Volleyball Rules
Prestonwood Girl’s Volleyball League
a. A standard sized court will be used: 30 feet by 60 feet dividing the court into two 30 feet by 30 feet areas.
b. Serving Lines
6th grade: Regular serving line, in-bounds line
5th grade: 7 feet from regular serving line. (This will be the distance from the in-bounds line to the basketball court free throw line.)
a. Equipment Set-up/Take down
i. The net will be set up on game day 20-30 minutes prior to first match time to allow for warm ups.
b. Net height: six (6) feet six (6) inches
c. Game ball: PSO issued Tachikara “Super-Soft”
1. Game Time – Teams can take the court 10 minutes prior to scheduled start of game. There will be a 10 minute warm up time and the first game will start on the hour. There will be a two-minute break between games. Teams must leave the court immediately after the third game is over.
2. Match Play - All matches will consist of 3 games played to 15 points or fifteen-minutes (which ever comes first). All 3 games will be played and each game is worth 1 point; therefore a match is worth 3 points total. Regular scoring will be used- a team must have served to win the point.
3. League Standings/Tournament Seeding – League standings are based on overall point totals. One point is awarded for each game won. There are no bonus points for winning all 3 games in a match. In the case of a tie, a head to head comparison will be made in the following order for the postseason tournament:
a. Higher placement will be awarded to the winner of the game in which the two tied teams played each other.
b. If there is still a tie, higher placement will be awarded to the team with the fewest points scored against them.
4. Forfeit Policy
a. A game shall be considered a forfeit if a team has four or fewer legal players present on court at game time.
b. Forfeit score is 15-0 for all 3 games, 3-0 for the match.
c. The first game is forfeited at regularly scheduled game time following the 10-minute warm up, the second game is forfeited 10 minutes later, and the third game 5 minutes after the second.
d. Please note: Match time is as scheduled even if the referee is not present or arrives late.
5. Time-Outs
a. One 30-second timeout is allowed per game per team, three timeouts per match.
b. Penalty for requesting an additional timeout (delay of game) will be a sideout if requesting team is serving or a point to the opposing team if requesting team is not serving.
c. If a player is bleeding, an official’s timeout is taken. The wound must be covered for a player to return to the court. If there is blood on any part of the uniform, that part must be removed or replaced before the player returns to the court. If need be, any T-shirt, shorts, or socks can be substituted.
d. Time between games will be no more than 2 minutes.
6. Coaches
a. Coaches need to stay in front of their players’ bench and five feet from the sideline of the court. The coach is responsible to stay in this area throughout the game.
b. Coaches will address referee during the game only to signal a time out.
c. There will be no arguing with the referees. These are paid officials and need to be treated with respect. Please pass this on to all players, parents, and spectators.
d. There will be no talking to score keepers. If there is a question, it needs to be addressed to
the referee by the floor captain on the court.
e. Coaches who do not exhibit appropriate behavior may be asked to leave the league. This
decision will be left up to the discretion of the league president.
7. Mandatory Player Participation
a. All teams will use a continuous rotation during games.
b. Each team will start the game with 6 players on the court. The remaining players will automatically rotate into play when the serve is regained. The previous server leaves the court and the next player listed on the roster rotates into the back center position. A minimum of five (5) players is required in order to play a game.
c. Please note: Coaches must start game 2 and game 3 of a match with the same players in the same positions on the court when the previous game ended.
1. Conference – The pre-match conference will be conducted by the Referee between a coach and captain from each team prior to the start of each match. Information on playable overhead obstructions and non-playable overhead obstructions will be given.
a. Overhead obstructions
i. A ball hitting 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 occupied by the team that last played the ball, and the ball is legally hit next by the same team.
ii. An obstruction directly above the net line will be considered a side-out.
iii. A basketball goal will be the referee’s judgment on whether the ball was playable. This judgment is based on the trajectory of the ball and the players’ position.
3. Linesperson – Each team will provide a 14 year old or older linesperson. The linesperson will be positioned just off the court on the left hand back corner opposite the server. The linesperson does not change sides during match play. The referee has the right to overrule a linesperson at any time. The referee has the right to remove a linesperson at any time without explanation. A linesperson will notify the referee of a foot fault on the serving line immediately and will give an out-of-bounds call when asked by the referee.
a. A ball will be considered out-of-bounds if it:
ii. Touches the wall, objects mounted on the wall or objects on the floor outside the court.
ii. Touches the floor outside the court’s boundary lines regardless of overhanging the court.
iii. Touches the net antennas
iv. Does not cross the net within the antennas
v. Breaks the plane of an adjacent court, or goes over or touches the bleachers, benches, officials’ table, etc.
b. A foot fault occurs when a server touches the serving line or touches the court prior to or during the serve.
4. Scorekeeper – Each team will provide a scorekeeper. The home team will be the official word in the case of a score-keeping discrepancy. The scorekeeper will address a referee only during a dead ball and only regarding time, scoring or rotation problems. Remember: Time is not called and the game is not over until the referee blows the whistle and either signals time out or end of game.
