NCAA Volleyball Rules

The National Collegiate Athletic Association coordinates both college men's and women's volleyball. The men's Division I championship has been held since 1970. As of 2009, UCLA has won the most titles with 19. The women's Division I championship has been held since 1981 and Stanford has the most titles with six. The net height differs between the men's and women's volleyball rules, but that is the only difference.

  1. Playing Area

    • The dimensions of an NCAA volleyball court are 59 feet by 29 feet 6 inches. The NCAA requires that there be at least 6 feet 6 inches of open space around the court but recommends that there be at least 10 feet on either side of the court and 15 feet behind the court. The gym must also have a ceiling that is at least 25 feet high, but the NCAA recommends 41 feet. For women, the height of the net is 7 feet 4 1/8 inches. For men, the height is 7 feet 11 5/8 inches.

    Scoring

    • The NCAA uses a best-of-five-sets system, meaning the teams must win three sets to win the match. The first four sets are to 25 points and the fifth game, if necessary, is to 15 points. The NCAA uses rally scoring, which means teams gain a point whenever they win a rally regardless of whether they are serving or not. To win a set, a team must be ahead by at least two points. For example, if a team was ahead, 25-24, it would not have won; play continues until a team has taken a two-point lead to win the set.

    Teams and Equipment

    • The ball must be between 25.6 inches and 26.4 inches in circumference and must weigh between 9 and 10 ounces. Team members are allowed to wear headbands but other headgear and jewelery must be removed. Each team must have six players on the court at all times. Teams are allowed to substitute players at any dead ball and players may re-enter the game as long as they enter in the same order in the rotation as they were originally in. No team can substitute more than 12 times per set.

    Hitting the Ball

    • Each point starts when the server hits the ball underhand or overhand from behind the end line over the net. Each team is allowed three hits to get the ball back over the net and no player on the team can touch the ball twice in a row. Hits can be made using any part of the body but must be clean, meaning the ball is not caught or thrown. If players are blocking at the net, the ball hitting their bodies does not count as the first contact.

    Rotation

    • There are three front-row players and three back-row players at all times. Each time the receiving team wins a rally, they rotate clockwise and gain the serve. The rotation is significant because there are limitations on back-row players. Back-row players cannot attack, defined as hitting the ball downward over the net, a ball that is above the net if they are in front of the attack line. The attack line is 9 feet 10 inches away from the net. Back-row players are also prohibited from blocking at the net. The libero is a special back-row player who can come in at any back-row position but cannot attack from anywhere on the court nor can the libero set the ball for another teammate to attack.