Volleyball Rules Regulations published in the North Dakota State University Intramural Sports Manual will be the governing policies for all Intramural Sports. Team captains are responsible for possessing a thorough understanding of these policies and their implications. Participation in all Intramural Sports events is voluntary. The Wellness Center and Intramural Department assume no responsibility for physical and/or mental injuries. Basic first aid will be available. All participants play at their own risk. The USA Volleyball Rules will be in effect with the following interpretations and exceptions. Points of emphasis and all recent rule changes will be in bold type. 1. Location a. All games will be played on the Wallman Wellness Center basketball courts. 2. Schedule a. The league format will be pool play, followed by a single-elimination bracket playoff system. b. If your team is unable to make it to your game be sure to contact the Recreation and Intramural Sports Coordinator, Ethan Green, at ethan.green@ndsu.edu by 3pm on game day or 3pm Friday for Sunday games. You will be given a default instead of a forfeit. c. Regular season schedules and playoff brackets will be posted online. At the end of the season, teams that qualify for the playoffs will be scheduled to play at times that will be different than their regular season time, so be sure that you have enough players listed on the roster. Remember that only players who are registered on www.imleagues.com and have properly signed onto a team and played in one game are eligible to play in the playoffs. 3. Players & Substitutions a. All players must be on the IMLeagues roster and present their NDSU ID Card when checking in for the game. b. Teams may have up to 10 players on their roster. c. The game shall be played between two teams of six players each. Four players are required to start the game and avoid a forfeit. d. A speaking captain must be designated for each team. She/he alone may appeal to the official, and then only on interpretations of the rules. Judgment calls may not be protested. If a protest occurs, the game is to be stopped immediately and proper documentation must be filled out before play resumes.
e. Teams shall rotate in a clockwise fashion at each change of server: i. Substitutions may occur at each change of server and in a rotating fashion. ii. Rotation order must be maintained throughout the game and substitutions must occur in the same position each time. iii. Player for player substitutions will not be permitted. 4. The Ball & Net a. The official ball shall be provided by Campus Recreation and Intramurals and be of official size and weight for play. b. The net will be set at a height of 7 feet 4 inches for women s play and 8 feet for both men s and CoRec games. 5. Jersey a. Team shirts need not be the same color and numbers are not required. 6. Illegal Equipment a. A player wearing illegal equipment shall not be permitted to play. This applies to any equipment which, in the opinion of the Referee, is dangerous or confusing. Types of equipment or substances which shall always be declared illegal include: i. Headwear containing any hard, unyielding, stiff material, including billed hats, or items containing exposed knots. ii. Jewelry (except taped down Medical Alert jewelry) iii. Pads, casts, or braces iv. Leg and knee braces made of hard, unyielding material, unless covered on both sides and all edges overlapped, and any other hard substance unless covered with at least ½ of closed cell, slow recovery rubber or other material of similar thickness and physical properties. v. Any slippery or sticky foreign substance on any equipment or exposed part of the body. vi. Exposed metal on clothes or person. 7. Start of the Game a. Rock, Paper, Scissors i. Three minutes before the start of the game the Referee shall call the captain s in for a meeting and for them to participate in rock, paper, scissors. All officials shall be present. The winning captain will have the
choice of serving, receiving or side. The loser will take the remaining option. b. Change of Games i. Teams will switch sides at the end of the first game. If a third game is required, a captain s meeting will be held before the start to determine ball or side. Teams will switch sides when either team reaches 8 points. 8. Scoring a. All matches will be played best two out of three sets to 25 points. Teams must win by two points, with a cap at 28 points. If a third game is required, it will be played to 15 points, with a cap of 17 points. i. All games will be played with rally scoring; a point will be scored on each attempted serve. 1. There is no mercy rule in volleyball. 2. There is a 45-minute time limit for games. At the 45-minute mark whichever team is winning the game is declared the winner. If it is tied the next point will win. 9. Time-Outs a. Team Time-Outs i. Each team will be allowed two time-outs per match. b. Injured Player i. An injured or apparently injured player who is discovered by an official while the ball is dead, shall be replaced for at least 1 possession unless the period or overtime intermission occurs. 10. Rules & Infractions a. Playing the Ball i. Each team has a maximum of three hits to return the ball to the opponents. Contact while blocking does not count as a team hit and the first hit after a block may be executed by any player. ii. A player may not contact the ball with two separate and consecutive motions. iii. If two or more players touch the ball at the same time, it is counted as one hit and either player may play the ball next. iv. The ball may be contacted by any part of the body, including, but not limited to, the feet and head. v. Consecutive contacts may occur only during blocking or the first hit of a team, provided that the contacts occur during one action.
vi. Violations include, but are not limited to four hits, catches/throws/carries, and lifts. b. Out of Bounds i. A ball will be considered out of bounds if the entirety of the ball lands outside the boundary line. If any part of the ball touches the line, it will be considered in. ii. A ball that contacts or passes over or outside of the antennae will be considered out of bounds. iii. If the ball contacts any object outside of the court of play (curtains, bleachers, basketball goals, etc.) it will be considered out of bounds. c. Blocking i. A blocker may contact the ball that is over the opponent s space any time after the opponent s third hit or when, in the referee s judgment, the opponent s hit would cause the ball to clearly cross the net and/or the ball is falling near the net and no member of the attacking team could make a play on the ball. ii. A player may not block an opponent s serve. iii. A player who starts the point in the back row may not block or participate in a completed collective block. d. Play at the Net i. Any contact with the top tape on the net will result in a net violation. Contact with the net below the tape will result in a violation if it interferes with play. ii. If any player s entire foot crosses over the center line under the net, a violation will have occurred regardless of whether or not play was interfered with. e. Service i. The server must wait for the referee s whistle before serving and must serve within eight seconds of the whistle or a delay of service violation will be called. ii. The server is allowed one service tossing error per service, provided that they let the ball completely drop to the ground before touching it. iii. At the moment of service or take off for a jump service, the server must be completely behind the boundary line. iv. The players on the serving team may not screen their opponents from seeing the contact for service or the path of the ball. If any part of the foot is in contact with the service line, a foot fault will be called.
v. A service fault occurs if the ball touches any player on the serving team before crossing the net. The ball may contact the net in the process of going over the net without fault. f. Attack Hits i. Attack hits may not occur on the opponent s serve above the net. ii. Players who start the point in the back row may not complete an attack hit above the net from the front zone. Both feet must be completely behind the attack line at the moment of contact. g. Positioning i. When the ball is contacted by the server, each team must be within its own court. ii. Players must be in rows of 2 or 3 people, depending on the number of players on the court. iii. Players must remain in correct relative position (side to side and front to back) of their teammates until the ball has been served. Once served, players may move to any position on the playing surface, but their original positions remain the same (ie: back row). 11. CoRec Rule Modifications a. Teams of four must play with a player/gender ratio of 2:2. Teams of five must play with a player/gender ratio of 3:2. Teams of six must play with a gender ratio of 3:3. b. Males and females must alternate positions on the court as best as possible.