NMSU-Alamogordo Volleyball Rules P.E. 113/114/213/214

Volleyball is a game played with two teams of six players each. The object of the game is to hit the ball back and forth across the net, trying to prevent it from becoming dead on one's own half of the court. Also trying to cause the opponent to miss the ball. The perfect play in volleyball is: Bump, Set, Spike!

1. The playing court shall be 60 feet long and 30 feet wide, divided by a center line into two equal courts. The serving area should be at least six feet deep and 30 feet wide. An attack line shall be drawn on each side of the court parallel to the center line 10 feet from the center line. A volleyball team consists of the following player positions: left forward, center forward, and right forward at the net, or front areas, while the left back, center back, and right back positions are behind the front divisions.

 
2. A net is 3 feet wide and 32 feet long, shall be tightly stretched across the center of the court. Net height is 7 feet 4 1/4 inches for women's net and 8 feet for men. The net should have vertical tape markers and antennas on each side directly above the side line indicating the out of bounds portion of the net.

 
3. All supports, scoring stand, or other construction should be at least three feet completely outside of the court.

 
4. The ball shall be spherical with a laceless molded leather cover. It should measure at least 25 inches but no more than 27 inches in circumference, with a weight 5 to 7 pounds of air pressure.

1. The team winning the toss of a coin shall have the privileged of either serving first or taking court preference in the first game.

 
2. The player in the right back position for either team shall be the first server for her team. Thereafter, the serving team must rotate in a clockwise circle. The right front player rotates to the serving area.

 
3. The ball is served from within the serving area specified. The server's body may be over the line in the air, but she shall not touch the line or anywhere before the line until the ball is contacted.

 
4. The server may strike the ball with one hand, fist, or arm. The ball may be hit out of the hand or hit out of the air after it is released by the server.

 
5. All players, except the server shall be within the team's boundary lines or playing area.

 
6. Each serve shall not be made until the opponents have had enough time to return to their playing positions and the referee has blown the whistle to serve. The serve must go directly from the server to the opponent's court without touching a teammate or the net, which would result in a side out.

 
7. Serve must call the score. They call their score first.

 
8. A team must be serving to score.

 
9. A point is scored when the opponents fail to return the ball, or commit a foul.

 
10. The ball must be clearly hit. There shall be no catching, hestitation, pushing, carrying, nor throwing of the ball.

 
11. A team shall not have more than three hits before the ball crosses the net into the opponent's playing area. When the team's first contact is a block, the next contact is considered the team's first hit.

 
12. A ball striking the ceiling or an overhead obstruction above a playable area shall remain in play provided the ball contacts the ceiling or obstruction on the side of the net extended that is occupied by the team that last played the ball, and the ball is legally played next by the same team.

 
13. A ball is dead when it touches a wall, net antennas, or passes outside the net antennas.

 
14. It is a foul for players to touch the net, or to step completely over the center line.

 
15. Screening of the server is not permissible. A screen is an act intentional or unintentional, which obstructs the receiving player's view of the server or the flight of the ball from the server.

 
16. The backrrow player may jump spike a ball anywhere behind the attacking line. Her body may be over the 10 foot line in the air, but she shall not touch the 10 foot line or anywhere before the 10 foot line until the ball is contacted.

 
17. A hit is defined as a contact of the ball with any part of the players body.

 
18. A player shall not make more than one contact with the ball on any one attempted hit, except that it is permissible on a spiked ball to make successive contacts if they are made in a single attempt at playing the ball.

 
19. A player shall not play the ball twice in succession. The only exception to this rule are in the cases of simultaneous contacts by teammate or between opponents, and if there should be two or more players involved in a block.

 
20. A game is won by the first team to reach 15 points, or beyond that, the team which is 2 points ahead.

 
21. A match shall consist of the best of 2 out of 3 games, or 3 out of 5 games.

 
22. A legal serve must pass over the net into the opponent's playing area and shall not touch the net, teammates of the server, server's playing court, ceiling, or any other object.

 
23. A point is scored when the opponents fail to return the ball, or commit a foul.

 
24. When the serving team commits an error or a foul, there is not a point scored, and the serve changes sides.

 
25. If a foul and error are committed on the same play by the opposing teams, the foul shall be penalized.

 
26. If a player is called for serving out of turn, the points made on her serve are lost and the sideout is called. If the opponents have served after such a violation is discovered, the players must return to their proper positions, but the points are retained.

 
27. When their is a double violation with both teams at fault, no point is scored and a replay is ordered.

 
28. A player is limited to 3 entries during a game except for abnormal substitution situations. Starting a game counts as an entry.

 
29. A substitutes player enters at the left front position.

 
30. When the serving team commits an error or a foul, there is not a point scored, and the serve changes sides.

 
31. If a foul and error are committed on the same play by the opposing teams, the foul shall be penalized.

 
32. A ball landing on a boundary line is "in".

 
33. If a ball touches a player or a player touches a ball, he is considered as having played the ball. If the ball hits two or more blockers after being spiked, it is considered as having been played just once. A block is not considered as one of the three allowable hits.

 
34. The ball may be played only three times by one team in a volley, and a player may not play it twice in succession but may play it twice if it is played by a teammate in between.

 
35. Players of the serving team must rotate clockwise when receiving the ball to serve.

 
36. Players may shift position after the ball is served, but back row players are not permitted to block or spike in front of the 10 foot line.

 
37. Ball being spiked must be on your side of the net, but you may follow through over the net.