Association of the Court House Recreation (ACHR) Website: courthouse.org General Rules for Volleyball Pre-Teen and Above for Both Girls, Boys and COED Levels Note: the object of the volleyball league is to provide a wholesome and enjoyable recreational activity for the participates and to develop character, skill, sportsmanship and promote good will among the teams and the individuals participating. Eligibility: A. All players must have completed registration prior to participating in any league matches. The registration must be complete and accurate paying close attention to the accuracy of the participant s birth date. B. All players must play at the level of eligibility delineated by their birth date. Birth date ranges for each level can be found below with specific dates announced on the ACHR website. No player can ever play down a level, but with the proper permissions from the coordinator can play up. Before a player is eligible to play up they must have played at least one season with ACHR at the Pre-Teen/Midget Boys level or above. A signed statement by the parent/guardian and the player must be returned to the coordinator on the day of the draft in order to be considered for moving up. a. Age groups i. Preteen Girls and Midget Boys: age 10-12 ii. Junior Girls and Intermediate Boys: age 13-14 iii. Senior Girls and Senior COED: age 15-18 (if still in high school) C. Any player registration found to be incorrect may result in the team forfeiting all matches up to the point of the infraction and the suspension of the player. D. A player found on a team not registered and paid in full, or assigned to the team, will result in the forfeiture of all matches up to the point of the infraction and the suspension of the player and coach E. Only the authorized coach and assistant coach may occupy the player s bench in addition to the players assigned to that team. F. Coaches and assistant coaches for all levels of volleyball must be 18 of age or older and no longer in high school. Roster: A. The maximum number of players on a team will be 12. However, every effort will be made to limit the team to 10. Coaches are limited to two per team. B. The roster will be frozen upon completion of the draft. Once the roster is set, only the draft coordinator can make a roster change from that point on.
Scheduling of matches: Matches will be played in accordance with the schedule developed by the coordinators with the sites, dates and times provided. Alterations to the schedule can only be made by the level coordinator. Mandatory play rule: A. All players must play one complete set from the start to finish at the earliest opportunity in the match. a. Example: Roster of 10 players: 1. Six players play the entire first set 2. The other 4 player play the entire second set along with 2 other players from the first set. The two players that played in the first set can be substituted during the second set. 3. No restriction for the third set 4. If a player arrives late that player will if possible play one complete set from start to finish at the earliest opportunity B. Injury. If a player is injured and taken out before completing the mandatory playing requirement; that player must still play a full set if capable of returning to the match. C. It is the coach s responsibility to keep track of playing time. Failure to comply with the mandatory playing rule will result in forfeiture of the match in which the infraction occurred. D. If a team is playing with only five players, the sixth player may enter the set upon arrival with no penalty. E. In a mandatory rule situation, a player should not be removed for minor issues that can be resolved on the spot (removal of jewelry, uniform adjustment, or minor injury). F. The mandatory play rule is in effect for all matches including the play-offs General Rules: A. If a team forfeits two matches in succession or three matches in a season for not having the required number of players to start the match, the team will be dropped for the remainder of the season and all wins and losses will be removed from the standings. B. Full uniforms are not required. Numbers must be readable by the officials. C. No alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or profanity may be used or will be permitted on or around any practice or match sites. D. Postponement or cancellation of matches will be determined by the coordinator(s).
E. The level coordinators will make every effort to reschedule postponed match s, but reserve the right to cancel those match s that cannot be reasonably rescheduled. Starting: Teams must arrive at the match site 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the match. There will be a no grace period at the start of the match before a forfeit is declared for the first set. If the team does not have the required number of players 15 minutes after the scheduled start of the match all three sets will be forfeited. If both teams forfeit the first set the match will be forfeited and each team will be awarded three set loses. Standard Match Procedure: A. It is the coach s responsibility to maintain proper control among the team (players, assistant coach and spectators). B. Match volleyballs will be provided by the league C. The gym monitor is responsible for setting up and taking down equipment. The gym monitor represents the school s interest and is responsible for the conduct and care of the gym. D. Two officials and one score keeper will be assigned for each match. If only one official is available the match still may be played. In many cases the gym monitor will act as the score keeper. E. Teams must provide their own practice balls, uniforms and other accessories they deemed necessary. F. There should be no activities by a team player, coach or spectator that will delay a match; officials will make every effort to keep the match moving G. NFHS volleyball rules allow unadorned (plain) bobby pins, flat clips, or flat barrettes no longer than two inches, to be worn to control a player s hair. All other hard objects in the hair, necklaces, watches bracelets, rings or other jewelry are prohibited items. No tapeups or cover-ups; these items must be removed. This is a safety issue and will be strictly enforced. H. Teams must have at least five players on the court to start the match. I. Home team will choose the bench to occupy. J. Players for the upcoming match will remain in the bleachers if in the gym area and may not detract from the match in progress. If weather permits warming up may occur outside of the school. K. Prior to the match, teams will be given five minutes for bumping and hitting and two minutes for serving. L. All matches will be governed by the NFHS rules, unless otherwise stated on the league schedule or listed herein.
