Sand Volleyball Rules SMU Intramurals Any rule not specifically covered will be governed in accordance with the USVBA Volleyball Rules. Modifications have been made to suit the Southern Methodist University Intramural Program. Rule 1: Eligibility Any individual with an active Dedman Center membership is eligible to participate in intramurals. This includes all full time students enrolled at SMU and faculty, staff, alumni, and community members who have purchased a Dedman Center membership. Additional parameters are set for collegiate and professional players: Varsity Athletes: Current varsity volleyball athletes are ineligible to compete in intramural sand volleyball. A varsity athlete s status is determined by the official roster after the team s first contest of the year. Former varsity volleyball athletes must sit out for a full academic year prior to participating in that intramural sand volleyball. Professional Athletes: Professional sand volleyball athletes are ineligible to compete in intramural sand volleyball. Once a professional sand volleyball athlete completes their career, they must wait two academic years prior to participating in intramural sand volleyball. Identification: All intramural participants must present their SMU ID at every game to intramural staff in order to check in for play. If a participant does not have their SMU ID, but already appear on the roster, they may check in utilizing any state issued ID. Social media sites will not be an acceptable form of check in for intramural play. If a participant attempts to utilize an ID that does not belong to them, it will be confiscated by intramural staff. The rightful owner may come to the game site or the intramural office to pick up their ID. Each participant involved must meet with the Assistant Director of Intramurals and Sport Clubs in order to discuss further participation in the intramural program. Rule 2: Leagues Open: Teams may be comprised of any gender ratio. A player may compete on one open team. CoRec: Teams must meet a pre-determined on field/court gender ratio dependent upon the sport. Participants may only compete on one CoRec team. Women s: Teams may only be comprised of women. Participants may only compete on one Women s team. Rule 3: Equipment Legal Equipment Players may choose to wear shoes or to go barefoot Knee braces unmodified from the manufacturer s original design Illegal Equipment Jewelry; including necklaces, wedding rings, bracelets, etc. Casts of any material Braces of unyielding material on the upper body Rule 4: Team Captain Responsibilities Roster Management Minimum of two players (CoRec: if starting with two it must be one man and one woman)
Maximum of 20 players on the roster Add/Delete Players from roster Player eligibility Communication with Team SMU ID check-in policy Game time and location Rules Intramural policies and procedures Sportsmanship Communication with Intramurals Represent team at each contest Review schedule online Turn in Playoff Conflicts Represent team at captain s meetings File any protests regarding rule interpretation or eligibility Share concerns and/or questions Rule 5: Players Each team consists of four players, but may begin a contest with as few as two players. Substitutions Unlimited substitutions may be made into the service position. Rule 6: Forfeits/Defaults In order to keep the intramural schedule running on time, game time is forfeit time. The team or individual present may choose to give the opponent additional time to arrive, however the game clock will start. If the opponent arrives, the game will be played in the time remaining. Once the game is started, the result will be the official score. Any team forfeiting/defaulting two scheduled contests will be dropped from further competition. A forfeit fee of $25 will be charged to the team captain for all contests in which his/her team forfeits during the season. The team will not be permitted to continue play until the forfeit fee is paid. Teams may default one contest per season by contacting the intramural office (intramurals@smu.edu or (214) 768-3367) by 3 p.m. on the day of their scheduled contest for week day games or by 5 p.m. on the Friday before a weekend contest. You will receive a loss for this contest but not be charged a forfeit fee. Rule 7: Protests If a team or individual believes that an intramural sport rule or eligibility policy has been violated, they have an opportunity to immediately protest. If it is a rule protest, the team captain or individual must notify the supervisor immediately that they wish to protest that play. If the desire to protest is not made known to the supervisor prior to the next play, then the protest cannot be made. If it is an eligibility policy protest, the team captain or individual must make the protest prior to the completion of the contest. If the protest is made after the contest, the score will stand, but the player will still be subject to review by the intramural office for any sanctions.
