The league shall operate under the rules outlined in the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSHSA) official Rules Book with certain adaptations, outlined in the rules below. Any situation not specifically addressed below shall follow the NFSHSA Rules Book. Each school may purchase a NFSHSA Rules Book at http://www.nfhs.com or by calling (800)776-3462.

General Rules

The net shall be 7′ high, and the playing area shall be 60′ by 30′. A10′ line and a junior varsity (TV) serve line (3′ in from the end line) shall be painted (or marked) on the court.

Substitutions will be allowed at any position, but the position of the substitute shall be that of the player replaced without changing the serving order (ie. if player “A ” goes in for player “B” only player “A ” and “B” can substitute for each other). To accommodate large teams, the coaches may mutually agree, prior to the start of the match* to alter the substitution rules to allow players to rotate into the game from the right front position.

As this is a participatory league, the coach must assure that all eligible team members present are given the opportunity to play in the game.

The League utilizes paid officials for games. The home team is responsible for supplying one scorekeeper. Each team shall provide a line judge for each game.

Coaches are responsible for the conduct of players and spectators. Good sportsmanship is always expected of all coaches and players.

Games will be scheduled on weekdays, after school, and shall begin as close to 3:30 as
possible. If a team is going to be late, the coach shall notify the opposing school by noon on the day of the game.

If both schools have both a JV and Varsity, the JV teams shall play the first match unless otherwise agreed by both coaches prior to the match.

Cancelling a game should seldom occur. This is especially true since the league uses paid officials. The principals must call cancellations directly to the League Coordinator. If a game must be cancelled for an unforeseen (immediate) reason, the principal of the team unable to play shall notify the opposing team’s principal prior to noon on the day of the scheduled game. The principal of the team unable to play must also contact the League Coordinator, who will notify the head official. In the event of a rainout, the coach of the home team will attempt to determine by noon whether the game can be played. If rain arrives or worsens after noon, the principal will notify the visiting coach of the cancellation of the game as soon as possible and likewise contact the League coordinator who will contact the head official.

The League Coordinator must be the one to reschedule make-up games. Schools may not do that on their own.

A coin toss by the referee with captains of each team before the match will determine which team serves first. The winner of the coin toss may choose to serve first or to select the side of play her team will play on for the first game.

Excessive complaining or arguing about a call may result in a point for the opposing team and, if the complaining team is serving, a loss of serve.

Each team shall designate a playing captain; these are the only players who may communicate with the official.

A ball landing inside or on a boundary line is considered in the court.

A ball is considered out of bounds and becomes dead if it touches the ground completely outside the court’s boundary lines, touches an object outside the court, touches the net antennas above or within the net, or does not pass over the net entirely between the net antennas.

Team Size

A team shall consist of six players playing on the court at one time. All six eligible players must he present at game time to avoid a forfeit. If a team has fewer than six eligible players after the start of a match, play shall continue.
Player Position
Serving order will rotate clockwise.

The libero is a back-row player who is a defensive specialist Only one libero may be designated per game. (Libero is optional but you must notify the official and coach if using one). The libero is a player specialized in defensive skills: the libero must wear a contrasting jersey color from their teammates and cannot block or attack the ball when it is entirely above net height. When the ball is not in play, the libero can replace any back-row player, without prior notice to the officials. The libero is the player on the court in the different color jersey. … The libero is allowed to serve for one player, and only one player, on the court.

At the time the ball is served, all players, except the server must be within their court area in two rows of three players each -players may not overlap front-to-back or side-to-side. After the ball is contacted for the serve, the players may move from their respective positions.

When a player or players of a team is/are discovered to be out of rotation, the play must be stopped and the error corrected. All points scored by the team while the player/players was/were out of rotation shall be canceled. If the team at fault is serving at the time of discovery, a side-out will be declared.
All front row players are permitted to block and spike from anywhere on the court. The back-row players may not block or attack in front of the 10-foot line. Back row setters may not jump in front of the 10′ line allowing the ball to go over the net. The team not serving first in a game is required to rotate, upon the first side-out, before serving.

