecutive Service Wins	Maximum of 5 consecutive points per server rotation
Playing Time	Equal playing time policy

BEFORE THE MATCH:

• The referee calls a captains meeting within 5 minutes of the scheduled start time.
• Each team must designate one or more captains for the match.  The captains from both teams meet with the referee for any special instructions and to conduct a “coin toss” to determine which team serves first and on which side.
• Teams share the court during a 10 minute warm-up time, including hitting and serving.
• Prior to the start of the first set, the referee signals for players on both teams to shake hands at the net.

DURING THE MATCH:

• At the start of each set, players go directly to their positions on the court.
• Breaks between sets during a match do not exceed 2 minutes.
• Within the match, first service with each new set alternates between the teams.  A new coin toss is not required before the start of the last set.
• HOUSE LEAGUE SPECIAL RULE: Third set only counts in final scores if needed to break 1-1 tie, AND one team gets to at least 11 points before time expires. If time expires before then, the match is entered as a 1-1 tie.

AFTER THE MATCH:

• After the last set of the match completes, the referee signals both teams to the baseline.  Then the referee signals the teams forward to shake hands at the net.  All players and coaches are expected to participate. 
• HOUSE: Match scores recorded by winning coach in SSU. Only enter sets won/lost (not points). E.g., 2-0, 2-1.

STANDINGS AND PLAYOFF SEEDING (HOUSE):

• Standings are based on matches won, with % of games won/lost as a tiebreaker.

CHEERING:

• Cheering is encouraged before/after sets, and briefly/immediately following a point.
• Both sides–players and coaches, both on and off the court–are expected to be silent upon the referee's whistle signaling that a player may serve. Cheering during an opponent's serve is distracting and is grounds for a re-serve. Cheering during your own team's serve is also distracting and therefore discouraged.

BASIC RULES OF VOLLEYBALL:

• Each team gets a maximum of 3 touches to return the ball to the opponent.
• A ball may NOT be caught, thrown, held, or lifted.
• A player may not contact the ball twice in a row, except in the case of a block. A block of the ball at the net does NOT count as a hit.
• Contact with the net between the antennae by a player during the action of playing the ball is a fault. HOUSE LEAGUE SPECIAL RULE: Minor incidental net faults are not called in VYI House leagues in 4-8th grade, but major contact, like falling into or on top of the net, results in loss of a point..
• A ball driven into the net may be recovered within the limits of the 3 touches, so long as the contact with the net is within the antennae.
• A ball touching the antennae is out.
• It is permitted to penetrate into the opponent’s space under the net, provided that this does not interfere with the opponent’s play.  However, completely crossing the center line with the foot, feet, or hands, or encroachment with other body parts, is not permitted if it presents a safety hazard to opponents.
• A ball hitting the net and going over the net is legal and in play, even on the serve.
• HOUSE LEAGUE SPECIAL RULE: To promote learning, referees do not call double contacts or other mishandled ball touches. However, catching, throwing, holding or lifting the ball is not permitted.
• HOUSE LEAGUE SPECIAL RULE: To promote learning, House play does not prohibit back row attacks; any players on the court may jump to attack or block the ball even in front of the attack (10-foot) line.

THE PLAYING AREA:

• The lines on the court are considered part of the playing area.  If any portion of the ball falls on any portion of the line, that ball is IN.
• If during a volley, the ball hits something on the ceiling (rolled-up gym divider, rafters, ductwork, raised basketball hoops, or ceiling), and comes back to the team that hit it, they may continue to play it, as long as they are still within their 3 hit maximum. If it hits something on the wall (wall itself, hanging dividers, bleachers, lowered basketball hoops, etc.), it is out.
• If a ball crossing the net hits anything, it is out of bounds.

TEAM RULES:

• Players and coaches are the only ones allowed on the court and sidelines.
• During game play, coaches may stand on the sideline with the rest of their team and give instructions to players, but cannot distract, disturb or delay the game. A coach who purposely delays the game to gain an advantage is issued a warning or loss of point penalty.
• Teams normally play with 6 players on the court. A minimum of 5 players are required to start a set. If a 6th player arrives, that player may enter the set immediately. When playing with 5 players, the team does not lose the serve when the 6th player “hole” goes to serve. The next player in the rotation simply serves.
• If a team has less than 5 players on the court 10 minutes after the scheduled start time, the first set is declared a forfeit and recorded as 25-0 for the opponent.  If a team cannot place 5 players on the court 20 minutes after the scheduled start, the entire match is declared a forfeit with each set is recorded as 25-0 or 15-0 for the opponent. In a forfeit situation, teams are encouraged to split up available players and use the remaining scheduled time to play for fun.
• There is an exception to the minimum of 5 players rule when one of the 5 players on the court sustains an injury during the match.  In such a situation, the current game and subsequent games are considered valid even if the team has less than 5 players.  However, this rule does not apply when a player voluntarily leaves the match early bringing the number of players on the court below 5.  In such a situation, the current set and any subsequent sets in the match are declared forfeits.

