Volleyball Rules Regarding Serve and Receive Positions

Player positioning at the time the ball is served is a critical part of volleyball. The game is designed to challenge player versatility and coaching strategy through the rotation of players to all positions on the court. Those rotation rules are enforced at the time the ball is served. The violation of those rules gives a point to the other team and allows the opponent to control the service.

  1. The Server

    • The player in the right back position on the court is the designated server in volleyball. The server must be in the service area, which is the area behind the end line, and between the two short lines that serve as indicators of an extension of the sidelines. Once she receives the authorization to serve from the referee, the ball must be struck with the feet behind the end line and inside the service area. A foot can be in the air but cannot have touched the ground either wider than the service area or inside the court.

    Rotational Fault

    • The team that wins a point controls the service of the next ball. When that team is winning back the serve from the opponent, it must rotate its players one position in the clockwise direction before serving. The court is divided into six positional areas, three on the front row and three on the back. When a team fails to rotate or has players rotate to an incorrect position, it is a rotational fault and a point goes to the other team.

    Overlap Rule

    • The most common violations of the serving and receiving positions of volleyball are overlap violations. Each player must be within his designated position at the time of service, but that does not mean each player is confined to a square marked on the floor. Teams alter their alignment strategically to put themselves in better position to return serve and win points. The overlap rule states that, at the time of service, a player assigned a front row position must have both feet on the floor closer to the net than the player positioned behind her. She must also be closer to the sideline than the player positioned to her left or to her right. The player in the center position, either front or back row, must be concerned with the player at his back and also the players on his right and his left. The players can shuffle positions once the serve is in the air.