Albion College Intramural Sports

LEAGUES

Competitive: competitive level of play; anyone can enter this league, however any team that has varsity player on their roster MUST play in this league.

Recreation: designed for players who have a lower level of volleyball experience but still enjoys the game and really want to play.

· Varsity Player = any student-athlete who played in an intercollegiate varsity volleyball contest in this academic year.

· Players may only play on ONE team; not one team in each division.

· All divisions are co-ed. (at least 3 people on the court must be women)

TEAMS

A. Co-Ed: A full team on the court consists of six players - three men and three women. A team must have at least three women on the court at all times. The placement of players on the court must be an alternation of men and women.

ELIGIBLE PLAYERS

1. All current Albion College students, staff and faculty may participate.

2. All participants must be registered on a team roster.

3. A team may make roster changes only up until the start of their first scheduled game. Roster maximum is 12 and roster minimum is 8.

4. If asked by the sport supervisor, players must show their college ID before the start of games.

FORFEIT POLICY -- Forfeit time is exactly 10 minutes after the scheduled start time.

I. GENERAL GAME REGULATIONS

A. Coin Toss: Prior to the start of the game the supervisor or scorekeeper shall hold a coin toss with the team captains after designating which captain will call the toss. The winner of the toss has choice of serving or court sides; the loser has the alternative choice. The teams shall switch sides of court after each game. If the match goes to three games, a retoss will determine service and court side.

B. Timeouts: Requests for timeouts or substitutions may be made only when the ball is dead. Each team is permitted two 30-second timeouts per game. Two consecutive time outs may be requested by either team without resumption of play between time outs.

C. Scoring

1. All games will be played with rally scoring. If the serving team wins a rally, this team scores a point and continues to serve. If the receiving team wins a rally, this team scores a point and wins the right to serve. There are no sideouts.

2. The best two out of three games constitutes a match. In the first two games, a game is won when one team has scored 30 points and is at least two points ahead. If the team leading does not have a two-point advantage, play shall continue until one team has a two-point advantage. In the third game, the game is won when one team has scored 15 points and is at least two points ahead. Play will continue until one team has a two-point advantage. There will be no point cap in any game.

3. A team may continue to play a ball they hit which touched the ceiling on the first or second hit as long as it comes down on their side of the court. If a ball hits the ceiling and goes into an opponent’s court a point will be awarded to the opponent.

II. RULES OF PLAY

A. The service

1. The ball shall be clearly hit for the service after being thrown or released from the other hand.

2. At the instant the ball is hit for service, the server must be behind the end line and may serve along the entire end line and may enter the court immediately after the ball is hit.

3. If a serve touches the net and continues over the net it will be considered a let serve and play will continue as usual.

4. Serving out of order: If a team has served out of order, the team loses the serve and any points gained during out of order service. The players of the team at fault must immediately resume their correct position.

5. Rotation: The first server is the right back player. Rotation is clockwise with the right front rotating to the service area.

6. The team not serving first in the preceding game of a match shall serve first in the next game.

7. The serving team loses the rally if, during the serve:

a. The ball passes under the net.

b. The ball touches a player of the serving team or any object before entering the opponent’s playing area.

c. The ball lands outside the limits of the opponent’s playing side.

d. The server serves from outside the service area or commits a foot fault.

e. The player serves with two hands.

f. Improper rotation order.

g. The ball is not thrown or released before it is hit.

7. Blocking the serve: Blocking a serve is illegal.

8. Screening: At moment of service, it is illegal for players of serving team to wave their arms, jump, or form groups of two or more players for the purpose of forming a screen to conceal the action of the server.

B. Contacting the ball during play

1. Each team is allowed a maximum of three successive contacts to return the ball to the opponent’s area.

2. The ball may be hit with any part of the body above and including the waist.

3. When the ball comes to rest momentarily in the hands or arms of a player, it is considered as being held. The ball must be cleanly hit. Scooping, lifting, pushing, or carrying the ball shall be considered a fault. Penalty: Point and serve awarded to the opposing team.

4. Double contact: A player contacting the ball more than once, with whatever part of the body, without any other player having touched it between contacts will be considered as having committed a double hit. Except on a hard driven spike. Penalty: Point and serve awarded to the opposing team.

5. Contacted ball: A player who contacts the ball or is contacted by the ball shall be considered as having played the ball.

6. Out-of-bounds play:

a. It is permissible to run out of bounds and play a ball before it contacts an object out of bounds providing that the player does not cross the center line extended to play the ball.

b. The ball must contact the out of bounds area before it is considered dead. Catching a ball and calling it “out” is not allowed.

c. A ball touching a boundary line is considered “in”.

7. Simultaneous contacts:

a. If two or more participants on the same team contact the ball simultaneously, it counts as one hit and either may participate in the next play. The next play will be counted as an additional contact.

b. If two or more players from opposite teams contact the ball simultaneously, either player may play the ball again. The next play of the ball is considered the first of three contacts for that team.

c. The block: Blocking is the action at the net of attempting to intercept the ball coming from the opponent’s side. Any player is considered as having the intention to block if any part of the body is placed above the height of the net in a position at the net.

(1) Blocking can be performed by any or all players of the front line.

(2) Any attempt to block is considered as an actual block only if the ball is contacted by one or more blockers.

(3) The team that has participated in a block shall have the right to three more contacts in order to return the ball.

(4) Any player participating in a block in which the ball is contacted shall have the right to make the next contact. The contact counts as the first of three contacts allowed that team.

(5) Back row players may not block the net.

(6) Any blocker(s) may reach over the net; however the blocker(s) shall not contact the ball over the opponent’s area until after completion of the opponent’s action which sends the ball toward the blocker’s side.

8.Successive contacts - In addition to blocking, successive contacts of the ball will be legal on any play which meets the following criteria:

a. It counts as the first of three team hits.

b. It is not an overhand play involving finger action on the ball.

c. There is a single attempt to play the ball. A player may legally successively contact a serve reception, the dig of a spike or tip, a retrieval of a block or even a free ball. Lifts, carries, held balls, and balls that roll on any part of the body are still illegal.

C. Play at the net

1. When a ball in play touches the net, it is considered good and play continues.

2. Net driven into player: If ball is forcefully driven into net causing the net to contact a player on the opposite team, it is not considered a fault.

3. Players may not contact the net while the ball is in play.

4. Spiking: Spiking is not allowed on the opponent’s side of the net. However, in the course of spiking, the spiker may follow through across the net.

D. Crossing the center line

1. Contact with any part of a player’s body on the opposite side of the court during a play constitutes a fault.

2. Touching the opponent’s playing area with a foot or feet is not a fault providing that same part of the encroaching foot or feet remains on or above the center line at the time of contact.

3. It is not a fault to enter the opponent’s court side after the ball is dead.

E. Back row players

1. Back row players may not direct a ball from within the attack area (area from 10 ft. Line to center line) into the opponent’s playing area unless the ball is below the height of the net.

2. A back line player may spike from behind the attack line. A back row player spiking from behind the attack line may land on or in front of the attack line providing the take-off was clearly behind that line.

Albion College ◦ Albion, Michigan ◦ 517/629-1000