5. Lineup – The lineup should be given to the scorekeeper prior to the coin toss. This is the responsibility of the head coach of each team.
a) Mandatory: Coaches must submit a lineup to the scorekeeper two minutes prior to the first game of the match. Coaches must also submit their lineup to the scorekeeper prior to the start of second and third games as well.
i) Players must stay in the order of their lineup.
ii) Players must be present to be listed on the lineup.
iii) A player arriving late for any game may not play if she has missed her spot in the rotation of ALL players present at the game in progress.
b) When making a lineup for just five (5) players present, you need to add a ‘Ghost Player’.
c) Ghost Player: If a team must begin the game with five (5) players, that team must record a 6th “ghost player” on its lineup. When it is time for the ghost player to serve, that team records a side out, and the serve is given to the opposing team.
d) Please note: Coaches must start game 2 and game 3 of a match with the same players in the same positions on the court that were out there when the previous game ended.
6. Player Uniform
a. Team uniforms must be purchased through PSO for an additional cost. It will consist of a shirt with the PSO logo in a prominent location on the front (normally upper left). Numbers must appear on the front and back of the shirt where it is clearly visible to the scorekeeper AND the referee. 2 inch numbers should be placed on the front and 6 inch numbers centered on the back of the uniform. The uniform also consists of shorts, socks and shoes (no black soles allowed). Team name on the shirt is optional.
b. Hard or unyielding guards, casts or braces are not permitted either on the finger, hand, wrist, forearm or leg. Braces or supports on other parts of the body are permitted (limiting an allowed brace to extend no further than halfway down the forearm) only if the referee judges them not to be dangerous. The referee may require that the player cover the brace. This does not include wrist bands.
c. No hard plastic or metal jewelry may be worn during games. No hard hair accessories will be permitted. Band-Aids will be allowed to cover earring studs during the match.
d. Please note: Kneepads are a mandatory part of the uniform for the safety of the player. Each player must purchase these separately.
e. Please note: All players must be wearing the correct jerseys to be eligible to play. If a player does not have one or forgets to it, she will not be allowed to play in the game until she has the correct jersey. This rule does not apply during the first couple weeks of league play if the league or uniform vendor is responsible for the missing jersey.
7. Referee Uniform And Equipment
a. The referee will wear a black and white vertical striped shirt, black shorts or pants, and socks and shoes.
b. The referee will carry red and yellow cards, a whistle and 3x5” cards with a pencil or pen. Referees will keep their own score on the 3x5 card to ensure the correct score is being recorded.
1. The Serve
a. The player in the back right position shall hit the ball with one hand, fist or arm after release, behind and without feet coming into contact with the serving line (free throw line). The ball shall be contacted within 5 seconds after the referee’s signal to serve.
b. The ball must be sharply hit with one hand. It may not contact anything, including the net, before passing over the net and must cross the net within the net antennas.
c. All players except the server must be inside the court at serve.
d. If the ball is thrown up and dropped before the serve is completed, the referee blows the whistle and signals re-serve. Then the referee signals to serve again, beginning a new 5-second period. Only one re-toss is allowed per term of service. If the ball is dropped a second time during the same term of service, a side-out is called.
i. Please note: the player cannot catch the ball. A ball that is caught before the serve is completed will result in a sideout.
e. A player must wait for the whistle and signal before serving the ball. After one warning per game, a sideout will result.
f. Please note: Teams do not rotate before their first serve, even if you start the game in serve receive.
g. One re-serve is allowed per player per serving rotation.
i. The receiving team must receive serve with an underhand pass. An open, over-hand pass on serve-receive is not permitted.
j. Each player can serve a maximum of 5 points during each service term.
k. No “let” serves (when the ball hits the net and drops on the opposite side on a serve)
l. Players must be in their relative position according to the official lineup at the time of the serve.
m. If the team is out of rotation at the time the ball is struck for serve, a side out is called on the offending team.
n. If a team is out of service rotation (wrong server) then the last point of that rotation, if any, is erased and the rotation will be corrected. If the rotation fault is discovered after the opponent has served, points will not be deducted from the offending team for the previous rotation.
2. Hitting the Ball
a. A player cannot jump and hit the ball from back row with any part of her foot on or in front of the 10-ft line.
b. Playing the ball on one hit is permitted.
c. Maximum of three touches is permitted, with the exception of a block, after which the team would still have three additional touches.
d. A ball may not be caught, pushed, carried, held or lifted.
e. If two or more players simultaneously hit the ball, then that touch counts as one team touch and either of the players can hit it for the team’s next touch.
3. Play At The Net
a. Players or their uniforms cannot contact the net.
b. A player’s foot cannot completely cross the midline and touch the floor. If any part of the foot is on the other side of the court, part of their foot must be touching the midline or the plane. A player may not touch the opposite side of the court underneath the net with any part of her body.
d. The ball can touch the net at anytime except on a serve.
4. Conduct Of The Match
a. The referee will conduct the match. A team captain may ask a referee during a game to repeat the call. Only the team captain or co-captain can ask the referee for clarification of a call or rule.
b. Please note: Coaches should not address the referee at all. This is the job of the floor captain.
5. Food And Drink
a. Practices and Games
i. Absolutely no food or drink is allowed in the gym during games or practices – this includes all water bottles, sports drinks, etc.
There is a water fountain available in the gym and several outside of the gym for the girls to use. If a water break is desired, drinks can be left in the lobby for the break. This is for the safety of all of the players, parents, spectators, officials, etc.