Sportsmanship Rules

Team Captain

5.1.2          When the ball is out of play, only the team captain is authorized to speak to the referees:

5.1.2.1             to ask for an explanation on the application or interpretation of the Rules

5.1.3          At the end of the match, the team captain:

5.1.3.1             thanks the referees and signs the score sheets to ratify the outcome.

 

Participants Conduct

21.1.2        Participants must accept referees’ decisions with sportsmanlike conduct and without dispute. In case of doubt, clarification may be requested only through the team captain.

21.1.3        Players must refrain from actions or attitudes aimed at influencing the decisions of the referees or covering up faults committed by them.  

21.2.1        Participants must behave respectfully and courteously in the spirit of FAIR PLAY, not only toward the referees, but also toward other officials, opponents, teammates and spectators.

22.2.1        Rude Conduct: action contrary to good manners or moral principles, or expressing contempt.

22.3.1        The first Rude Conduct in the match by any team member is penalized with a loss of rally.

Contacting the ball-

14.4.1        The ball may touch any part of the body. (added 1996)

14.4.3.2     Commentary: The first hit of the team includes reception: (a) of the serve; (b) of an attack-hit by the opponent [this may be a soft or hard attack-hit] (c) of a ball blocked by one’s own team and (d) of a ball blocked by the opponents.  During the team’s first hit, successive contacts with various parts of the player’s body are permitted in a single action of playing the ball.  These include contacts involving “finger-action” on the ball and contact with the foot.  The ball, however, may not be caught or thrown.

Let serve/net serve is played.

15.2           The ball may touch the net while crossing it. (added 2001)

Adjacent courts are out of bounds.

16.1.3        Commentary: When competition is scheduled or is occurring on an adjacent court(s), it is fault for a player to enter the adjacent court(s) to play a ball or after playing a ball.

Attack-hit

16.2.2        A player making an attack-hit is permitted to pass hand(s) beyond the net after the attack-hit, provided the ball is contacted within his/her own playing space.

16.2.3        A player is permitted to pass hand(s) beyond the net inside the antennas and contact the ball over the opponent’s court on his or her team’s first or second hit, provided the ball has not completely crossed the vertical plane of the net and is directed back into the player’s own playing space.

18.2.1        The front row player may carry out an attack-hit at any height, provided the ball contact has been made within the team’s playing space.

18.4.1        Attack-hit faults: A player initiates an attack-hit on the ball completely within the playing space of the opposing team.

Service: Entire back line.  One toss only.

12.4.1        The ball shall be hit with one hand or any part of the arm after being tossed or released from the hand(s).

17.5.1        The player may move freely within the service zone. (added 1996)

17.5.5        Only one toss or release of the ball, which can be considered to be part of the service action, is allowed. (added 1999)

Cannot block or hit the serve.

18.4.4        [It is a fault if…] A player completes an attack-hit on the opponent’s serve when the ball is entirely above the top of the net.

19.5.4        Blocking fault: a player blocks the opponent’s service.

Blocking

19.3.1        Blocking of the ball across the net above the opponent’s team area shall be permitted, provided:

19.3.1.1     the block is made after the opponents have executed an attack-hit.

19.3.2        Any third team hit by the opponent is an attack-hit and may be blocked at any time after the contact.

 

Additional SVA Rules

Team Composition:

·  18 years or older only.

·  Number of players on the court: Min 2, Max 6.

·  Number of men on the court: Max 3 or one more than the number of women (whichever is fewer).

·  If you have only 5 players, play with no "official" middle back.

·  If you have only 4 players, play with no left or right back. Whoever serves is the middle back.

·  Regardless of the number of players, proper rotational positions must be kept at the time of serve (no overlaps). For instance, even if a team has only 3 players (so no back row), they still must adhere to their proper left, middle, and right front positions when the serve happens.

·  Number of men in the front row: Max 2.

·  You may borrow up to two players from another team.

·  Teams may add players to their roster at any time during the season, EXCEPT the night of the finals.

·  Each team is required to provide one first referee (with whistle) and two line judges, whenever possible.

 

·  Men playing in the women's league require specialized rules:

·         No more than a TOTAL of 4 players on the court if a male is playing.

·         Men may not attempt to block at any time.

·         Men may only attack the ball with a downward trajectory if take off is from behind the attack line.

·         If in front of the attack line and the ball is above the net, men must have a visible upward trajectory on the ball (at least 1/2 inch).

 

 

View ball handling guidelines here.