Lakeland College

Lakeland Intramurals Sand Volleyball Rules

1. General
1. There are no positional faults in 4-man volleyball, i.e. you don't have to rotate positions (although you do have to keep "rotation" order for serves). Also, you can block or hit from any position on the court, i.e. there is no penalty for "backrow hitting".
2. There is no visible middle line in sand obviously, so the rules for crossing under the net are somewhat lenient. Players may partially or completely cross the center line below the net or outside the poles, either before, during or after a legal play of the ball, provided that this does not interfere with the opponent's play. Incidental contact with an opponent is ignored, unless such contact interferes with the opponent's opportunity to play the ball.
3. When digging a hard-driven spike it can be double-hit and momentarily lifted. Open hand digs are okay.
4. Blocking does not constitute a team contact, so you may contact the ball three more times after a block.
5. You can play with all parts of the body, i.e. you can use your feet to dig the ball.
2. Teams
1. SUBMITTING A ROSTER: Each team must submit a roster with a maximum of 5 players.
2. No player may register for more than 1 team.
3. Three players are required to avoid forfeit.
3. Timing and Scoring Regulations
1. A match shall consist of 3 games during the regular season.
2. Standings will be based on the number of games won, not the number of matches won.
3. A game is over when one team scores 25 points.
4. The winning team must have at least a two-point advantage. If a 24-25 score exists, play will continue until one team wins by 2 points.
5. Games will be rally scored (a.k.a. quick scoring).
6. A point is awarded for after every serve.
4. Serving Regulations
1. A coin toss will be done between the two opposing captains. The winner has the choice of: serving the first game or choosing which court to start on.
2. At the beginning of each of the next 2 games the roles are reversed.
3. The serve is the act of putting the ball into play by the right back-row player who hits the ball with one hand or arm from the service zone (anywhere beyond the back line and within the two sidelines).
4. Authorization of the serve must be given to the server from the official before the serve may be hit.
5. If the server does serve the ball before the official blows his/her whistle and gives the signal, the ball is dead and will be re-served.
6. Serves may be underhand, overhand or participants may attempt to jump serve.
7. The players of the serving team must not screen the opponents from seeing the contact for service or the path of the ball. This would include a player waving arms, jumping up and down, or moving sideways at the time of the serve. The serving team is also prohibited from making a collective screen when the server is hidden behind two or more teammates and the ball is served over them.
8. Blocking the serve is illegal.
9. Only one serve is allowed, but players may drop a bad toss once and still serve (There are no "re-serves" if the serve should fault.) Faults on the serve may occur when:
   1. ball touches net or teammate
   2. ball is passed under the net
   3. ball goes out of bounds. The ball is out-of-bounds when it touches any surface, object, or ground outside the court. A ball may be played from out-of-bounds from your territory only. It is illegal to touch the opponent’s court in the act of playing a ball.
10. On change of serve, all players shall rotate clockwise (to the right in front line and left in second line).
11. Positions of players may be changed only after a completed game.
12. If your team does not start the game with the serve, the team must rotate before the first serve.
5. Legal and Illegal Hits
1. The ball must be cleanly hit. The following constitutes a legal hit:
   1. Contacting the ball with the heels of the hands, fists, or arms.
   2. A closed fist punching at the ball.
2. The following constitutes illegal hits:
   1. Ball visibly comes to rest
   2. Held ball
   3. Using fingers for underhand hit
   4. Blocking the serve
6. Faults
   1. The following types of faults can occur during an attempt to play the ball:
      1. Player touching net.
      2. Hand or hands over top into opponents’ side of net in hitting ball.
      3. A player takes support from a teammate or any object in order to reach the ball.
      4. A team contacts the ball four times or more before returning it to the opponents.
      5. Catching or throwing the ball. The ball must be tapped.
      6. Serve out of turn. (Loss of points scored by ineligible server.)
      7. A player contacts the ball twice in succession or the ball contacts various parts of the player’s body successively.
      8. A player receives personal warning.
7. Blocks
1. A ball touched by a player, playing close to the net, and attempting to block a shot by an opponent, shall not be counted as one of the three taps permitted by his team. He/she may block the shot and play the ball before a teammate touches the ball.
2. If two players block the ball simultaneously, this will count as one hit.
3. A joust (ball coming to a rest above the net on a block attempt) will result in a replay of the point.
8. Attack-Hits
1. All actions directing the ball toward the opponent, except a serve or block, are attack-hits.
2. An attack-hit is completed the moment the ball completely crosses the vertical plane of the net or is touched by a blocker.
3. Restrictions to a back-row player:
   • A back-row player may complete an attack-hit at any height from behind the front zone.
   • A back-row player may also carry out an attack-hit from the front zone if at the moment of the contact any part of the ball is below the top of the net.
9. Timeouts and Substitutions
1. Substitutions may be made anytime the ball is dead.
2. Each team is allowed only 1 one-minute time out per game.
3. Time-outs may be requested any time the ball is dead.
4. Teams must be ready to play by 5 minutes past the hour.
5. If a team shows up more than 5 minutes after the hour, the team that arrived on time has the following options:
   1. They may claim forfeit of all three games.
   2. They may claim forfeit for one game and agree to play #2 and #3 games.