Volleyball Rules – NJ

SUMMARY

• Format is 6-on-6 with a maximum of 4 men and a minimum of 2 women on the court.
• Each match consists of 3 games.  Games are played to 25 straight using rally scoring (points can be earned whether or not your team is serving).  Matches last for up to an hour.  If the final game of the match exceeds the hour time limit, the team with the higher score at that time will earn a win for that game.
• Teams forfeit the first game of the match for first 10 minutes past game time that they do not have enough players. Teams forfeit all three games of the match if not enough players after 15 minutes.
• Carrying is illegal. A carry is any contact with the ball that is not in a firm manner.
• Unsportsmanlike behavior may result in player/team being suspended/removed from participating in all ZogSports leagues.

FORFEITS

• Please don’t forfeit. Your teammates and opponents count on you to have a full team and competitive game.
• Each team must have at least 4 (four) players including 1 (one) woman to start a game.
• Teams receive a forfeit for Game 1 if they do not have enough players by 10 minutes after the scheduled start time.
• Teams receive a forfeit for all 3 games if they do not have enough players by 15 minutes after the scheduled start time.
• No one may play without signing the waiver. If it is found that you are playing with someone who has not signed a waiver, your team will receive a forfeit

CO-ED RULES

• Format is 6-on-6 with a maximum of 4 men on the court.
• A minimum of 4 players (including 1 woman) are required to avoid forfeit.
• Teams must play with the maximum amount of players allowed if enough eligible players are present to do so.
• If a player arrives after the start of the game, they can enter immediately but only in the back row in a non-serving position.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS / TEAM SIZE 

• Format is 6-on-6 with a maximum of 4 men on the court.
• A minimum of 4 players (including 1 woman) are required to avoid forfeit.
• Teams must play with the maximum amount of players allowed if enough eligible roster players are present to do so.
• Teams must play with a minimum of 3 roster players.  To avoid forfeiting or playing shorthanded, teams may pick up a maximum of 2 non-roster ZogSports participants.
• A team may not pick up additional players if they have 6 roster players and can meet the gender rule requirements.
• A team may not pick up additional players to exceed the number of players of their opponent unless it is to meet the gender rule requirement. (If both teams have 5 players, one team may not pick up a 6^th player unless their opponent also does).
• Any pickups must be identified to the referee and opposing team at the start of the match.
• If it is found that you did not identify any picked up players at the beginning of the match, your team may receive a forfeit.
• DURING THE PLAYOFFS, ONLY PLAYERS ON YOUR OFFICIAL ROSTER ARE ALLOWED TO PLAY.
• Additions to official rosters may be made up through the midway point of the season.
• Additions must be entered onto the official roster by the team captain through the ZogSports website.
• PLAYERS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY GAME WITHOUT SIGNING THE WAIVER.  Waivers must be signed by all through the website.
• A team will rotate 1 player (in a set order) into the game through a designated court position each rotation (teams often choose the server position as the designated court position to rotate in and out).  The court position must be designated at the beginning of the game.
• Exceptions can be made to maintain at least 2 women on the court at all times or for injured players.
• If you play with 4 players, the server is considered back row.  When new players arrive, they may come in as soon as they are ready in the back row in a non-serving position.

VOLLEYBALL TERMINOLOGY & RULES

Serving and Rotations:

• Serve – Play begins with a serve by the player in the service positions after receiving authorization from the official (most commonly indicated by a whistle).  Multiple violations of serving without authorization from the referee may result in the forfeit of this point and loss of serve. The server has 10 seconds to serve the ball.  A server is allowed 2 tosses before the serve.  Ball must be released from the non-serving hand before contact with the serving hand is made.  The serve must be hit with a hand.  If the serve hits the net and goes over it is still in play.  The server may not step on or over the end line until the ball has been contacted. The width of the service area is from sideline to sideline. The depth of the service area is infinite. If a player steps on or over the line, a foot fault will be called and it will be a side out.
• Serve Receive – The team receiving a serve can make contact with the ball once it crossed the plain of the net with any body part that is not in a catching or throwing motion.  Attacking a serve above the height of the net is a violation.
• Screening – A player on the serving side cannot INTENTIONALLY block the view of the serve receiving team during the serve by: raising hands, moving laterally, forming a wall.
• Rotation – Clockwise rotation of players around all 6 positions on the court.  Occurs after a team regains possession of the serve.  Teams must rotate in set order every time they gain possession of serve.  If you are not the first team to serve, you must rotate your selected 6 positions to serve your first ball.  There is no “stay for one”.
• A team will rotate 1 player (in a set order) into the game through a designated court position each rotation (teams often choose the server position as the designated court position to rotate in and out).  You may not skip anyone in the rotation and you may not have a separate male and female rotation.  The court position must be designated at the beginning of the game.
• Exceptions can be made to maintain at least 2 women on the court at all times or for injured players.
• If you play with 4 players, the server is considered back row.  When new players arrive, they may come in as soon as they are ready in the back row in a non-serving position.

