Water Volleyball

General Rules

1. Eligibility-Participants will be declared ineligible unless all pertinent information is filled out on the team registration form. Individuals may not participate on more than one team in any particular league (e.g. 2 co-rec teams, 2 men’s teams, 2 women’s teams). Individuals may participate on one men’s or one women’s team and one co-rec team. Minimum roster sizes may be in place for certain sports. If a minimum roster size is in place, it will be noted on the registration form for that sport. Should a team not have the minimum number of players on its roster at the time rosters are finalized, it will be dropped from future competition. The roster finalization date will be noted on the registration form.
2. The Intramural Sports Program will not assume responsibility, but reserves the right, to verify the eligibility of participants. The participants in the program have the primary responsibility for monitoring player eligibility.
3. Checking ID’s– Before each contest, all members of a team shall present their valid Redhawk identification card. Should a participant arrive at the contest after it has started, the participant assumes the responsibility to have his/her identity verified by the official or supervisor during a stoppage of play.
4. Rescheduling Procedure- In the event an intramural contest is postponed due to weather, Team Managers shall be responsible for obtaining rescheduling information. Rescheduling information will be made available to Team Managers in the Student Recreation Center and online atwww.sem.edu/recservices There may be instances when the Intramural Sports Program will be unable to reschedule contests due to time and space limitations. In such instances, each team will receive a “win” for that contest.
5. Should a team be unable to participate in a scheduled contest, a request to reschedule may be made. In order to request the rescheduling of a contest, the Team Manager must submit a Rescheduling Request form at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled contest. Rescheduling Request forms are available in the Intramural Sports Office inside the Student Recreation Center. Both Managers will be contacted regarding possible rescheduling times. In the event that no time can be agreed upon, the team submitting the rescheduling request will be given a default for said contest.
6. Default- Should a team be unable to participate in a scheduled contest, a default shall be assessed when a team contacts the Intramural Sports Program (651-2571) no later than 3:00 pm on the business day prior to the contest. For contests scheduled to be played on the weekend (i.e. Saturday or Sunday) default requests must be made no later than 3:00 pm on the preceding Friday. Teams requesting defaults must accept all penalties associated with a default (see Sportsmanship Rating System and Playoff Eligibility).
7. Forfeit-Teams who do not appear at their scheduled contest or are unable to produce enough players to field a team according to the rules of the involved sport will be assessed a forfeit. The opposing team shall be given a win for the forfeited contest.
8. Jewelry -In order to protect participants, jewelry is not allowed to be worn during any intramural contest. Jewelry must be removed and not taped over. Exception: Individuals wearing medical alert jewelry will be allowed to participate while wearing jewelry containing necessary information. In such cases, the jewelry should be taped to the skin with the medical information visible. Failure to remove jewelry will result in a one-letter grade reduction of the team’s sportsmanship rating.
9. Playoff Eligibility-In order to be considered eligible to compete in playoff competition, teams must meet the following criteria: 1. Attendance at the Manager’s Meeting. 2. Teams may not have more than one forfeit or two defaults. 3. Teams must have one "U" sportsmanship ratings or have met with the Coordinator of Intramural Sports and have been approved for further competition.
10. Intramural Volleyball matches are played by National Federation of High School rules, including the following modifications.

Team Compostition and Substitution

Players can compete on only one men's/women's team, regardless of league classification. In addition, players may compete for one co-rec team as well.

Game Information

1. All matches will consist of the best two out of three games.
2. All games will be rally scoring: Rally scoring means a point is won on each serve, no matter whether the team who won the point served the ball or not. In the first two games, a game shall be won by the team which has earned 25 points and a two point advantage. If the score is tied 24-24, then the first team to gain a two-point advantage is the winner. In the third game, the team which achieves 15 points first is declared the winner. If the score is 14-14, then the first team to gain two points in a row will be declared the winner. There is a cap at 17 points in the third game.
3. A coin toss at the beginning of the match will determine the choice of court or service. The team which does not serve first in game one will serve first in game two. Teams must switch sides between the first two games. A coin toss will be conducted for the choice if there is a third game.
4. Two time-outs will be given to each team per game; an additional time out for each team is awarded if the score reaches 24-24. PLAY ON THE BALL
5. Maximum of Three Contacts: Each team is allowed a maximum of three successive contacts of the ball in order to return the ball to the opponent’s area. Exception: a block is not considered to be one of the three contacts.
6. Contacted Ball: A player who contacts the ball shall be considered as playing the ball.
7. Contact of the Ball with the Body: The ball may be hit with any part of the body on or above the waist, but cannot come to rest visibly on the body. If the ball hits below the waist, it shall become dead.
8. Illegal Hit: An illegal hit occurs when the ball visibly comes to rest or has prolonged contact with a player. This is a judgment call by the official and cannot be questioned by anyone. Holding, catching, throwing, lifting, rolling, and pushing are illegal hits because of prolonged contact with the ball.
9. Double Hit: A double hit occurs when a player illegally contacts the ball twice in succession or the ball rebounds from one part of the body to another on a single attempt to play the ball. Exception: A hard driven spike.
10. Simultaneous Contact by the Opponents: If the ball is simultaneously contacted by two opponents, then the team on whose side the ball falls into shall have the right to play the ball three times. Also, if the ball is held simultaneously, by two opposing players, it is a double fault and the official will direct a replay.
11. Net Play: A ball contacting and crossing the net shall remain in play provided contact is entirely within the playing area. Exception: A service hitting and not clearing the net results in a dead ball and sideout.
12. Net Foul: A net foul occurs while the ball is in play and a player contacts any part of the net (including the cable attachments). It is not a foul when a player’s hair touches the net or the force of the ball hit by an opponent pushes the net or net cables into the player. Also a net foul occurs when there is interference by a player who makes contact with an opponent who is making a legitimate effort to play the ball.
13. Screening: A screen is an intentional act, which obstructs the receiving players’ view of the server or flight of the ball from the server. Screening includes the server being hidden behind a group of two or more teammates who are standing in an erect position and the ball is being served over a member of the group. A screen also includes a player with hands extended clearly above the height of the head or with arms extended sideways at the moment of service if the serve passes over the player(s). SERVICE OF THE BALL
14. The server must wait for the official to blow the whistle and motion prior before the serve may be attempted. If the ball is served before the beckon, a re-serve shall be called.
15. If the serve hits the net and falls inside the non-serving team’s court, then the ball is ruled in play. If the serve hits the net and does not fall inside the non-serving team’s court, then it is considered to be illegal and a point will be awarded to the non-serving team.
16. The server has 5 seconds to make a legal serve. The server may toss and catch a bad toss as long as no swinging motion had been made to attempt to serve. The server is allowed only one re-serve per term of service.
17. An “in bounds” ball is one that hits the water within or on the lane lines/ropes that make the boundaries of the court. The ball is “out of bounds” if it hits the water outside the lane lines/ropes that make the boundaries of the court, the pool deck or any object on the pool deck.