I. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION / GAME MANAGEMENT A. Administration. An administrator that is not the coach (i.e., AD, Associate AD, Assistant AD, SWA, or SID) must be present at each Conference B. Amenities. The home team must provide similar amenities to the visiting team (e.g., locker rooms). C. Apparel. For Conference play, the official and practice uniforms, as well as standard equipment, shall bear only Conference, institutional, American flag and/or commercial logos or symbols. Commercial logos must appear only within NCAA guidelines. D. Artificial Noisemakers. By NCAA rules, artificial noisemakers, including whistles and air horns are not permitted in the playing or spectator areas. Fans are permitted to use non-electronic megaphones for voice amplification. Computerized noisemakers (e.g., in-house music) controlled by event management are permissible when the ball is out of play. E. AVCA Representative. The Conference representative for the AVCA Head Coaches Committee should rotate every two years. F. Ball. The official ball for regular season competition shall be the ball of the host institution. The visiting team will be provided with the same color and brand of balls used in the match for practice. G. Bands. Bands shall be seated in the facility on the opposite side of the team benches. H. Coaches Committee. The coaches committee shall be responsible for reviewing all volleyball issues and forwarding recommendations to the Senior Woman Administrators and the Athletic Directors. Every two years, one head coach shall be designated as chair of the coaches committee to advise the Conference office regarding all volleyball issues. Selection of this position will be determined by a nomination and vote of the head coaches. I. Complimentary Tickets. Fifty (50) complimentary tickets will be provided for the visiting teams during regular season. I. Conduct. Coaches, players and spectators will be held to a high standard of conduct as dictated by the Conference Principles and Standards of Sportsmanship. Officials and administrators will be responsible for enforcing that conduct. Constant work must be done to maintain the proper attitude between players, coaches, and officials. Officials must show players and coaches every courtesy possible. Coaches can help immensely by keeping their squads informed of the high caliber of men/women who officiate Conference USA matches. Confrontational talking between players of opposing teams should not be permitted. This is a joint coaching and officiating point of emphasis. J. Crowd Control. Conference institutions are to develop policies and procedures, subject to approval by the Conference office, for crowd control. The policies and procedures should include, but are not limited to the following: police or other security, use of sound system, attitude and actions of coaches and other institutional personnel, instructions to players, entrance and exit of officials, student body conduct and deportment of cheerleaders (if applicable). In Conference USA, crowd control shall be a home management responsibility. Administrative personnel, coaches, players and game officials are reminded that their action and attitudes influence crowd behavior. Coaches and players can assist in controlling crowd reactions by controlling their own reactions to the play of the game; game officials can materially aid in such situations by clearly and quickly signaling penalties. All reports or comments pertaining to officiating or home management responsibilities or concerning officials, coaches and players shall be directed only to the Conference office by letter. Public airing of such matters serve no worthwhile purpose; it is only through reports directed to responsible authorities that these can be properly resolved. K. Emergency Communication and Action Plan. Although each crisis will require a unique response, the Conference USA Emergency Communication and Action Plan provides a formal structure that can be used to assess and respond to a variety of crisis situations. For specific Emergency Communication and Action Plan details, see Administrative Regulations Section. L. Facility Standards. Each member institution must provide a facility that has the following: 1. An appropriate Division I competitive environment. 2. Appropriate lighting, per NCAA rules. Burned out bulbs should be replaced prior to any scheduled competition. 3. Fan seating far enough from the playing surface so that participants cannot be touched during any phase of competition (minimum: 2 meters). 4. No other activities in adjacent areas that could produce distractive noises or music. 5. An entrance and exit that allows the participants the ability to have unimpeded play. 6. An event manager responsible for promoting sporting conduct and ensuring that all fans conduct themselves in a sporting manner. 140
7. An equipped training room in the same facility in which the competition and practice takes place. 8. A meeting room/locker room with restroom facilities available for visiting team in the same facility within reasonable distance from the competition/practice floor. M. Game Management Official. The athletic director or designated administrator must be present at all Conference matches to serve as the game management official. This individual will: 1. Handle questions, concerns or problems presented by the visiting team during the contest and is responsible for execution of game management functions; 2. Be seated next to visitors' bench to serve as the liaison with the visiting team's coaching staff, and 3. Provide both head coaches and SID's with game-day itinerary (e.g., time the arena floor is available, pre-match warm-ups, intermission, and specified sequence for television or radio time-outs during the match). N. Intermission. For all Conference matches there shall be a 10-minute standardized intermission between the second and third sets. O. Laundry. Each member institution shall provide laundry service to the visiting team upon request at a rate of $40 per day. P. National Anthem. All Conference USA teams, including coaches and players, are to be on the court for the playing of the national anthem prior to the start of all home contests. Q. Officials. 