Volleyball Antenna Rules

Antennae are placed on top of the outer boundaries of both sides of the net in volleyball, directly above the side boundary lines of the court. They are there to identify when a ball has or has not passed over the net space. A ball that passes over the net on the outside of an antenna or that touches an antenna is out of bounds.

  1. Size, Material and Placement

    • An antenna should be 5 feet 11 inches long and 3/8 inch in diameter, and made of fiberglass or another type of flexible material. Antennae are fastened to the outer edges of the bands that run vertically on the net directly above the sidelines, with the top 2 feet 8 inches of the antennae rising above the net. The bands are white bands, 2 inches wide and 3 feet 3 inches long. Antennae should be marked with two contrasting colors--typically red and white--for easy identification. They are considered to be part of the net.

    Net Space

    • The antennae mark the outer edges of the in-bounds area of the court and extend on an imaginary line to the ceiling or indefinitely in beach games. A ball must cross inside this space to be in play. If it touches the antennae or is judged to have been in a position above the antennae where it would have made contact had the antennae been extended, it is out of play. In other words, a ball is sent very high on a return to the opposite side of the court. The referees must decide whether the ball would have made contact with an antenna if the antenna were raised to the point at which the ball passed over the net.

    Player Contact

    • Players commit a foul if they touch the top 32 inches of an antenna or block an attack from outside an antenna and in the offensive player's space. To clarify: Blocks are typically performed by reaching over and across the net into the opponent's space. This is legal as long as the block does not make contact with the net. However, a blocker who reaches over the net outside of an antenna to make a block is committing a foul. A player is not in violation if he touches the lower part of the antenna as long as the contact does not interfere with play.

    Referees

    • The first referee calls a player for contact with the antenna on that referee's side of the court, and the second referee makes the call on the opposite side. The same is true for deciding when a ball has illegally crossed above the space of the net, even if it does not contact an antenna.