NCAA Men's Volleyball Rules

The NCAA fields championships in three divisions for men's volleyball each year. It's important to note that the NCAA does not feature an official men's volleyball rulebook on its Web site, although it does post a rulebook for women's volleyball. The basic rules of men's volleyball do not vary much from the women's game.

  1. Teams

    • Each team is made up of 6 players. Players have different roles depending on their positions on the court. Taller players typically attack and block attacks, whereas smaller players dig out attacks and set up attackers. Players serve in the order in which they start on the court, with the player located in the back right position serving first. Players then move clockwise to serve after each change of service, which is called a "side out."

    Libero

    • The libero is a defensive player who can sub in and out freely during each game for a back row player. A libero is typically the team's best defensive player, but he cannot advance the ball forward unless he is positioned behind the 3-meter line. In the men's game, liberos cannot serve, whereas in the women's game they can.

    Court

    • Each team plays on their side of the court, which measures 12 meters long by 9 meters wide, with a 3 meter attacking area on either side of the net. In the men's game, the top net is 2.43 meters (i.e., 7 feet, 11 5/8 inches) above the floor. The 3-meter line is also called the 10-foot line, and it divides the court into a front row and back row. There is also a free area around the court---a minimum of 3 meters---where players can move once the ball is in play.

    Putting the Ball in Play

    • The server puts the ball in play by serving it across the net to the other team. A team may touch the ball 3 times in an effort to mount an attack across the net. A successful attack means the attack resulted in a kill (i.e., hitting the ball to the ground on the other side of the court), earning that team a point. A team may also earn a point if the opponent commits a fault while handling the ball, which can include touching the ball with a part of the body not permitted by the rules or hitting the ball more than 3 times.

    Scoring

    • Most volleyball governing bodies use rally scoring, which means teams are awarded points whether or not they are on serve. The game ends when one team scores 25 points and is leading by at least two. That results in a team winning a set. Matches are best-of-five sets, with a team needing to win three sets to win the match. If a match goes to a fifth set, the teams play to 15.