5th Grade Rules on Volleyball Games

The only rules difference between fifth-grade volleyball and the sport at any other level is that the youngsters play on a shorter net, according to USA Volleyball, the sanctioning body of the sport in America. Schools and other sports organizations, however, often adjust the rules to help fifth-graders learn the sport. The basics are the same, with teams allowed three hits to get the ball back over the net, but some groups make changes to court size, serving rules, how points are scored and what it takes to win a match.

  1. Court and Net

    • The official size of a volleyball court is 59 feet by 29 1/2 feet, with a net dividing the court in half lengthwise. Kid Sports suggests shortening and narrowing the court to 50 feet by 25 feet. The net height for fifth-graders, according to USA Volleyball, should be seven feet for boys, girls and coed games.

    Serving

    • USA Volleyball rules prohibit players from stepping into the court until after the ball has left their hand when serving. They may begin serving anywhere behind the baseline. Servers continue to serve as long as their team wins the point.

      Because fifth-graders often have not gained the size and strength to serve the volleyball the distance and height required to get it across the net and to the opposing team, some organizations make allowances. For example, the Dallas Parochial League suggests letting fifth-graders move five feet into the court to serve. On the other hand, because opposing teams might lack the skill needed to return the ball consistently, the league also says a player may serve only five times in a row before the other team get a chance to serve. Kid Sports says players should be allowed three serves, but that the team retains the serve and it shifts to the next player.

    Scoring and Matches

    • Most organized volleyball matches today use rally scoring, meaning that a point is scored by the winner of a rally, regardless of who served. But this often is not the case with fifth-graders. For instance, the City Suburban Catholic Conference of Chicago suggests using side-out scoring, meaning only the serving team may score. Kid Sports agrees, adding that let serves in the matches (serves that hit the net and go over into the opposing team's court) are side-outs, which is not the case in rally scoring.

      Games and matches are typically shorter than at higher levels, too. Kid Sports says matches should be best-of-three, with the first two games played to 15 and the tiebreaker played to eight.