GCAA VOLLEYBALL RULES / GUIDELINES

 

Court and Net:

Indoor courts must measure approximately 60 feet by 30 feet (the exact dimensions are 18 meters by 9 meters), with a net dividing the court in half lengthwise. Court boundaries must be clearly marked and there must be an attack line parallel to the net and 9 feet, 10 inches back from it on each side (often referred to as the 10-foot line).

For GCAA Volleyball, the net will be set to 7 feet 4 inches for all age groups. This gives all age groups more opportunities to engage in all aspects of the game, including front row attacking and blocking.

 

Players:

Teams may have as many as 10 players but only six players are allowed on the court at any one time. All players must wear same-color uniforms except the libero.

·         Liberos are defense-only players who play the back row. Teams may designate two liberos, but only one may play at a time. Liberos are allowed to replace another back row player when the ball is out of play. A libero cannot move in front of the attack line to set the ball but may set from behind it. The libero can serve, but only in one position of the lineup. When it is the Liberos turn to serve, the Libero can change positions on the back row (walk off and back on the court in the same dead ball).

Substitutions take place between the net and the 10-foot line, Libero replacements take place between the end line and the 10-foot line.  GCAA has unlimited substitutions.

All players are granted equal playing time. If a coach is to run a legitimate offense (e.g. 4-2, 6-2, 5-1) with multiple substitutions for specialization, each individual player must participate no less than 50% of rotations.

 

Serving/Playing:

The ball must be served from any point behind the baseline. If it hits the net and goes over, it is in play; if it hits the net but does not go over, it is a loss of serve and point. Once a ball is in play, a team can touch it up to three times before returning it to the opposing team.

The serve must be executed within 5 seconds. If the player recognizes a bad toss, the ball must hit the floor without the player touching it. The player must contact the ball on the second toss, or a point is given to the opponent and a side out will be called.

Serves are limited to five (5) consecutive points. Once a server has reached a 5 limit serve, it’s a side out with the serve going to the other team. No point is given regarding this side out.

For GCAA Volleyball, Players in the Lower (9-11) age division will be permitted to serve underhand. To encourage initial success with serving, players may serve from in front of the end line. GCAA provides a Lower division serving line that is 24” in front of the baseline. Players with advanced capabilities are expected to serve from behind the baseline and may be asked to do so by the official.

Lower Division (9-11): Each player must serve every set (unless the game doesn’t allow a full team rotation).

Upper Division (12-14): Each player must serve at least once per game (either in the first or second set). The scorekeeper or down referee will be keeping track and let a coach know after the first set who must serve in the second set.

·         If a player doesn’t serve in the first or second set, the second set will be forfeited.

No player may hit the ball twice in succession.  The ball cannot be attacked on the serve; that is, if it clears the net, the receiving team cannot attempt to attack it or block it. Players may either underhand or overhand pass the ball after it clears the net.

A player who is in the back three zones of the court, is not permitted to jump in front of the attack line (10-foot line) to get the ball over the net.

 

Obstacles – If the ball strikes an overhead obstacle (ceiling, ductwork, light, etc.) it is still a live ball and can be played, as long as the ball does not cross the net. If the ball strikes an off-court obstacle (wall, basketball goal, bleachers, etc.) it is a dead ball. A ball that becomes stuck on/in an inbounds obstacle will be replayed.

Penetration under the net into the opponent’s space is permitted if it does not interfere with the opponent’s play.

·         Penetration into the opponent’s court, beyond the center line: to touch the opponent’s court with a foot (feet) is permitted, provided that some part of the penetrating foot (feet) remains either in contact with or directly above the center line: to touch the opponent’s court with any part of the body above the feet is permitted provided that it does not interfere with the opponent’s play.

 

Contact with the Net:

Contact with the net by a player between the antennae, during the action of playing the ball is a fault. The action of playing the ball includes (among others) take-off, hit (or attempt) and landing. Players may touch the post, ropes, or any other object outside the antennae, including the net itself, if it does not interfere with play. When the ball is driven into the net, causing it to touch an opponent, no fault is committed.

 

Scoring and Games:

For GCAA Volleyball, the rally-point scoring will be utilized. In rally scoring, a point is rewarded to the team that wins a rally, regardless of which team serves. Matches are the best two out of three games. The first two games are played to 25 points, and the tie-breaking third game to 15.  A team must be ahead by two points to win the game.

Teams must rotate on change of possession, just prior to serving – this includes the first possession. The overlap rule applies to player positions.

Teams are allowed two 30 second timeouts in each of the first 2 sets and one 30 second timeout in the third set.

 

Additional Rules for GCAA Volleyball:

Absolutely NO OUTDOOR SHOES are allowed on the gym playing floor at any time. Players are to dedicate a clean pair of shoes to be used during the volleyball season. This rule applies to all individuals including coaches, assistant coaches, and parent helpers. Coaches are responsible for compliance during their practice and game times.

If a player has an unexcused absence from a practice, it is GCAA policy that they will sit a set during the next scheduled game.  It is each coach’s discretion what qualifies as an excused versus unexcused absence.

For safety, jewelry of any kind is prohibited during games and is discouraged during practices as well. If a player is seen wearing jewelry on the game court, the game will be stopped, and a time-out charged to the player’s team. If the team has no timeouts left, loss of a point and the serve will occur.

Asessments and Practices are closed to spectators. Only coaches with background checks are allowed in the gym during these times!