10 Volleyball Rules

Volleyball rules differ slightly between indoor games and beach games, as well as between men's games and women's. In America, indoor games are governed by USA Volleyball and beach contests are overseen by the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP). International matches, including the Olympics, are regulated by the Federation of International Volleyball.

  1. Court

    • An indoor volleyball court must be 59 feet long and 29 1/2 feet wide, according to USA Volleyball. Beach courts, according to the AVP, should be 52 1/2 feet by 26 1/4 feet. Boundary lines should be clearly identified with tape that contrasts sharply with the surface.

    Net Height

    • Net height varies for men and women.

      Nets should be set at 7 feet 11 5/8 inches for men and coed games and 7 feet 4 1/8 inches for women.

    Serving

    • A server must stand behind the baseline and may not step into the court until the ball is in the air. Players who jump serve must leave the ground behind the line, but can land inside the court. A serve that hits and goes over the net is in play.

    Hits

    • The ball may be contacted as many as three times on one side before being sent back over the net. A player may contact the ball twice only if another player on her team makes contact with it on the second hit.

    Attack Line

    • Indoors, a line should run parallel to the net and 9 feet 10 inches back from it on either side of the court. A back-row player attacking the ball must jump behind the line, although he may come down across it. There is no attack line in sand because doubles players may attack from anywhere on the court.

    Blocking

    • Players may reach over the net only on defense in an attempt to block an attack from the opposing team. As of 2009, they may make contact with the net as long as the contact does not interfere with play.

    Libero

    • A defensive specialist known as a libero may come into the game as a substitute for any back row player at any time, but must leave the game before rotating to the front row. A libero may set the ball only if she remains behind the attack line. A libero's uniform must be a different color from his teammates' uniforms.

    Number of Players

    • Six players can be on the court at any one time for each team in indoor play; most leagues require at least four players to be present. Beach games are typically doubles matches and both players must be on the court during play.

    Scoring Method

    • Most leagues use rally scoring, meaning the team that wins a rally scores a point. In side-out scoring--the original scoring method--only the team that serves may score. Indoor games are played to 25 points, except for the tie-breaking game, which is played to 15. Beach games are played to 21, except a 15-point tie-breaker. Teams must be ahead by two points to win indoors and out.

    Matches

    • Indoor matches are typically best three-out-of-five, while beach matches are best two-out-of-three.