Volleyball Rules
You may download a copy of our Rules in portable document format, convenient for printing.
Liability
All participants in the league assume the risk of injury. The Arizona Gay Volleyball Association (AZGV), its employees, and volunteers shall not be liable for injury to person, loss or damage to personal property arising from or in any way resulting from participation in the league.
Alcohol Consumption
The AZGV does not condone nor encourage the consumption of alcohol during its events. Players are not allowed to consume alcohol during their games and doing so will constitute a forfeit of all games scheduled for that day. If players/teams that are of legal age wish to consume alcohol while not playing, they will be responsible for securing the applicable permits where necessary and agree to abide by all applicable laws.
Submitting a Roster
Each team must submit a roster with a maximum of 8 players for Monday league, 6 players for Tuesday league, and designate the team captain. No player may register or play for more than one team within the same format of play; meaning, each player may be listed on only one 6 man format (Monday) roster and listed on only one 4 man format (Tuesday) roster. Rosters must be finalized and no changes are allowed after the second match of the season. The board may allow changes to a team roster if that team would otherwise not be able to field enough players each week due to injury, illness, players moving, or other special circumstances. No player who is not on your roster may play on your team.
General Rules
- AZGV Sand Volleyball is self-officiated. Players shall call their own faults.
- Team Captains may call major faults, either on their own players or on a member of the opposing team if appropriate.
- Disputes should be solved between the team captains. When the dispute cannot be resolved, replay the point.
- The AZGV Commissioner and board shall have the power to make decisions on any matters or questions not specifically covered in the rules.
- Good sportsmanship is required of all participants. Team captains assume full responsibility for the conduct of the team. Players may be suspended or disqualified from play for unsportsmanlike conduct.
- Teams must pay online via PayPal or with certified payment (cashiers check, money order, etc). Please make certified payment payable to Arizona Gay Volleyball Association.
- Registrations will be accepted in order of the teams that pay. Only teams that have paid will be allowed to play.
- Only 8 teams will be allowed in each division. After this, a waiting list will be created. More than 8 teams will be allowed in a division only if some divisions do not meet the registration capacity and the courts availability allows for increased division size to accommodate a reasonable schedule for all divisions as determined by the discretion of the Board. A reasonable schedule will allow for each team to play each other at least twice that count toward the season standings.
Teams
- Monday nights – A team consists of 6 players. A team may start a game with a minimum of 4 players. Tuesday nights – A team consists of 4 players. A team may start a game with a minimum of 2 players. Players not at the court by game time must wait until the start of the next game.
- If a team does not have the minimum players required to start a game, they will lose by forfeit.
- Players can play on only one team within the same format of play per season. If a team needs additional players due to injury or player loss, they must petition the board for replacement players. The commissioner and board may also choose to deny a team's request if the addition of a replacement player would significantly improve a team's level of play.
Timing and Scoring Regulations
- A match shall consist of a best 2 out of 3 games.
- Monday’s games are over when one team scores 15 points (11 points should a 3rd game be necessary). Tuesdays games are over when one team scores 21 points (15 points should a 3rd game be necessary). The winning team must have at least a two-point advantage. All three games on Mondays must be played within the 30 minute time block.
- Teams must be ready to play by start time. If a team shows up after the start time, the team forfeits the match.
- Rally Scoring shall be used (a point is scored with every serve).
- It is the winning team's responsibility to record on the official score sheet the score after the match is complete. If the score is not recorded, it will be scored as a loss/loss (0 to 0) for both teams.
Serving Regulations
- Rock, paper, scissors will be done at the beginning of the first game to serve or choose which court to start on. At the beginning of the second game the teams change sides with the non-serving team from the first game serving. Rock, paper, scissors will be done at the beginning of the third game with the winner getting the same options as above.
- Service takes place anywhere beyond the back line. The server may not step on the service line when serving.
