Hub Lakes Volleyball Rules

  1. STARTING TIMES AND POSTPONEMENTS
    1. The season shall commence the first Tuesday after local public schools complete their school year. No matches shall take place on the 4th of July, should the Holiday fall on a Tuesday or Thursday.
    2. The women's match shall start at 7 PM. If a team is not ready to play by 7:20 they shall forfeit the first game. If that team is not ready to play by 7:40 they shall forfeit the match.
    3. The men's match shall start 15 minutes after the finish of the women's match. If the women's match is complete prior to 7:45, the men's match will not start earlier than 8PM. If there is no women's match, the men's match will start at 8 PM. If a team is not ready to play within 20 minutes of the scheduled starting time they shall forfeit the first game. If that team is not ready to play within 40 minutes of the scheduled starting time they shall forfeit the match.
    4. Matches can only be postponed due to weather or Act of God. All such postponed matches must be completed prior to the last scheduled day of the regular season. Any other match postponements must be agreed to by all coaches involved, approved by the volleyball chairperson, and played within 7 days of the originally scheduled match date.
  2. COURT AND PLAYING CONDITIONS
    1. The condition of the court is the home team's responsibility
    2. Court size shall be: length: 58.5 ft to 61.5 ft, width: 29 ft to 31 ft.
      1. Antennae will be placed on the net, parallel to the outer portion of the sidelines, so as to mark the court playing area as related to the position on the net. Antennae will extend from the bottom of the net to approximately two feet above the top of the net.
    3. Height of the net will be: Women: 7 feet, 4 inches (plus or minus 2 inches). Men: 8 feet (plus or minus 2 inches)
    4. Height of the net may vary as long as it remains within the specific limits.
    5. Each court shall be sufficiently illuminated at night and the boundary lines must be clearly defined. The ground rules must be clearly defined before each match, including out of play areas.
    6. The playing surface will be safe and clear of all dangerous obstructions. Macadam courts should be swept off and sand courts should be watered down before games to keep the dust level down.
    7. Macadam courts should have a line 10 feet back from the net, side line to side line, to designate the 'attack' zone. Sand courts should have a marker on each of the sidelines to help the referee determine the attack area.
    8. All rules apply to all playing surfaces (macadam, sand, grass, etc.)
    9. If a home team cannot provide a court for a match, regular season or playoffs, the game will take place on the opponent's court. In neither team can provide a court, the match may take place at a neutral court.
  3. OFFICIATING
    1. Both the home and visiting teams may supply one official each to call violations, however play may continue if no official is available. If no official, matches will be self officiated as per 3.8 below.
    2. Both teams may volunteer one individual each to call the lines (line judges).
    3. A game official, if any, will call violations by the use of a whistle.
    4. A game official, if any, may overrule a line judge.
    5. If there are two game officials, both have equal power and may not over rule one another. If both officials make opposing calls on the same play, a play over shall occur.
    6. If there is an official or officials, a captain may request at any time after any game that either a line judge or game official be replaced. The request must be complied with. Failure to replace the line judge or official shall constitute a forfeit of that game. Each team will be allowed a total of one request per match for either a line judge or official. Total requests may not exceed one. The judge or official requested to leave shall be referred to as 'dismissed' for the match.
    7. All off-court players and coaches must maintain a minimum distance of 10 feet from any game official(s) during play. Spectators must maintain a minimum distance of 10 feet from any game official(s) at all times during a match.
    8. If there are no officials, teams should call their own fouls. If a team calls their own foul, play should stop immediately. Opponent gets the point and serve. If you feel the opposing team has committed a foul, stop play immediately and identify the foul. If both coaches agree, point and serve goes to the team which did not commit the foul. If both coaches do not agree, replay the point.
  4. RULES OF PLAY
    1. DURATION OF THE GAME AND CHOICE OF TEAM AREA
      1. All matches shall consist of the best three out of five games.
      2. The visiting team shall have the choice of side, serve, or receive.
      3. After each game of a match, the teams will change playing areas. If a fifth game is played, there will be a coin toss. The home team shall call the toss. The winner of the toss shall have the choice of side, serve, or receive. The fifth game will be played to 15 points. The two teams will also switch playing areas when either team reaches 8 points. Play will continue with the same server and court positions. If the change of playing areas is not made at the proper time, it will occur as soon as the game official or one of the captains notices. The score, server and court positions will remain the same at the time of discovery.
      4. A match should start with six players per side, however a team must have at least five to start. Due to an injury during a match, a team would be permitted to play with less than five.