1. Assignment. The Conference office and Coordinator of Volleyball Officials shall assign regular season, referees both Conference and non-conference matches. 2. Evaluations. Referees evaluation forms are available and should be completed on the Arbiter website by all coaches after each The Conference office will send each institution the evaluation forms via email, and the game administrator is responsible for getting the evaluation to the visiting non-conference team s coach prior to the The host should ask the visiting coach to complete the form and mail it to Marcia Alterman following the 3. Fraternizing with Officials. Coaches, players, and institutional staff members shall refrain from fraternizing with game officials. Should this occur, it should be reported to the Coordinator of Officials and the Conference office. 4. Hotels. The referee is responsible for contacting the host institution 14 days in advance if hotel is needed. If the referee cannot reach the hotel contact person at the institution, they will contact the Conference office for assistance. Officials are not to make their own reservations. Rooms for officials should be double occupancy when practical (e.g., same gender crew). 5. Line Judges. There shall be two trained line judges, one libero tracker, one scorer and one visible scoreboard operator. Line judges should be dressed in navy pants and white-collared shirts. Institutions must provide training for all line judges and scorers prior to the first Clinics and videos/manuals must be used to improve competence and consistency in those positions. The Conference office will provide two line judge s shirts per institution. 6. Payment. The Conference office will issue an assessment to the institutions at the beginning of the season and be responsible for payment of referees for Conference and non-conference matches. At the conclusion of the season, the Conference office will calculate all member institutions officiating expenses and each institution will pay an equal amount for Conference matches and the actual expense for non-conference matches. 7. Security. The referee s and line judges shall leave the playing area for the officials room immediately after the match and the host administrator shall ensure the officials security. This may include a plan for departure and an escort to a designated area away from the playing site. 8. Substitute Official(s). If an official does not arrive for a match, immediately call the following persons: Marcia Alterman Keisha Dunlap Coordinator of Volleyball Officials Associate Commissioner for Sports Services Home: (316) 721-2866 Cell: (316) 650-2532 Office: (214) 774-1355 Cell: (479) 283-6283 Email: mavbref@sbcglobal.net Email: kdunlap@c-usa.org 141
R. Practice. Each institution shall submit practice request information to those schools they will be visiting by September 1 each year. Once the requests are confirmed, the coaches will send the requesting visitor all personnel contact information. In addition, a visiting team must notify the host as soon as possible if they plan to cancel. On the day of the match, the host institution must provide the visiting team the competition floor for an hour. Also on the day of the match, the competition floor must be available ninety (90) minutes prior to the match time. The half hour prior to the official sixty-minute warm-up should be split 15 minutes for each team. The home team shall take the first time slot of the equally shared time and the visiting team will take the second half of the available time. If the competition floor is available for any amount of time beyond the official sixty-minute warm-up, the time must be split equally. The following stipulations shall apply: 1. The home team must provide a minimum of sixty (60) balls and four ball carts for practice and pre-match warm-up. The same color and brand of ball used in the match should be provided for practice and warm-ups. 2. The same lighting used during the match should be provided during practice and warm-ups. 3. A locker room and training facilities must be available prior to practice and at least two hours prior to match time. 4. The home team will supply at least 20 clean towels to visitors upon their arrival for practice and/or the These should be counted and returned to the host institution prior to their departure from the gym. 5. An adequate supply of water and cups will be available during practice and/or the 6. The home team will have someone at the gym to greet and be available to the visitors during practice and/or the 7. Three ball retrievers should be provided for the teams during their warm-up on the court. These people will be used to employ the three-ball system during the Upon request of the visiting team, the host institution must provide a practice facility for at least one hour on the day prior to the match at a reasonable time. Visitors practice shall be open to institutional game management staff but are not to be used for scouting purposes. S. Pre-Match Protocol. The NCAA pre-match protocol shall be used for all conference volleyball competition. T. Program Information. Updated rules changes, points of emphasis, and frequently misunderstood rules shall be printed in the game program. U. Public Address Announcer. The public address announcer is to be neutral and professional. The basic rule is to be thorough but always to underplay his/her part. The public address announcer should not be a cheerleader ; his/her actions are in an administrative capacity, and he/she represents an important role in the administration and conduct of an intercollegiate game. The following statement should be read prior to each contest: Conference USA encourages and promotes good sportsmanship by student-athletes, coaches and spectators. We request your cooperation by supporting the participants and officials in a positive manner. V. Rules. Conference competitions shall be governed by the NCAA volleyball rules. All Conference USA volleyball matches shall be the best three-of-five sets. W. Scheduling. 