Length of Match

A match shall consist of the best two-out-of-three games in which a team is considered the winner of the match when it wins two games. For JV, the first two games shall be to 21 points and must be won by two points. Varsity shall be to 25 points and must be won by two points.

The third game shall be to 15 points (JV & Varsity) and must be won by two points. A third game shall not be played unless it is necessary to determine the winner of the match. If a third game is necessary, a coin toss shall be conducted prior to that game to determine which team will serve first. If a third game is necessary, teams will change sides after one team has scored eight points.

All games will be scored with rally scoring, which means that a point will be awarded after each rally. If the serving team wins the rally, it scores a point and continues to serve. If the receiving team wins the rally, it scores a point and gains the serve. Each time a team gains the serve, it must rotate one position clockwise before serving. After each game, the teams will change sides of the court

Each team will be allowed two time-outs per game.

Service

The server can serve from anywhere behind the end line. JV servers may start behind the JV” serve line (3′ in from the end line).

If a player serves before the referee’s whistle, the service is replayed. At the instant the ball is hit for the service, the server must be behind the end line and between the sidelines, but may enter the court immediately after the ball is hit.

Serving faults include: ball passes under the net:

Ball does not pass over the net;
Ball is hit a second time by the serving team or any object before landing in the opponent’s court;
The ball lands outside the lines of the opponent’s court;
The server steps on or over the end line or JV serve line. Change of service occurs when a server commits a fault or a side-out is signaled at the end of a rally.

The team that receives the ball for service shall rotate one position clockwise before serving. The opposing team may not block a serve. The ball may not touch the net on the serve. (Optional- coaches prior to the match will determine if this rule will apply to their match).

Contacting the Ball

Each team is allowed a maximum of three successive contacts of the ball before returning it to the opponent.

The ball may be contacted with any part of the body at or above the waist.

The ball may contact more than one part of the body, down to the waist, provided the contacts are simultaneous and the ball is not held. (If the ball is considered to be a hard-driven ball, the ball can be played off more than one body part at different times — i.e., a player receiving and playing a hard-driven ball cannot be called for a double-hit.)

A player who contacts the ball or is contacted by the ball is considered to have played the ball.

When the ball rests momentarily in the hands or on the arms of a player, it is held and the opposing team wins the rally.

Balls must be hit cleanly without scooping, lifting, pushing, or carrying.

A ball below the waist may not be played with an open hand.

A player contacting the ball more than once without any other player having touched it between contacts will have committed a double hit (except as noted above), and the opposing team wins the rally.

In a simultaneous contact of the ball by two opponents above the net, the team whose side the ball enters has the right to play the ball three times. If, after simultaneous contact, the ball lands in the playing area of either team, the team on whose side it lands will lose the rally.

If two players on the same team contact the ball simultaneously, it counts as one play and either player may make the next contact on the ball. If two opponents commit a fault simultaneously, there will be a replay.

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

A player may receive a serve either above or below the head (i.e., set, overhead pass, one-arm pass or two-arm pass.

Blocking

Any or all players in the front row can perform blocking. At no time may a back-row player block.
Any player participating in a block in which the ball is contacted shall have the right to make the next contact, with it counting as the first hit for that team. If the ball contacts more than one player during the block, it will be counted as only one hit even if the contacts were not made simultaneously, and either player may make the next contact Any blocker(s) may reach over the net but may not contact the ball until completion of the opponent’s attack via spike or pass. Following a successfully blocked ball which returns to the attacker’s side* the attacking team is allowed up to three more contacts to return the ball over to the opponent’s side.

Spikes

There must be a 10′ attack line painted or marked on the court A back row player attacking the ball may not begin her jump on or in front of the 10′ line. An attacker’s hand passing over the net in completion of a spike is not a fault. Back row players may not contact the ball in front of the 10′ line unless the ball is below the height of the net when hit.

In and Under the Net

If the ball is driven into the net forcefully enough to contact an opponent, it will not be counted as a fault against the opponent. A player may step on the center line; however, for safety reasons, a player may not step over the center line (i.e., no part of the foot may extend beyond the center line.