Playing Actions:

• Attack – Any action which directs the ball towards the opponent.  Commonly a spike or tip but can also be a passing or setting motion.  The ball may contact any part of the body.  No player is allowed to complete an attack hit on the opponent’s service when the ball is in the front zone and is entirely above the top of the net.
• Set – Using the fingers of both open hands above the head to pass the ball to a teammate or direct the ball over the net.  During a proper set, the ball should touch the fingers only momentarily.  The ball cannot be caught or thrown.
• Hit/Spike – Swinging at the ball with a whole hand (open or closed) in a firm manner.  The ball cannot be caught or thrown; it must rebound in a firm manner.
• Tip – Similar to a spike but without a swinging motion.  The ball cannot be caught or thrown; it must rebound in a firm manner.
• Block – Blocking is the defensive action of players close to the net to intercept the ball, coming from the opponent, by reaching higher than the top of the net.  Only front-row players are permitted to complete a block.  Multiple players can block at the same time.  A block does not count as 1 of your team’s 3 hits.

Playing Action Faults:

• Carry – Any contact of the ball that is not in a firm manner.
• Double Hit – A player contacting the ball with any part of their body twice (intentionally or unintentionally).  Double hits are allowed during a block if the double contact occurs in succession.
• Back Row Hit – A player in a back row position cannot attack a ball over the height of the net from within the 10 foot line.

Boundaries and Playing Space:

• In Bounds – The ball is rules in play if it touches any part of the court line
• Reaching Over the Net
• Blocking: The player may place his/her hands and arms beyond the net to intercept an opponent’s attack provided this action does not interfere with the opponent’s space or play.  Thus, it is not permitted to touch the ball beyond the net until an opponent has executed an attack. (Example: a player cannot reach over the net to block an opponent pass or set intended for a teammate).  A player can block an attack on ANY touch, it no longer needs to be the 3^rd touch.
• Attacking: In order to attack a ball at the net, the ball must be on your team’s side (any part of the ball has broken the plane of the net) when making contact.  Attacking a ball that has not crossed over the plane of the net onto your side is a fault.  (Example: A player cannot reach over the net to attack a “free pass” from the opponent).  In addition, a player cannot reach over the net to attack a ball that their own teammate has played to the opponent.  (Example: If your attack has crossed the plain of the net (intentionally or not) it is no longer your team’s play, even if it was your team’s first touch.  Therefore you cannot reach over the net to tip your second or third hit once your attack has crossed the plain of the net).
• In the Net – A violation in which the player makes any contact with the net.
• Under the Net – To touch the opponents court with feet or hands is permitted, provided that it does not interfere with the play of the opponent.  This is allowed if some part of the penetrating foot/hand remains either in contact with or directly above the centerline.  If your foot/hand DOES interfere with the play, it is a fault if any part of your foot touches your opponent’s court, beyond the centerline.  Any other part of the body besides feet or hands touching the opposing court it is a violation.

USA Volleyball Indoor Rules apply unless stated otherwise

BEGINNING OF THE GAME

• The team with the higher percentage of participants wearing  the same color ZogSports shirts automatically wins the toss to choose serve or side in Game 1.  Choosing serve first ensures your team will serve first in Games 1 and 3.
• If both teams have a comparable number of team shirts, the referee will have the two captains play one round of rock/paper/scissors until there is a clear winner.
• The winning captain will select to serve first or choose which side they prefer to play on (not both).
• In the playoffs, the higher seeded team will have choice of serve or side for Game 1.
• Each match will consist of three games. Each game will count in the overall standings for regular season standings (if you will all 3 games in a match, your record is recorded as 3-0 for the evening (not 1-0).
• All games are played first to 25 (no win by two except in playoffs) using rally scoring (you don’t need to be serving to win a point).
• Games exceeding the scheduled 1 hour match time will end in victory for the team with the higher score at that point.  If I game is tied at the hour mark, the next point wins
• One time-out per game (3/match) is allowed for each team.