1. The Conference regular season shall be a 16-match schedule. Teams will play all opponents once and four common opponents twice. 2. Matches shall be played Friday/Sunday. Adjustments from this may be made if agreed to by all involved coaches and approved by the Conference office. On opening basketball weekend, all teams shall play Thursday/Saturday. 3. Teams should schedule non-conference opponents with the best RPI possible relative to the strength of their team. The goal of non-conference scheduling is minimally to have a.700 winning percentage. Each institution shall submit non-conference schedules to the Conference office for approval prior to signing contracts. 4. Nonconference competition shall be against Division I opponents, unless approved by the Conference office. X. Scorer s Table. Event staff seated along the scorer s table should be outfitted in appropriate apparel. Y. Scouting. Institutions shall not give scouting reports on Conference members to non-conference teams. It is permissible to give scouting reports to Conference members on non-conference opponents. Z. Special Events Presentations (VB Specific). Special event presentations, including senior recognition, (e.g., Senior Day), shall be limited to two (2) minutes per honoree and shall immediately precede introductions. The visiting team should be notified if special presentations are to take place. 142
AA. Sponsor Items within Team Bench Area. As it relates to the player bench area for each member institution, the visiting institution shall be permitted, within its bench area only, to display a sponsor s name/logo or brand name/logo on team uniforms, staff and coaches apparel, coolers, cups, squeeze bottles and towels. No other visual display of sponsors names/logos and advertising shall be permitted within the visiting team bench area with the exception of chair back covers in arena sports (i.e. basketball and volleyball, etc) placed on the chairs by the home institution. If the home school has a specific facility with category exclusivity in any of the product areas listed above, it is the school s responsibility to communicate this product exclusivity to the Conference office, as well as, all visiting opponents. Where the visiting opponent is not allowed to bring their own product with them because of a sponsorship conflict, the home facility must provide the visiting institution with neutral bench items (i.e., blank towels, cups, coolers, etc.) as needed by the visiting institution. BB. CC. DD. EE. FF. GG. HH. II. Sportsmanship. Conference USA member institutions value the principles of sportsmanship and the ideal of pursuing victory with honor in intercollegiate athletics. The Conference believes that athletics should be conducted in a way that reflects positively on the individual participants and institutions. The standards of sportsmanship in the Membership Handbook are written to emphasize the basic expectations of the Conference related to sportsmanship and provide the Commissioner with broad authority to ensure that Conference activities are consistent with these principles. For specific sportsmanship policies, see Sportsmanship Section. Statements to the Media. All coaches and players are to refrain from criticism of Conference USA, its member institutions and its officials in statements to the media. The appropriate public response to media questions regarding officiating is per conference policy, I am unable to comment. Any other response is a violation of the sportsmanship policy and is subject to penalties and fines. Statistics. Accurate statistics shall be kept for all Conference matches according to AVCA/NCAA standards. Statistics kept for all Conference matches shall be the responsibility of the host institution, which must use a Conference approved statistics software package. Statistics should be provided to the participating coaches immediately after the match is completed. It is recommended that stats be provided to coaches following each set. The StatBroadcast real-time statistics is required as a game day media service. Support Crew. The host institution shall provide a minimum of 3 ball retrievers for all Conference matches and these individuals be appropriately trained. Ball retrievers, line judges, and the scorer are to report to the court no later than 30 minutes prior to match time. Timeout Length. For all Conference matches, there shall be a standardized timeout length of 75 seconds. Travel Squad Size. Team travel squad size limitations follow NCAA rules, which is limited to 15 players for all Conference competition. There shall be no squad size limitation for home competition. Uniforms. During Conference play, for Thursday or Friday matches, the home team shall wear white uniforms and the visiting team shall wear dark uniforms. For Saturday or Sunday matches, the home team shall wear dark uniforms and the visiting team shall wear white uniforms. Colors must always be contrasting. Changes may be made upon mutual decision by both head coaches. The Conference USA Primary mark must appear on all uniforms, including, but not limited to, the official uniform, practice gear (where feasible), warm-ups and apparel worn by coaching staffs and game management personnel, within the guidelines of NCAA rules. Video Exchange Policy. Conference USA Volleyball will operate under an open exchange policy for internet video exchange using XOS ThunderCloud. Only the two competing teams may record a Conference USA contest during the regular season. It will not be permissible to exchange video or provide scouting reports to non-conference institutions on Conference teams. Scouting reports on non-conference institutions may be given to Conference teams verbally or written, without restriction. The Conference office considers non-compliance to the video exchange policy to be a violation of the Conference regulations and will be handled accordingly. Please see the video policy for detailed information. II. Weekly Results/Statistics Report. 1. Conference and statistical rankings and results will be tabulated in the Conference Office and posted on the website. The necessary statistics also shall be provided to the AVCA. 2. To supply the necessary data for the Conference volleyball release, each institution is responsible for forwarding designated statistical, result and schedule information to the Conference office. These reports are due on the first Monday after all institutions have begun competition, and continue weekly through the NCAA Tournament. 143
II. CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP A. Administration. Administration and conduct of the Conference USA Volleyball Tournament will be under the control and direction of the Championship Director and the Conference liaison. B. Ball. The official ball of the Conference tournament will mirror the NCAA Championship ball (Molten IV58L-N Super Touch). C. Criteria for Hosting the Tournament. 1. Financial guarantee of $5,000 2. Reserved facility for entire competition and practices 3. Facility must be equipped for television and radio broadcasts (e.g., lighting) 4. Press room 5. Phone lines for media (radio, TV, webcast) 6. Second facility available for practice the first two days 7. Hospitality area and food for officials, workers and administrators Meals, snacks and beverages at arena each day Adult beverages and snacks at hotel first night (at a minimum) 8. Room and refreshments for coaches meeting 9. Medical area, certified trainer, doctor available at practices and matches 10. A defibrillator and trained staff person be available on site 11. Four (4) team locker rooms and one (1) officials' locker room 12. Photographer mandatory for championship match but suggest a photographer for all matches 13. Videotape all games 14. Quality championship hotel(s) nearby competition site for teams, officials, and VIPs (15 rooms for 12 teams at teams' expense) - Hotel must not be associated with any type of gaming At least one comp room for Conference use 15. Separate hotel for officials (at Conference expense) 16. Promotion and Social Media exposure for event including securing appropriate advertising (e.g., TV, radio, and/or newspaper) 17. Adequate support staff 18. Program - optional (complimentary to all teams) 19. Line judges (if not secured by Conference office), scorer and stats crew 20. Communication system for staff and officials (e.g. walkie-talkies) 21. Live stats (software, web link, and staff) 22. Media Relations support and staff 23. Live video streaming and video highlight capability 24. Meet all Multi-media demands as established by the Conference office Additional items may be required for television, in which case the Conference will contact the host. D. Dates and Site. The Conference USA Tournament will be conducted two weeks prior to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It will be held the Friday through Sunday prior to Thanksgiving. The site/host for the Conference USA Tournament shall be determined on a bid and nomination basis by the Athletics Directors. E. Designation of Uniform. The higher seed shall dress in their light uniform, lower seeds shall wear dark unless the opposite is arranged between the two coaches and approved by the Conference liaison. Colors must always be contrasting. F. Dress Facilities. The host institution should provide a schedule for use and assignment of locker room space for the entire tournament and pre-tournament practice. Competing teams should not be placed in locker rooms directly next to each other. G. Format. The Tournament shall utilize a standard 8-team, single-elimination format to be conducted over a three-day period. Practice sessions shall be held on the day prior to competition. The host institution shall be permitted to play at the time most beneficial for spectator participation in its opening round. H. Match Times. Match times for the quarterfinals of the Championship will be 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. The second semifinal match will be set to begin no later than twenty hours from the televised Championship I. Lodging. Hotel reservations for the official traveling parties of the competing teams shall be made by the Championship Director. It is hoped that the Championship Director will be able to secure special room rates for official and team personnel connected with the Tournament. Teams must stay at the designated hotel unless approval is received from the host and Conference office. 144
J. Medical. A physician or certified athletic trainer will be in attendance during all matches and practices. Arrangements shall be made by the Championship Director for access to a medical facility. K. Meetings. A meeting of the head coaches of the competing teams and the tournament director shall be held prior to the opening It shall cover tournament procedures and any conference business that needs to be addressed. Participation in this meeting is mandatory unless approved by the Conference office. L. National Anthem. The National Anthem will be played before the first match of each session. The host institution is responsible for providing a performer or a recording. M. Officials. 1. Tournament referees will be assigned by the Conference Volleyball Coordinator of Officials. 2. All tournament First Referees must be USAV or PAVO nationally rated. Second referees must be at least regionally or state rated. A minimum of 3 referees must be present at the Tournament. 