- The server must announce the score out loud before serving the ball with the server’s team score announced first.
- The players of the serving team must not screen the opponents from seeing the contact for service or the path of the ball. This includes a player waving arms, jumping up and down, or moving sideways at the time of the serve.
- Blocking or attacking the serve is illegal.
- A Let-Serve (a serve that hits the net and goes over) is legal if it lands in bounds.
- On change of serve, all players shall rotate clockwise. The player in the front line right position becomes the next server. Positions of players may be changed only after a completed game.
- A player may drop a bad toss without serving and then toss it again to serve with no penalty.
Game Play
- The ball must be cleanly hit and not held, lifted, pushed, carried or thrown. The ball cannot roll or come to rest on any part of the body.
- When playing the ball, players may use any part of their bodies, including feet, as long as the ball is cleanly hit or "pops" off at contact.
- Tuesday night league – When contacting the ball with one hand the ball must be cleanly hit with the heel or palm of the hand (a roll shot), with straight, locked fingertips (a cobra), knurled fingers (a camel toe) or with the back of the hand from the wrist to the knuckles. One-handed placement or redirection of the ball with the fingers (a dink or open-hand tip) is a fault. Monday night league – Back row players cannot attack the ball in front of the imaginary 10 foot line.
- Players may step under the net onto the opponent’s court without penalty unless the player interferes with the volley.
- If two or more players of the same team contact the ball simultaneously, it is considered one hit. Either player involved may participate in the next hit without penalty.
- The ball is out-of-bounds when it touches any surface, object, or ground outside the lines. A ball touching the lines is considered "in."
Faults
- Players touching the net with any part of their bodies.
- A team contacts the ball four times before returning it to the opponents.
- Catching or throwing the ball. The ball must be tapped.
- Serve out of turn. (Will also result in loss of points scored by ineligible server.)
- A player contacts the ball twice in succession unless the first touch is a block, or the ball contacts various parts of the player’s body successively.
- When two opposing players commit fouls simultaneously, the point is replayed.
Blocks
- A ball touched by a player, playing close to the net, and attempting to block a shot by an opponent shall not be counted as one of the three taps permitted by his team.
- In blocking, the blocker may place his/her hands and arms beyond the net provided the action does not interfere with the opponent’s play (roofing). The blocker is not permitted to touch the ball beyond the net until the opponent has made an attack hit.
- If two or more players from opposing teams contact the ball simultaneously above the net, any of the players involved are eligible to participate in the next play, which shall be considered the first of three contacts allowed to the team.
- A joust (ball coming to a rest above the net on a block attempt) will result in a replay of the point.
Substitutions
- Substitutions may be made anytime the ball is dead as long as the substitute occupies the position that player was in. There is no limit on substitutions.
- Additional players, on the roster, that are present at the beginning of the game, can rotate in after a broken serve. They must rotate in at the same position during the game. The rotation must continue in the same order for the duration of the game.
Tournament
- Teams will be seeded in the end of the season tournament according to the league record. If there is a tie, head to head record between the tying teams will be used to break the tie. If there is still a tie after head to head record is used, point differential will be used to break to tie. If there is still a tie after point differential is used, a playoff game will break the tie.
Divisions
- Teams that win the season will be required to move up a division within the same format of play if applicable. The teams registration fee will be waived for the next season the same team is registered. A roster consisting of more than half of the same official roster that won the season will be considered the same team.
For example, a 6-man (Mon) team that wins the season in the B division will be required to move up to the 6-man (Mon) A division. A 6-man (Mon) team that wins the season in the A division cannot move up a division since there is no higher division within the same format of play, so the rule does not apply in that case.
Protests and Appeals
Team Captains shall enter protests at the time of the infraction. If the protest cannot be resolved between the Captains, the protest may be presented to the AZGV Board for decision. The Commissioner will notify the team before the next scheduled game as to what decision has been made.
All decisions of the Commissioner and the board are final.