GAME TIMES
Teams will receive a schedule that will list when their team will play each week. Teams will be given 1 hour to play 1 match (3 games). There is no designated “warm-up” time. “Warm-up” time is to be included in the allotted amount of time that teams will have for their match. Teams will decide if they wish to “warm-up” or not. The longer teams take/choose to “warm-up” the less time they may have to complete their match. If a game is stopped early due to time constraints the score at the time of stoppage will be final and reflected in the standings. Teams will have 10 minutes to field a team before they receive their first forfeit.

RULES
Referees will have a copy of the rules with them at each location.  If there is a question or discrepancy, you may ask the referee to check the rules if necessary but this should be done during a break in play or after the game/match.

Any questions regarding rules, policies, or eligibility of players must be addressed before the start of the game.  Any team that would like to challenge the eligibility of an opposing player must do so before the start of the game. No protests will be considered valid after a game has started.

STANDINGS
The updated standings will be posted weekly. The standings will display each team’s rank within its division.

• PLAYOFFS
• Playoffs begin immediately following the end of the regular season and typically last between 1 and 2 weeks.
• Possible for teams to have more than one match in a given night.
• Only players on the team’s official roster (submitted online) are allowed to compete in the playoffs.
• All players must have signed the waiver in order to be eligible for playoffs.
• Teams that have violated the forfeit policy during the course of regular season (2 forfeits) will not be eligible for playoffs.
• Playoffs are single elimination and matches are a best 2 out of 3 games.  If a team wins the first two games of a playoff match, they win the match and the third set does not need to be played.
• PLAYOFF SCORING – Playoff games will be played “Win-By-Two” to 25 points or the first team to 27 straight.
• The higher seeded team will have choice of serve or side in the first game of the playoff match.

SEEDING / TIE BREAKERS
Teams are seeded according to winning percentage. The tie breaker procedure is as follows:
1. Head-to-head competition (among all tied teams)
2. Record against other teams in or tied for playoffs (winning percentage – i.e., 0-1 is same as 0-2, but 1-3 is better than 0-1)
3. Number of wins
4. Record against next best common opponent
5. If team forfeited loses tie breaker if others don’t resolve seeding
6. Coin toss

WAIVERS
In order to participate in the league, each participant must sign the team waiver. Waivers are available online and must be completed and submitted no later than the first night of play. Players not present the first week of play will still be required to sign a waiver before participating. Players must sign the waiver in order to be eligible for playoffs.

GAME CANCELLATION
Games may be cancelled due to dangerous weather conditions, facility constraints or other unforeseeable reasons. ZogSports will not cancel games unless absolutely necessary so you should always assume games are on unless you receive an email. If the games are cancelled, ZogSports will post it on the Weather Page of the website (https://play.zogsports.com/weather-alert-hotline) and post an alert on the ZogSports Weather Alert Hotline (332) 213-9023.

SPORTSMANSHIP
In ZogSports leagues you are playing for your cause (a charity) and for fun. This is a social league and our goal is to have a good time. We hope that everyone keeps this in mind when playing. We know that some games will become very intense, but you can still be competitive and be a good sport. Thus, any behavior deemed unacceptable by us may result in suspension and/or ejection from a game or the league. Abuse of staff and/or referees will not be tolerated. ZogSports reserves the right to remove a player from a game or a league if we think that they are bringing down the quality of the league. NO FIGHTING WILL BE TOLERATED.  

FIGHTING WILL RESULT IN AN AUTOMATIC EJECTION FROM ANY GAME AND IN MOST CASES EJECTION FROM THE LEAGUE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON.

FORFEIT PENALTIES AND NOTIFICATION
Penalties

First Offense: Loss of match (all 3 games) and warning issued
Second Offense: Loss of game and removal from the playoffs
Third Offense: Loss of match and possible removal from the rest of the schedule

FORFEIT NOTIFICATION

To forfeit, please fill out this form.

Forfeits ruin the experience for everyone. ZogSports exists to give you an opportunity to play and build community and forfeiting is a huge bummer. If your team absolutely needs to forfeit, you must let us know in advance so we can contact your opponent so that they don’t unnecessarily travel to the gym/field.

If you do not inform us of a forfeit your team could face penalties in your league’s standings. Once ZogSports is notified of your forfeit, it is final (you cannot change your mind) and the other team will be notified.

CODE OF CONDUCT: The Participant’s Code of Conduct applies to all ZogSports participants. You can access the ZogSports Participant’s Code of Conduct HERE.