3. The Conference Volleyball Coordinator of Officials shall assign two to four line judges for the Tournament. N. Personnel. All match personnel (e.g., scorers, announcers, statisticians, line judges, if not assigned by the Conference office) shall be provided by the host institution. O. Practice. A pre-tournament practice schedule should be developed by the host institution. The following framework shall be used. 1. Practice times for the day before championship competition shall be determined based on seed, except for the host institution, which will receive first selection in order to avoid missed class time. 2. Fifty-five (55) minutes of practice shall be provided on the competition floor the day before an institution's first 3. Teams will have twenty-five (25) minute practice slots the morning of the quarterfinals. 4. The two teams involved in the final match shall receive a minimum thirty (30) minutes of practice the day of the final 5. The playing court will be available one hour prior to match time for the first match of the day. P. Protest Committee. The protest committee shall consist of the Conference liaison, Coordinator of Officials (or head official) and one selected coach representative not involved in the conflict. Q. Seeding. Seeding for the Conference Tournament shall be based on overall Conference finish during regular season Conference play. Ties will be broken by the approved tie-breaking procedures. R. Squad Size. Each team shall be limited to 15 eligible players for the Tournament per NCAA regulations. There is no limit on the number of people in the bench area. S. Tickets. Ticket prices will be determined by the host institution in consultation with the Conference office. Each team shall be provided with participant passes for the official travel party. T. Tie-Breaking Procedures. Ties in winning percentage, and thus for seeding positions shall be broken according to the following formula (in order): 1. Overall Conference win/loss percentage of all Conference matches; 2. Head to head match record between tied teams; 3. Compare records vs. teams with highest winning percentage in Conference play in descending order until tie is broken. When arriving at a set of tied teams (i.e., winning percentage) while comparing records, use each team s record vs. the collective tied teams as a group (prior to that group s own tiebreaking process); 4. Most recent RPI. For multiple team ties, the first team to win the above tie-breaker will be seeded and separated from the tied teams. Once this happens, the remaining teams will start the process again at step 1. This process will continue until all ties have been resolved. III. AWARDS A. All-Academic Team. An All-Academic Team consisting of 11 players, not to be limited by position, will be selected by the Media Relations Directors for the sport of volleyball. Nominees must have a 3.2 cumulative GPA and be a starter or key reserve on the squad. 145
B. All-Conference. All-Conference awards shall include eleven All-Conference first team, eleven All-Conference second team, and seven all-freshman team honors. The following awards will also be designated: 1. Player of the Year 2. Setter of the Year 3. Libero of the Year Voting for All-Conference award winners shall take place after the final regular season Conference A brief conference call will be conducted to discuss players that have been nominated and voting will take place on the Monday prior to the Conference Championship. C. All-Freshman Team, Freshman of the Year. Awards shall be given to seven individuals voted by the coaches. A Freshman of the Year will also be designated, which will be awarded to the highest vote getter on a separate ballot. D. All-Tournament Team, MVP. Selection will be based exclusively on tournament play. Seven members shall be named including the MVP. Three ballots shall be cast to determine the All-Tournament Team and MVP selection. Voting members are: the Championship Director or designee, the Conference media representative, and the Coordinator of Officials (or head of officials). E. Coach of the Year. A Coach of the Year will be selected utilizing the following criteria: 1. Success of the team. 2. Team improvement from previous year. 3. Coach's ability to utilize talent to the fullest. 4. Professional manner and attitude. Each coach will have one vote and coaches may not vote for themselves. The coach receiving the most votes will be declared Coach of the Year; a 2-way tie will result in a co-coach award; and a 3-way tie will result in a re-vote. F. National Player of the Week. The top honoree each week from the Player of the Week honors will be nominated to represent the conference for national recognition. G. Player of the Week. Four players will be selected each week; an offensive player, defensive player, setter and freshman of the week. The selection for these awards will be based on weekly statistical data and will be determined by the Conference office, with input from a designated coach (the designated coach will rotate each year). It is the responsibility of each institution's SID to submit to the conference office the respective statistics and also the institution s candidates during each week of the volleyball season. The following selection criteria are listed in order of descending importance. 1. Individual performance (based on statistical excellence) 2. Caliber of Competition (based on opponent RPI for non-conference matches) 3. Team Performance a. Wins carry more weight than losses b. Conference matches carry more weight than non-conference matches c. Top performances against top teams carry more weight than against weaker teams 4. Players impact on outcome 5. Selection of an all-tournament team or selection as tournament MVP, if any 6. Degree to which the player's statistics are above average (used once a sufficient number of matches are played to establish "true" averages) 7. Additional input from SID's H. Regular Season Champion Awards. Team and individual awards shall go to the regular season champions. I. Team Awards. The first and second place teams will receive trophies at the Championship. In all of the above awards, coaches may not vote for their own players. 146