General Information

1. The team captain and all players are responsible for all information contained in the General Rules Page and in the following page. 

2. Intramural Volleyball is governed by USA Volleyball playing rules and any modifications outlined in this document.

3. Net heights are 7'11" for men, 7' 8" for coed, and 7' 4" for women

Players

1. All players are required to bring a valid photo ID to all Intramural games.

2. All men’s, women’s and coed divisions play 6-on-6 volleyball. The minimum required to play is 5. 

3. If a team has only 5 players, then they must play with a vacant spot for the 6th player. This spot is included in the regular rotation so that at one point the team will have two players on the front line. This vacancy is skipped in serving so that a team does not lose service, side out, or point.

4. If a 6th player arrives late, they may enter the game in the empty spot when allowed by the official.

5. For more information regarding roster rules, please see the Eligibility and Participation page.

6. All coed teams must have at least one male player, but not more than 3, on the court.                             

Equipment and Uniforms

1. Please see the General Information Page for equipment regulations.

2. Players may wear kneepads, covered knee braces, headbands, and hair control devices.

No Show

1. Teams not ready to play within 10 minutes after the scheduled starting time (not when the preceding game finishes) will receive a no show loss.

2. Below is a summary of penalties for a team that is late:

   1. Game Time = opposing team will get choice of side and serve

   2. 5 minutes late = automatic loss of first set

   3. 10 minutes late = automatic loss of second set and match

3. If neither team is ready to play by the scheduled game time, and it is less than 10 minutes past the scheduled start time, the teams will be permitted to play. The first team that arrives will get choice of side and serve. Intramural Staff have the authority to limit the 3rd set to 15 points to stay on schedule.

4. If a team No-Shows for a game they will be removed from the league and replaced with a team on the waiting list.

Line Ups

1. Starting line-up must be submitted to the referee no later than 5 minutes prior to the start of the match.

2. All line-ups must be listed in serving order. There is no Libero.

3. Coed line-ups must be listed in male/female alternating order. Captains may start with either a male or a female.

4. Players must be listed on the roster before they can be listed on the line-up.

Scoring

1. Matches are played two out of three sets using the Rally System.

2. The first team scoring 25 points (win by 2) will be declared the winner. If a third and deciding sets is required, this set shall be played to 15 points (win by 2). 

3. No set shall exceed 30 points, 20 points if a third set is required. If the teams are tied at 29-29, the first team to score the 30th point shall be the winner.

Time-outs

1. Each team has one 30-second time-out per set.

2. Time between sets is 1 minute.

Substitutions

1. Order of players does not change when substitutions are made.

2. There is no limit on amount of substitutions.

3. Players may only play and re-enter with the substitutions written on the line-up sheet.

4. Coed substitutions must be male for male and female for female only, unless it will bring the ratio to 3 and 3.

5. If a player is injured and there are no remaining eligible substitutes, then the opposing team may be permitted to pick a substitute from the injured player’s team to take that spot in the line-up. Bleeding players or players with blood on their uniform must be replaced.

Serving

1. A coin toss determines who has the choice of service or side of court.

2. The team not serving first in the first game shall serve first in the second game.

3. Service for the third game will be determined by a coin toss.

4. Teams change sides after each game.

5. The serving area is the entire area behind the end line between the sidelines and as deep as the court allows.

6. Players may not serve until the referee sounds the whistle.

7. Service may be underhand or overhand.

8. Players have 5 seconds to serve the ball.

9. Each player will only receive 1 re-serve per rotation, and the ball may be caught or dropped.

10. Players are required to serve in the order they are listed on the line-up. Coed teams must serve in alternating male/female order.

11. The team winning the point after "side-out" shall rotate one position clockwise before serving. This includes the first serve for the initial receiving team (the 2 position will serve first):

Player Alignment

1. The three players along the net are front-row players and occupy positions 4 (front-left), 3 (front-center) and 2 (front-right).

2. The other three players are the back-row players occupying positions 5 (back-left), 6 (back-center) and 1 (back-right).

3. Before Service, each back-row player must be positioned further back from the net than the corresponding front-row player.

4. Before Service, positions 2 and 1 must remain closer to the right sideline than the center players whereas positions 4 and 5 must be closer to the left sideline.

Playing the Ball

1. It is illegal to attack or spike a serve.

2. All players are eligible to complete a legal attack.

3. All players are eligible to complete a legal block.

4. A legal hit is contact with the ball by any part of a player’s body where the ball does not come to rest.

5. The ball must be clearly hit. Throwing, lifting, or shoving the ball are illegal.

6. Receiving the serve with an underhand bump is strongly recommended.

7. A team has three contacts to return the ball over the net.

8. One player may not intentionally contact the ball twice in succession; however, multiple contacts by a single player on a team’s first contact are legal.

9. Multiple contacts are more than one contact by a player during one attempt to play the ball. Multiple contacts are permitted only:

   1. When the first ball over the net rebounds from one part of the player’s body to another after a block.

   2. On any first team hit, whether or not the block touches the ball.

10. Simultaneous contact by two or more players on the same team is considered one play, and any player is eligible to play the ball again.

11. If two opponents simultaneously contact the ball above the net, the ball remains in play and the team receiving the ball is entitled to 3 additional contacts. If the ball lands out of bounds, it is the fault of the team opposite the net from where the ball lands.

12. In all coed games, if the ball is played more than once on a side, both genders must contact it at least once.

Attacking (Spiking)

1. Front-row players may attack the ball (spike) from any point.

2. A back-row player may only attack the ball (spike) if they jump from BEHIND the 10-foot line.

3. Attacking a serve is prohibited for all players.

4. Back-row players who are setting may not play the ball over the net (dink or dump) if the ball is above the height of the net when it is contacted.

Net Play

1. Any ball contacting and crossing the net between the net antennas is permitted. 

2. A player shall not contact a ball that is completely on the opponent’s side of the net unless the contact is a legal block.

3. Blocking the ball on the opponent’s side is legal only whenever the opposing team has had a chance to complete its attack. A complete attack is defined as:

   1. Attacking team has completed three allowable hits.

   2. If, in the official’s judgment, the opposing team has completed its attack and directed the ball to the opponent’s court.

   3. Ball is falling near the net and, in the official’s judgment, no legal member of the attacking team could make a play on the ball.

4. A ball may be attacked, excluding a served ball, when it has partially crossed the net.

Net and Center-Line Violations

1. A violation occurs when:

   1. A player contacts any part of the net including net cables and antennas. It is NOT a foul if a player’s loose hair touches the net, or the force of a ball hit by the opponent pushes the net into the player.

   2. A player gains an advantage by contacting the floor/wall cables or the referee platform.

   3. A player contacts an opponent and interferes with the opponent’s legitimate effort to play the ball.

2. A player may touch the playing surface across the centerline with one or both feet/hands provided a part of the foot/feet or hand(s) remains on or above the centerline. Contacting the playing surface across the centerline with any other part of the body is illegal.

Blocking

1. All front-row players are permitted to block.

2. Back-row players are not permitted to participate in an attempt to block.

3. A block is not counted as one of a team’s 3 hits.

4. A player participating in a block may play the ball again.

5. Passing the hands over the net on a block is legal.

6. Contacting the ball over the net on a block before the opponent’s 3rd hit is illegal, unless the opponent has no opportunity to play the ball.