Jr. High Volleyball Team Rules

Whether the game takes place at a grade school or in the Olympics, there is only one standard rule deviation for any level of indoor volleyball: the height of the net. Organized volleyball in the United States is overseen by USA Volleyball and internationally---including the Olympics---by the International Federation of Volleyball. The only differences between professional-level volleyball and that played at a junior high school would be rule changes implemented by the specific school or school association.

  1. Court and Net

    • Indoor courts must measure approximately 60 feet by 30 feet (the exact dimensions are 18 meters by 9 meters), with a net dividing the court in half lengthwise. Court boundaries must be clearly marked and there must be an attack line parallel to the net and 9 feet, 10 inches back from it on each side.

      The height of the net should be 7 feet for players 11 and 12 years of age and 7 feet, 4 1/8 inches for kids 13 and 14. The latter height remains the same for girls after the age of 14, but increases to 7 feet, 11 5/8 inches for boys 15 and older.

    Players

    • Teams may have as many as 12 players on their rosters, but only six players are allowed on the court at any one time. All players must wear same-color uniforms except the libero. One player serves as team captain at all times.

      Liberos are defense-only players who play the back row, although they cannot serve. Teams may designate two liberos, but only one may play at a time. Liberos are allowed to replace another player when the ball is out of play. Numerous libero substitutions do not count against the substitution limit (usually 15); in other words, a libero can come into the game and leave it as often as the coach wants. A libero cannot move in front of the attack line to set the ball, but may set from behind it.

    Playing

    • The ball must be served from any point behind the baseline. If it hits the net and goes over it, it is in play; if it hits the net but does not go over it, it is a loss of serve and point.

      Once a ball is in play, a team can touch it up to three times before returning it to the opposing team. No player may hit the ball twice in succession. The ball cannot be attacked on the serve; that is, if it clears the net, the receiving team cannot attempt to attack it. Players may either bump the ball or hand pass it after it clears the net.

      Teams are allowed two timeouts per game.

    Scoring and Games

    • Most organized games today use a rally-point scoring system, but some schools might still use the side-out system. In rally scoring, a point is rewarded to the team that wins a rally, regardless of which team serves. In side-out, only the serving team may score.

      Matches for junior high teams are best two out of three games. The first two games are played to 25 points, and the tie-breaking third game to 15. A team must be ahead by two points to win a game. Otherwise, the game continues either until one team has at least 25 points and is ahead by two, or until a cap is reached. A cap is sometimes set because of time limitations and means a game stops at a certain score even if a team is ahead by only one point.