      5. The official ball for Hub Lakes play shall be the Wilson AVP Official Game Ball. Both the home team and visiting shall provide game balls. The home team has its choice of ball for games 1, 3, and 5. The visiting team has its choice of ball for games 2 and 4. A ball other than the specified official game ball may be used if both teams agree.
      6. Time outs may be granted by the referee only when the ball is dead. A team is allowed two, 60 second time outs per game. A referee may call an 'official' time out in the event of an injury.
      7. A maximum of 2 minutes is allowed between games in a match.
      8. In any circumstances or series of events prevent the completion of a match, such as bad weather, failure of equipment, etc., the match will be rescheduled, retaining the game and match score. Home team will decide if weather conditions make the court unplayable. If there is thunder or lightning during the match, NJ State rules apply as to continuing play. As of SEP. 2008, a period of 20 minutes free of lightning and or thunder is required prior to continuing play.
    2. COMMENCEMENT OF PLAY AND SERVICE
      1. The service is the act of putting the ball in play by the player in the right back position, who hits the ball with the hand (open or closed) or any part of the arm to send it over the net into the opponent's area. The server may stand anywhere behind the back line but between the side lines when serving. The server may jump to serve the ball but may not land or touch the playing area until the ball has left his/her hand. The serve is considered good if the ball passes over the net between the antennae. If the ball contacts the net during serve and passes over, it is a legal serve. The referee must whistle before each serve. The serve must be completed within ten seconds after the whistle, or the serve is forfeited. A server may re-toss the ball for serve, without any limit to the number of tosses as long as the ball is contacted for serve within 10 seconds after the service whistle.
      2. A player continues to serve until her/his team commits a fault or fails to return the ball to the opponents playing area.
      3. The referee will signal a side out and direct a change of service to the other team when one of the following service faults occurs:
        1. The ball does not pass over the net between the antennae.
        2. The ball touches a player of the serving team or any object before entering the opponents area.
        3. The ball lands outside the limits of the opponent's playing area.
      4. If a team serves out of order, the team loses the service and any points gained by that server. The players of the team at fault must immediately resume their correct position. If the service fault is not discovered until after a side out no penalty is assessed.
      5. The teams will alternate serve for the next game in each match, except where a fifth game is played (see 4.1.3).
      6. After the whistle for serve, it is illegal for a player(s) on the service team to move out of a set position until the ball is contacted by the server. The service team may not form groups of two or more players for the purpose of screening the action of the server. Violation will result in loss of ball and a point awarded to the other team.
    3. CHANGE OF POSITION
      1. Any team which gains the ball for service after a side out must rotate one position prior to serve. Rotation must be in a clockwise direction when facing the net.
      2. At the beginning of a new game, the players may change their positions, provided the referee is informed of the new lineup before the game starts.
    4. CONTACTING THE BALL DURING PLAY.
      1. The ball may be contacted with any part of the body.
      2. A player who contacts the ball or is contacted by the ball shall be considered as having played the ball (exception, see blocking rules).
      3. Each team is allowed a maximum of three successive contacts of the ball in order to return it to the opponent's area. No one player may make two consecutive contacts.
      4. The ball must be contacted and rebounded cleanly from the body. It may not be held, lifted, pushed, caught or carried. The ball may not roll or come to rest on the body.
      5. The ball may contact any number of parts of the body providing the contacts are simultaneous and that the ball is not held but hit and rebounds cleanly. Exception: Incidental multiple contact on any first ball over the net, as a team's first hit, is allowed provided the multiple contact is a result of a single motion.
      6. Players on the serve receive team may not block or attack the serve while in the attack zone.
      7. A player may not climb, grab or use any aid to gain an advantage in an attempt to play the ball (example: fences, bleachers, poles, etc.).
    5. SIMULTANEOUS CONTACTS.
      1. In a simultaneous contact of the ball by two opponents above the net, the player on the side opposite the projected flight of the ball is considered to have contacted it last. If the ball is held by two opposing players, it is a double fault and the referee shall direct a play over.
      2. When two players of the same team contact the ball simultaneously, it shall be considered as only one contact.
    6. BLOCKING
      1. Blocking is the action at the net of attempting to intercept the ball directed over the net by the opponent. Any player is considered as having the intention to block if any part of the body is placed above the net in a position at the net. Blocking may only be performed by front line players.
      2. Any blocker may reach over the net in an attempt to block the ball. However, the blocker may only make contact with a ball that is being directed over the net by the opponent.
      3. If the ball contacts one or more blockers, it shall be considered as only one contact, even if the contacts were not simultaneous. This contact does not count toward a team's allowable three hits.
