Official Volleyball Rules in Ontario

Ontario is Canada's home of volleyball in more ways than one. The sport made its first Canadian appearance at an Ottawa YMCA in 1900, and Canada's governing body for the sport, Volleyball Canada (VC), is based in the province. However, it is the Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA) that is responsible for overseeing all volleyball in the province. Founded in 1929, the OVA organizes both beach and indoor volleyball for all ages and ability levels.

  1. Indoor Volleyball

    • The rules of volleyball for the whole of Canada are administered by Volleyball Canada (VC), which is in turn a member of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). The rules are therefore largely consistent across Canada and around the world. Two teams of six players face each other on a court 18 meters long and 9 meters wide. They are divided by a net at a height of 2.43 meters for men's competition and 2.24 meters for women's. The aim is to gain points by grounding the ball on the opponent's side of the net. Each side has three hits to return the ball, but players cannot hit the ball twice consecutively. The first team to 25 points with a two-point advantage wins the set. Matches are the best of three or five sets.

    Beach Volleyball

    • As is the case with the indoor game, beach volleyball in Ontario and across Canada is determined by the FIVB. Beach volleyball is played by two teams of two players each. As with indoor volleyball, the aim is to ground the ball on the opponent's side of the net. Each team has three hits to prevent this from happening and to launch its own attack. No one player can hit the ball twice in a row. Teams battle it out over the best of three sets. To win a set, a team needs to reach 21 points with a two-point advantage. The main difference between indoor and beach volleyball is the court. Beach volleyball is played on sand and the court only measures 16 meters by 8 meters.

    Ontario Competitions

    • The OVA organizes competitions at every age level, from the 14-and-under age group through the under-20s and adult competition. It also oversees the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) competition and the Ontario Universities Association (OUA) tournament. For both tournaments, teams are allowed 14 players in the match-day squad. The OCAA tournament has a final-eight playoff structure, whereas both men's and women's OUA competitions have four teams in the playoffs. The other main difference between the tournaments is that in addition to two discretionary 60-second timeouts, teams in the OUA can also take up to four further 30-second timeouts.