Rules

The Game

• Starting at the scheduled game time, or as soon as the court is free, if the previous match ran long, whichever team is first to have its full roster on the court gets to choose the serve or the side of the court. If both teams are full at the same moment, rock/paper/scissors decides.

• Game Time Limit

  All matches have a maximum time limit of 1 hour. The scheduled game time serves as the start time for each match. If a match is scheduled for 6:30 PM, the set must be completed by 7:30 PM regardless of the score or whether all 3 sets have been fully played. One hour after the scheduled game time, teams must immediately leave the court, and the score at that time will be recorded as the final score. No exceptions will be made to extend matches beyond the 1-hour time limit.

• Game time is forfeit time. Start playing at your scheduled game time, even if your full team isn't present.
• The best of three sets will win matches. Each set will be won by the team that first scores 21 points, straight up. All three sets will be played during the regular season.
• In the 3rd set, teams switch sides of the court as soon as either team reaches 11 points. The orientation of the courts can put the setting sun directly in one team’s eyes, and stadium lights can create a similar disadvantage after sunset. Switching sides helps both teams share those conditions more fairly.
• Each team is permitted 1 thirty-second team time-out per set.
• Rest periods between sets of a match shall be no longer than 2 minutes. Be respectful of everyone's time. This is not the time to go inside and order more drinks. Do not leave the immediate playing area.
• Point will be scored on each rally. If the receiving team wins the rally, they score a point and gain the serve.
• Games are self-reffed, and you must keep your own score. Captains can submit scores through the TeamLinkt app or website.

The Serve

• The service zone includes the full width of the rear boundary line. The server may move freely within the service zone. At the moment of the service hit or takeoff for a jump service, the server must be completely in the service zone and not touching the court (end line included).
• Be considerate when serving near the corner lights. Do not serve from directly under a light. Move to another spot within the service zone so the receiving team can see the ball without looking directly into the glare.

• Net Serve Is In Play

  A served ball that hits the net does not result in the service team losing its serve. The net serve is considered in-play, unless 1) it does not continue over the net or 2) lands outside the opposing team's court-side untouched by the opposing team.

Spiking & Blocking

• The receiving team is not allowed to block or spike a served ball.
• A spiker must contact the ball on his/her own side of the net, but may in the course of the follow through reach over (but not touch) the net.
• The team that has affected the block shall have the right to three more contacts, with the blocker having the right to make the first of the three allowable hits.

Net Play

• A ball hit into the net may still be kept in play (up to 3 hits) provided that a player does not make contact with the net.
• Players may not touch the net. If 2 opposing players touch the net simultaneously, the ball is declared dead and the point is replayed.

Legal Play

• You Can Use Any Part of Your Body

  New to sand volleyball? You are allowed to play the ball off any part of your body, not just your hands and arms. Feet, legs, head, chest, whatever it takes to keep the rally alive is legal, as long as the ball rebounds cleanly.

• The ball must be returned over the net in 3 hits or less.
• It is legal to contact the ball with any part of the body as long as the ball rebounds immediately. It may not "lay" against the body. If a player touches the ball or the ball touches a player, it is considered as a play on the ball. Except in the following case: A ball touching the body more than once in succession is legal when played off a hard-driven spiked ball, or blocked and played again by the blocker.
• If 2 players on the same team contact the ball simultaneously, it counts as one contact, and any player may play the ball.
• One may play the ball twice during a volley, but not twice in succession, unless played directly off a block.
• When a ball touches a boundary line, it is considered in play.

Illegal Play

• Players are not permitted to scoop, hold, and lift or push the ball. The ball may never be contacted with an open-hand underhanded motion.

Extra Rules for Competitive Divisions

• No open-handed receiving (fingertips), except on hard-driven balls. The motion should be REACTIONARY.
• Hand sets must be clean, with little or no rotation on the ball. Elbows should be extending out when you contact the ball.
• No overhand sets over the net. Hand sets must be directed to a teammate; you cannot send an overhand set across the net regardless of shoulder alignment.
• No open-handed tipping, dinking, or dunking. Players who contact the ball with one hand and are putting the ball over the net must cleanly hit with the heel or palm of hand (a roll shot), with straight, locked fingers and a locked wrist (a cobra), knurled fingers (a camel toe), or with the back of the hand (locked wrist and locked fingers/knuckles). One-handed placement or redirection of the ball with the fingers (dink or open-handed tip) is a fault.

Skyball for the Win

• Not a requirement, just a tradition. On the possible winning point, if the serving team is up by at least 2 points (i.e. score of 20 to 18), the server should serve the ball as high as possible.

Power Line

• A ball hitting the power line above a playable area shall remain in play provided the ball contacts the power line on the side of the net that is occupied by the team that last played the ball.

• If your team hits the ball into the power line on your side of the court, keep playing.

  If your team hits the ball into the power line on the OTHER side of the court, the play is dead, and your team loses the point.

Lights Out

• The park's stadium lights are on a timer and shut off at a scheduled time each night. The court lights stay off as long as the park lights are bright enough, then automatically turn on once it gets dark. When the park lights cut out, there is a brief 2-second darkness before the court lights come on. If a point is actively in play when the lights go out, replay the point. It is not fair to lose a point to the darkness.

Female & Rotation Requirement

Substitutions

Eligibility and skill level

• Need a sub? Post in the league GroupMe chat. Any eligible player can volunteer to fill in.
• Subs must be registered and paid for the current season in a Matt’s Volleyball league. Players from any league night may substitute, subject to the rules below.
• Subs must be reasonably comparable in skill to the player they are replacing. Lower-skilled subs are always welcome.
• Recreational subs must be on a recreational team roster, except for Shuffle league players as noted below. Players who are on both a recreational-division team and a competitive-division team are eligible to sub in the recreational division. Competitive-division players who are not on a recreational-division roster are not eligible to sub, even if they “play down.”
• Shuffle league players who are not on any other team roster may sub in the recreational division, unless the league directors have determined they are competitive-level players.
• Recreational-division players may always sub for competitive teams.

Regular season

• Eligible subs do not require approval.
• A recreational team that uses an ineligible sub forfeits the match, even if the match has already been played.
• Report eligibility concerns to the league directors. The directors may enforce a forfeit and correct scores at any time, including after scores have been submitted.

Playoff substitutions

• All eligibility and skill-level rules above apply during playoffs.
• Each team may use only one sub during the playoffs, unless a player gets injured during the tournament.
• Playoff subs require approval. Submit requests by 2:00 PM on playoff day. The proposed sub and the player they are replacing must be named in the poll.
• Only captains from that league night vote. A majority of votes cast determines approval. The league directors may break a tie. If most captains do not vote, the league directors make the final decision.
• If a sub request is denied, the team may still play with its rostered players present. The minimum female requirement is waived for that match.
• Using an ineligible or unapproved sub results in a forfeit, even if the match is played. Concerns must be raised with league organizers before the next round begins.

Playoffs

• Playoff brackets are run in a tournament format, but each bracket's match structure and scoring format may vary based on bracket size and schedule. Depending on the bracket, matches may be a single game to 21 or best-of-three, and scoring may be straight up or win by 2.
• The higher seed gets to choose the serve or the side of the court.