      4. Any player who participated in a block in which contact with the ball was made shall have the right to make the next contact.
      5. Back row players are not eligible to block, but may move to the net to set or retrieve a ball.
    7. PLAY AT THE NET
      1. When a ball in play touches the net and continues over the net, it is considered good and play continues.
      2. To be in play a ball must cross the net completely between the antennae / boundary lines.
      3. A ball hit into the net may be played assuming a team has one or more of its three remaining hits left. A ball hit into the net is not considered dead until it is contacted a fourth time, hits an antenna or an area not between the antennae, or has touched the playing surface.
      4. No player is permitted to contact the net at any time, except as noted in rule 4.7.5.
      5. If the ball is driven into the net with such force as to cause the net to contact a member of the opponent's team, such contact shall not be considered a fault on the opponent.
      6. If two members of opposing teams contact the net simultaneously, it shall constitute a double fault, and a replay will occur.
    8. HANDS PASSING OVER THE NET
      1. During the block: see 4.6.2
      2. An attacking players hand may pass over the net in a follow through action, but initial contact with the ball must be made on the attackers side of the net.
    9. CROSSING THE CENTER LINE
      1. Touching the opponent's playing area with a foot is not a fault, provided that some part of the encroaching foot remains either in contact with or directly above the center line. Contact with the opponent's court over the center line with any other part of the body is a fault.
      2. Crossing the vertical plane of the net with any part of the body for the purpose of interference or distraction constitutes a fault.
      3. Inadvertent contact during normal play with an opponent above or below the net shall not constitute a fault unless in interferes with their play or is deemed intentional by the referee.
    10. BACK ROW PLAYERS
      1. When a back row player has moved into the attack zone (within the 10 foot line) the player may not hit the ball over the net while the ball is entirely above the height of the net.
      2. A back row player may, in any legal manner, hit or spike a ball from behind the 10 foot line. The player may jump in the air and hit the ball and land in the attack zone provided the take off was behind the 10 foot line.
      3. Back line players may not participate in the action of blocking. (see 4.6.5)
    11. BALL IN/OUT OF PLAY
      1. A ball touching any boundary line of the court is considered in bounds.
      2. The ball is considered out of bounds when it touches the ground, any object outside the court of play, antenna, ropes, posts or the net itself outside the side bands, or if any portion of the ball passes over or outside an antenna.
    12. SCORING
      1. A team scores whenever it wins a rally. When a team is serving and its opponent fails to return the ball over the net correctly or commits a fault a point is awarded. If the serving team fails to return the ball over the net correctly or commits a fault (serve fails to clear net, etc) a side out is declared and the opponent is awarded the serve and a point.
      2. A game is won when a team scores 25 points, except for the fifth game which is played to 15 points, and has at least a two point advantage. If the score is tied at 24-24, play is continued until one team has a two point advantage. (ex: 26-24, 31-29, 16-14 for the fifth game, etc.). There is no point cap.
    13. SUBSTITUTION
      1. A substitution may be made on any dead ball.
      2. There is no limit as to the number of times a player may enter a game, but when a player re-enters a game he/she must replace the player who replaced them.
      3. In the case of an injured player not able to continue play and there being no allowable substitute available, rule 4.13.2 may be waived.
  5. PLAYOFFS
    1. The champion and top four places will be determined by a two round, four team single elimination type tournament. Places five and down will be determined by their finish in the regular season round robin.
    2. Four teams will qualify for the playoffs. These four teams will be determined by the won/loss record of teams during the regular season round robin. Ties involving two or more teams will be decided as follows:
      1. Head to head record of the tied teams.
      2. Game record against the other teams involved in tie situation.
      3. Draw names from a hat.
      No team shall be eliminated from playoffs without a play in match (2 way tie for fourth requires tie break; 3 way tie for 3rd or 4 way tie for 2nd, etc. all require play in matches). The date, time, site and format of any play-in match will be established by the chairperson. Any play-in match(es) must take place between the final day of the regular season and the first scheduled playoff match, so as to not delay the scheduled start of the playoffs.
    3. Format: Team 1 will play team 4. Team 2 will play team 3. The two winners will then play for First and Second place, and the two losers will play for Third and Fourth.
    4. Matches will take place at the court of the higher seeded team.
    5. If funding is available, outside referees will be obtained for the semi-finals and finals.
    6. If a playoff match cannot take place due to inclement weather or Act of God, teams should agree on a makeup date. If teams cannot agree the match will be played on the next consecutive play date. (a Tuesday or Thursday, whichever is next).