o Exception: If an ineligible player plays in a championship game, if it is protested within 24 hours of the contest, the championship team will be stripped of their title. The runner up will be recognized as the champion. A rule protest will be resolved by the supervisor on duty and a report will be filed with the game time and situation recorded, as well as the resolution to the protest. All protests will be reviewed the next day in the intramural office; if the protest was incorrectly resolved the game may be replayed from the point of interruption by the protest. Rule 8: Play Start of Contest A coin toss between captains shall determine which team will serve first, if a third game is necessary a new coin toss will decide serve and side. Timing An official match will be the best two out of three games. The first two games will be played to 21 win by two with a 25 point cap. If a third game is necessary it will be the first to 15 points. During the third game, teams will switch sides when the first team reaches eight points. Regular season matches have a 35 minute time limit: o The team ahead after the next serve when time is called, shall be the winner of that game If the score is tied, another point shall be served to declare the winner of that game o If the games are tied, the contest will be recorded as a tie during regular season No time shall be taken in between contests Teams are granted one 30 second timeout per game Scoring All games will be rally scoring (a point is scored on every serve) Whenever a team fails to serve properly, return the ball, or commits any other fault, the opposing teams wins the rally and shall continue or gain service. Mercy Rule There is no mercy rule in intramural sand volleyball. Playing Area The playing court is marked by lines on the sand. The lines are considered in bounds. Boundary lines that get moved during play shall not cause a rally to stop. If it is not possible to determine if a ball landed in or out of bounds due to the boundary line moving, the point shall be replayed. If the ball goes into another court while a game is in progress, the ball shall be considered out and a point shall be awarded appropriately. Service Teams must establish a service order and maintain it throughout each game The server shall loudly announce the score prior to service A serve may take place from anywhere behind the back line within the confines of the sidelines The server must release the ball out of their hands prior to contacting it for serve The server cannot step on or over the end line prior making contact with the ball on the serve A served ball may contact the net Play Net height shall remain the same for all leagues Each team is allowed a maximum of three hits to return a volley to the opponent. The ball shall be contacted in a manner that it smoothly rebounds off the player
o Exception: a double hit on a team s first contact is permissible The ball may be played with any part of the body. A player may not open hand tip or dink the ball over the net A player may use their palm, heel of their hand, curled fingers, or the back of the hand to send it over the net A block at the net is not included in the team s three legal hits and the blocker may hit it a second time consecutively. A ball may be played off the net A player s lower body may break the centerline as long as it does not interfere with play A player s body (except hair) may not make contact with the net (includes clothing) Attacking/Blocking the Ball Any player is eligible to attack or block at the net. Attacking the ball is when a player makes contact with the ball above the height of the net in a downward trajectory. A served ball may not be blocked or attacked. Blocking is the act of contacting an opponent s attacked ball above the height of the net with the hands/arms/head Blocking a ball across the net above the opponent s playing area shall be legal provided such block occurs: o After a player has attacked the ball or a player has hit the ball in a trajectory meant to go over the net o After the opponents have completed all three hits o When the ball is falling near the net and no opponent is readily able to make a play on the ball Faults A fault is an illegal act committed by a player/team. If a fault is committed the offended team shall receive a point and continue or gain service. The following acts are considered faults: Stepping on or over the service line prior to contacting the ball for serve A service attempt that does not go all the way over the net A double hit by a player in which it is not the first contact on their side Illegally blocking/attacking a ball and/or serve Open hand tips/dinks Taking longer than five seconds to serve after the referees service whistle A team contacting the ball more than three times before returning volley Contacting the net with any part of the body other than hair Illegally contacting the ball by carrying, lifting, or pushing the ball with a body part Causing the ball to go out of play Illegal service order Rule 9: Sportsmanship Yellow Card A yellow card will be assessed to any individual who commits the following actions: Unsporting conduct on or off the court Arguing with staff Any persistent use of vulgar or profane language Any disorderly conduct to the opposing players The team may receive a caution for spectator behavior
A player receiving a yellow card must be removed from the game until the next substitution opportunity. The team is not required to play down a player if they have a substitute available. Red Card A red card will be assessed to any individual who commits the following actions: Flagrant unsporting conduct Violent conduct Vulgar language directed at the official(s) Flagrant play with intent to injure Receives a second yellow card A player receiving a red card must be removed from the game and they may be replaced. The player must leave the facility immediately. Rule 10: CoRec Modifications Number of Players Each team will consist of four players and may begin a game with as few as two A team may play with a maximum of two women and two men on the court at a time A team may play with a minimum of one woman and one man on the court at a time Play If the ball is contacted multiple times on a side, both genders must make contact with the ball prior to returning the volley o Failure to comply will result in a fault Rule 11: Playoffs Teams who do not forfeit/default more than twice during a season AND have a minimum 3.0 sportsmanship rating average will qualify for playoffs. The sportsmanship rating average is based on the regular season contests. Playoffs consist of a single elimination bracket for each league. Games will be scheduled on Sundays between the hours of 1:30 and 11:30 p.m. and Monday through Thursday between the hours of 6:30 and 11:30 p.m. Captains will have an opportunity to provide their teams conflicts. While the intramural office cannot guarantee that all conflicts can be avoided, it will do it s best to accommodate team schedules. For any questions regarding the intramural sand volleyball rules, please contact the intramural office at (214) 768-3367 or by email at intramurals@smu.edu.