MATCH FORMAT:

• House matches are allocated a 10- minute warmup starting at the schedule match time, and 50 minutes to accommodate 3 sets (games). . For league standings, the winner of a regular season match is the team that wins the most sets during the allotted time.
• During the regular season, all 3 sets of the match are played, regardless of how many sets each team wins, time permitting.  During playoffs, all matches are best 2-of-3 with the decisive third set played only if both teams have won one set.
• Matches begin on time throughout the day; beginning as close to the scheduled start time as possible. Teams must arrive at the playing site at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled match start time.
• Referees are the official timekeepers and responsible for matches starting and ending on time. If the last set is exceeding the allocated time for the match, the referees are empowered to shorten the game (see the Scoring section).
• The 1st referee is located on wall-side of the court. The 2nd referee serves as the score flipper opposite the 1st referee.

SCORING:

• In rally point scoring, every play results in a point being awarded. A serve into the net or out-of-bounds is a point for the other team. Let serves (serves which touch the net on the way over) are considered good.
• For 3 set matches, the first two sets are played to 25 points and the last to 15 points.  the first two sets start at 0-0.  The referee may start the last set at 4-4 if the referee believes time will run out before a 15-point set. 
• A set is won by the team which first scores 25 points or 15 points in the final set with a minimum lead of two points. In the case of a 24-24 tie, play is continued until a two-point lead is achieved (26-24, 27-25, etc.).
• 4th-8th GRADE HOUSE SPECIAL RULE: At the discretion of the referee, an extra point is awarded to a team that executes a multi-touch combination that leads to an immediate win where the opponent does not legally return the ball over the net into play. For 4th-6th Grade House, ANY three legal touches earns an extra point. For 7th/8th House leagues, three legal touches earns an extra point provided the third touch involves an arm swing above the shoulder; such hits include rolls and tips/dinks but not forearm passes/bumps and two arm hand sets. The opportunity to earn an extra point on a multi-touch combination is nullified if the opposing team legally returns the ball over the net and into play.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

• HOUSE LEAGUE SPECIAL RULE: To promote equally playing time, continuous substitution is played in all house leagues. Continuous substitution is defined as using the players on the bench and the players on the court as one continuous line-up with a player in a specific position leaving the court and the next available player on the bench entering the game into that position.  Substitution continues in this manner every time there is a rotation of players on the court, with the order of players in the entire line-up remaining constant throughout the game.  Substitutions can be made in the same location either in the front row or back row, or both simultaneously.  If a player must leave the court, such as for injury or to depart, the lineup remains in order without the player, as the next players rotate in to fill the vacant position on the court.  If the player who left returns to play they must go back to the same lineup position they left, and they must wait to do so until that position in the lineup rotates from the sideline onto the court. 
• HOUSE LEAGUE SPECIAL RULE: If the coach elects to keep the same line-up for the next game, the lineup shall continue to rotate through the court positions before the team's first serve in the next game, as if there were no break between sets; no server will be skipped or repeated from the end of the previous game to the start of the next.  If the coach elects to change the line-up for the next game, the first 3 servers cannot be any of the first three servers from the previous game.  Violations of this rule will result in the cancellation of all points scored by the serving team while the illegal substitute was in the game.

SERVICE:

• The server must always wait for the referee to signal for serve, prior to the serve. If a serve is executed before the signal to serve, the referee will signal a re-serve.
• After the referee signals for the serve, the server must complete the serve within 10 seconds, as measured by the referee mentally counting time after the signal; to keep their eyes on the game, referees should NOT use a clock/watch to time serves. 
  • Referees may choose to count seconds for every serve, or to wait until they notice a player taking a long time, but if a coach asks them to count time for a particular player then they must do so. 
  • The first time in a match that a referee times a player as taking longer than 10 seconds to complete the serve, the referee will warn the player and allow a re-serve, but subsequent instances in that match will result in loss of the point and the serve.
• Servers must always be positioned behind the service line before serving. The entire width of the court is available to the server.  Stepping on the service line or the floor past the service line before or during contact with the ball is a foot fault.  Enforcement of the foot fault rule varies with the age group as described below in the House League Special Rules for each age group.
• The server may not catch the ball after tossing it.  If the ball, after having been tossed or released by the server, lands on the floor without touching the player, the referee will signal for the server to proceed with the same serve. This is called a service tossing error. The server is allowed one service tossing error per serve attempt and one on each re-serve if any.
  • HOUSE LEAGUE SPECIAL RULE: The referee may give a warning to a player the first time in a match that player tosses and catches the ball before serving but should whistle the play dead and direct the player to serve again without tossing and catching the ball first.
• A team serving out of rotation will forfeit the serve and result in a point being awarded the opposing team. The rotation must be correct at the time of the serve.
• Players on the serving team may not deliberately obstruct ("screen") the receiving team's view of the server or the serve by waving arms, jumping, moving, raising their hands above the level of their head, or grouping together to make a wall. 
  • Players on the serving team may stand still with hands at or below head level and this will NOT be considered screening. 
  • Players standing together to move to post-serve positions are not screening unless they are also deliberately attempting to block the receiving team’s vision with their grouping. 
  • Referees are the judges of whether a team is screening, and if they see screening will give a team a single warning for the match; subsequent instances will result in loss of the point.
• The team receiving the serve may not return the ball across the net on the first contact after serve by striking the ball while the ball is entirely above the net height.  (Few house players will be able to strike the ball while it is entirely above the net height.  This rule is to clarify that "attacking the serve" is only illegal in this special circumstance).
• 4th-6th GRADE HOUSE LEAGUE SPECIAL RULES:
  • Elementary School servers are allowed to use the modified service line which is 25’ from the net.  An alternative service line which is 20' from the net will be available during the first half of the season and should only be used by underpowered players. Players are considered underpowered if they typically cannot serve over the net from the normal service line, in which case they are allowed to serve from the modified service line 5 feet forward. A player may be underpowered when serving overhand as they learn, even though they may not be underpowered underhand.  Also during the first half of the season, for an individual extremely underpowered server, opposing coaches may discuss with each other and the referee, and if mutually agreeable allow that player to serve from an exceptional alternative service line  18’ from the net.
  • Each player on his/her first serve in a new service rotation is allowed a first bad serve and then one re-serve.
  • Foot faults are enforced first with a warning and re-serve opportunity, once per new service rotation, but a subsequent foot fault within the same service rotation loses the point and the serve.
    • The single foot fault warning is NOT limited to the player’s first serve of a new rotation and can be on any one serve during the rotation.  
    • The foot fault warning counts separately from the re-serve opportunity for a bad serve on the first serve of the rotation.  So a player who uses a bad-serve re-serve may still receive a foot-fault warning and re-serve later in the rotation.
    • A foot fault counts before evaluating whether the serve is in or out.  Therefore if in a new rotation the server foot-faults on their first attempt to serve, even if the serve is also unsuccessful, they will receive only a foot-fault warning and re-serve without using up the bad-serve re-serve.  If on their foot-fault re-serve they make a bad serve without a second foot fault, they are still within their first serve of the new rotation and receive the bad-serve re-serve.
  • With each rotation to the service position, a player is permitted a maximum of three (3) consecutive points won on his/her serves.  After reaching the maximum, the serve goes to the other team, with no point awarded to the other team.
• 7th-8th GRADE HOUSE LEAGUE SPECIAL RULES:
  • Middle School servers must serve from behind the 30’ end line.  An alternative service line which is 25' from the net will be available during the first half of the season and should only be used by underpowered players. Players are considered underpowered if they typically cannot serve over the net from the normal service line, in which case they are allowed to serve from the modified service line 5 feet forward. A player may be underpowered when serving overhand as they learn, even though they may not be underpowered underhand.
  • Each player on his/her first serve in a new service rotation is allowed a first bad serve and then one re-serve.
  • Foot faults are enforced first with a warning and re-serve opportunity, once per new service rotation, but a subsequent foot fault within the same service rotation loses the point and the serve.
    • The single foot fault warning is NOT limited to the player’s first serve of a new rotation and can be on any one serve during the rotation.  
    • The foot fault warning counts separately from the re-serve opportunity for a bad serve on the first serve of the rotation.  So a player who uses a bad-serve re-serve may still receive a foot-fault warning and re-serve later in the rotation.
    • A foot fault counts before evaluating whether the serve is in or out.  Therefore if in a new rotation the server foot-faults on their first attempt to serve, even if the serve is also unsuccessful, they will receive only a foot-fault warning and re-serve without using up the bad-serve re-serve.  If on their foot-fault re-serve they make a bad serve without a second foot fault, they are still within their first serve of the new rotation and receive the bad-serve re-serve.
  • With each rotation to the service position, a player is permitted a maximum of three (3) consecutive points won on his/her serves.  After reaching the maximum, the serve goes to the other team, with no point awarded to the other team.
• 9th-12th GRADE HOUSE LEAGUE SPECIAL RULE:
  • Foot faults are enforced; a team committing a foot fault immediately loses the point and the serve.
  • With each rotation to the service position, a player is permitted a maximum of five (5) consecutive points won on his/her serves.  After reaching the maximum, the serve goes to the other team, with no point awarded to the other team.

FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT

• Net height is no higher than 7 feet for the Elementary School leagues and 7 feet 4 inches for the Middle School and High School leagues.
• The standard court dimensions are 9 meters x 9 meters (about 30' x 30') on each side of the net.
• Teams are responsible for the set-up and takedown of the equipment.