Volleyball Rules

4v4 Volleyball Rules and Policies

Player Eligibility

1. All participants are to be current students, faculty, staff, or administrator. Ids must be presented when asked for.

2. Players can only participate on one open team or one men's/women's team.

3. No current Fordham Volleyball players are eligible to play. No Ex-Fordham or other collegiate varsity players are eligible to play if they have been on a varsity roster within the past one year.

Number of Players and Serving

1. A team may consist of a minimum of three players and a maximum of four players.

2. Players must be in the correct serving order when the ball is served. A server shall continue to sserve until their team commits a fault. If the serving team wins the rally, they score a point and continue to serve. If the receiving team wins the rally, they score the point and gain the serve.

3. Each time a team gains the serve, it must rotate one position clockwise before serving. Failure to do so will result in a violation.

4. A server shall hit the ball with one hand, fist or arm. 

Start of Game and Game Time

1. Game time is the starting time. There is a 5-minute grace period for late games. After that time, supervisors will declare a forfeit. 

2. There will be rally scoring. A point can be scored on every serve by either team.

3. Matches will be decided by who wins two out of three games. The first two games  will be played to 25. The third game, if necessary, will be played to 15. You must win by two points.

4. Before beginning the first game, the referee shall conduct rock, paper, scissors to determine who serves first. At the beginning of the second game, the team that received first in the first game will serve first in the following game. Before the third game, another rock,paper, scissors will be done. At the end of each game, teams shall change courts. 

Points

Points are earned for:

  1. Serving illegally
  2. Failure to return the ball legally to the opponent's court
  3. Catching the ball
  4. Holding the ball (scooping, lifting and shoving)
  5. Striking the ball more than once in succession.
  6. Be the fourth player to play the ball (except when there has been a simultaneous hit)
  7. Touch the net with any part of the body during a live ball
  8. Reach under the net and touch the ball or a player of th opposing team when the ball is in play on that side, or interfere with the play of the opposing team by entering the opponent's court, or touching the floor on the opposite side of the center line when the ball is in play. A centerline foot fault shall be called when a player's whole foot or hand crosses the plane of the center line.
  9. Make an illegal substitution
  10. Persistently delay the game
  11. Strike the ball while supported by any player
  12. Throw the ball
  13. Hold or push the ball against the net
  14. Block or attack a served ball

Substitutes

  1. Substitutes are only made during a dead ball
  2. Substitutions may be made:
    1. Substitute players may rotate into the left back position. This procedure, if used, must be used throughout the game with the exception of one-for-one being allowed in case of an injured/ill player. Once the injured/ill player has been replaced, they may not return that game
    2. Substitution may be made in a one-for-one manner:
      1. Each team is permitted one request for substitution during the same dead ball. May enter more than one substitute but only one request may be made.
      2. Substitutes should report their name to the official and the name of the player leaving the game
      3. Delaying subtitution is illegal, it must be done immediately after the official has recognized the substitution
      4. The position of the substitute shall be that of the player replaced without changing the serving order
      5. Once a player has been replaced, they can only reenter for the player that replaced them for abnormal subtitution situations
      6. A player is limited to 3 entries during a game except for abnormal substitution situations. Starting the game counts as an entry.
      7. When no legal substitutes are available, an abnormal situation is permitted only for an injured/ill player who has played in another position but has less than 3 entries. If such a player is not available, a player who has been in the game 3 times may substitute.
      8. If the one-for-one procedure is being used, the substitution procedure must be used throughout the game.

General

  1. A player may contact the ball with any part of the body
  2. A player may go out-of-bounds to play a ball, but not beyond the centerline extended
  3. A foot fault occurs when the server steps on or over the line bounding the serving area during the act of serving
  4. A double foul shall be called when players on opposing teams commit a rules infraction at the same instant
  5. Blocking a ball which is entirely on the opponent's side of the net is permitted when the opposing team has had an opportunity to complete their attack:
    1. The attacking team has had the opportunity to spike the ball
    2. The attacking team has completed their 3 hits
    3. The ball is falling near the net and no member of the attacking team could reasonably make a play on the ball
  6. If a ball is driven into the net with such force it causes the net to contact a player on the opposing team, no foul shall be called
  7. If the ball is contacted by two players simultaneously, it counts as one hit and either player may make the next hit
  8. A ball touching a boundary line is good
  9. If only one player is attempting to block and in doing so contacts the ball, they are permitted to contact it a second time