M. If a team starts with 5 players the set will continue as if 6 players were available. There will be no ghost position. Meaning no positions will be skipped and no points will be given to the opponent when the open position would have moved to the serve position. N. The match uses the rally point scoring system with each set starting with a score of 4-4 and played to 25 points. Teams must win by two points. O. In the regular season, matches consist of three sets. All three sets will be played to 25 points and count in the standings. Teams will switch ends after each set; there will be no coin flip before the third set. In the playoffs, matches are best two out of three sets, with a coin flip if the match goes to the third set. The third set will be played to 15 points (win by two). The teams will not switch sides midway through the third set. P. Underhanded serves in Preteen Girls and Midget Boys levels may extend their serving area five feet on to the court. All others must serve behind the end line. Q. If a Preteen Girl or Midget Boy player is approved to move up a level, they will forfeit the right to take advantage of the underhanded serve rule authorized those levels. R. All teams will be allowed two time outs (one minute each) per set; no timeout carry over to the next set is allowed. S. Nets will be no lower than seven feet in height (height recommendation is between 7 and 7.5 feet). T. This league will not use liberos. Additional Rules for COED Teams: A. Teams may have no more than three males on the court at one time. B. There can be no more than six male players on one team. C. Serving order and starting position may not consist of two males consecutively. D. When the ball is hit more than once on a side, a female player must make at least one touch prior to the ball being returned to the opponents side. Protests: A. All protests must be submitted in writing by the coach to the level coordinator. Only player eligibility and/or rule misinterpretations are protestable. Judgment calls by the officials are not protestable. B. All matters of an arbitrary nature in connection with a player s eligibility may be protested at any time during the season by an authorized coach or assistant coach to the level coordinator. All protests must be investigated and approved by the coordinator and then submitted to the grievance committee for adjudication. C. All matter of an arbitrary nature other than player eligibility must be protested in writing no later than 72 hours after the incident by the coach or assistant coach to the level coordinator. All protests must be investigated and approved by the coordinator and then submitted to the grievance committee for adjudication.
D. The decision by the coordinator and adjudicated by the grievance committee may be appealed to the executive board. All pertinent information, including the original written decision, and the written appeal contesting that decision, must be presented in writing by the authorized coach or assistant coach to the executive board within 72 hours of the decision. Unsportsmanlike conduct: A. Any player, coach or assistant coach ejected from a match by an official for fighting shall be automatically suspended for a minimum of the next two matches to be played by that team. No notice of this suspension shall be necessary, unless a suspension of 3 or more matches has been issued. If a player, coach or assistant coach is under suspension they are not authorized at the practices or matches while under suspension. In the event a player, coach or assist coach deviates from this ruling it will constitute a forfeit of a match and the team not at fault will receive the win for all sets involved (this includes violation at the previous practice). The previous suspension will remain in effect and the play, coach or assistant coach may receive further sanctions. B. Any player, coach or assistant coach ejected from a match by an official for unsportsmanlike conduct shall automatically be suspended for a minimum of the next match to be played by that team. No notice of this suspension shall be necessary, unless a suspension of 2 or more matches has been issued. If a player, coach or assistant coach is under suspension they are not authorized at the practices or match(s) while under suspension. In the event a player, coach or assist coach deviates from this ruling it will constitute a forfeit and the team not at fault will receive the win for all sets involved (this includes violation at the previous practice). The previous suspensions will remain in effect and the play, coach or assistant coach may receive further sanctions. C. Any spectator guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct during a practice or match will be suspended from the league for the remainder of the season both for practice and matches. D. Any spectator guilty of fighting during a practice or match will be suspended from the league for the remainder of the season both for practice and matches. Administrative: A. ACHR grievance committee will impose penalties and suspensions upon players, coaches, assistant coaches or spectators as necessary for the orderly conduct of the league. B. The level coordinator has the authority to make final decisions on all rule interpretations any matters concerning that level C. Coaches will inform the players and families of these rules. Ignorance of any rules will not be tolerated.