Rules

2025-2026 Season Rules

League Information

1.           Registration: All teams must submit the official roster forms with individual signatures and contact information. Team entry fee of $325.00 (this includes the player fees) is due at time of registration.

2.  Leagues / Nights:  

·         Monday:  Women Intermediate and Men’s Advanced

·         Wednesday: Coed Advanced and Coed Intermediate

·         Thursday: Coed Intermediate

  3.       Game Info:   

·         Games will be played at Fairgrieve Elementary School in Fulton.

·         Game times will be 6:15PM, 7:15PM and 8:15PM ***

·         Games will be ONE hour long (with up to 10 minutes to warm up and 50 minutes to play)

·         Games should begin promptly when teams are ready but no later than 10 minutes to allow full playing time. (ie 6:25PM, 7:25PM, and 8:25PM)

·         All teams scheduled for the first match are asked to be there 15 minutes early to set up nets.

·         All teams scheduled for the last match of the night are responsible for taking down the nets and putting away the equipment.

*** There are some time periods where High School sports have the gym during some of our scheduled times. Games will be adjusted or start late on these occasions.

   4.       Captain Responsibilities:   

·         Informing their team of pertinent information including rules, regulations and scheduling.

·         Make sure all team members have signed the waiver and are on the roster.

·         Assist the referees taking attendance and validate that scores have been written correctly.

   5.       Referee Responsibilities:   

·         Taking attendance in conjunction with the captains

·         Ensure players have signed the waiver and are on the roster in conjunction with the captains.

·         Officiate the matches

·         Make sure the matches start and end on time.

·         Write down the scores in the gamebook after each game.

      6.       Referees:   

·         Refs will be paid $20 for each match (3 games). Certified refs will be paid $25 for each match.

·         All rulings made by the referee in regards to game play will be final.

·         If an assigned referee is not available, the game may be played as an unofficiated game providing both captains agree. If a game is unofficiated, both teams are asked to call their own violations and faults. If the opposing team believes a fault occurred, the team captain will be allowed to ask if a fault has occurred. If there is a disagreement over the call, replay the point. Call the faults for your own team. AFTER the rally, request a replay if you perceive the other team faulted. Please show good sportsmanship and integrity at all times. Teams and players are responsible for calling their own faults.

   5.      General:

·         Fulton Volleyball Association- will not be responsible for any lost or stolen articles. All players of the Fulton Volleyball leagues play at their own risk and the league will not be responsible for any injuries. All waiver/release forms are to be turned in before any individual may participate (this includes those at open gym). 

·         No food or beverages are allowed on the court.

·         Do not wander around the school. We are limited to the gym and bathrooms.

   6.       Cleanup:

           ****This applies to all players****

·         Please be sure to pick up and do not leave messes behind. We don’t want to lose the right to use the gym!

·         Please put our equipment away and ensure the box is locked and put away after the last match. This protects our equipment and keeps our fees from going up!

Scoring/Standings

1.           Regular Season:

Rally scoring will be in effect; playing to 25 (must win by 2 points – No Cap). Three games will be played with each of the 3 games counting as 1 point in the standings. The 3rd game will be dictated by time with the team that is ahead at the end of the allotted time winning. If mid volley when time is up, finish the volley. If TIED, one more point will be played to determine the winner.

2.           Playoffs:

Best 2 out of 3. All games played to 25 (must win by 2 points – No Cap). 

3.           League Tiebreakers:

Tiebreakers for League play is in order as follows:

          Winning Percentage, Head to Head record. Point Difference.

Game Play / General Rules

  1.      Game Information:

a.     Prior to the start of the match, a coin toss or similar method will determine first serve and which side each team will occupy.

        b.   Each team will be allowed ONE time out (per game). A time out should be no more than 30 seconds.  Since matches are timed, timeouts will not be allowed the last 5                                 minutes (except for injuries).

2.           How Many Players:

a.     There must be a minimum of 4 players on the court to play.

b.         Co-ed Intermediate teams may play with the following combinations of players:

§  3 men – 3 women

§  2 men – 4 women

§  3 men – 2 women

§  2 men – 3 women

§  1 man – 3 women

§  2 men – 2 women

           c.        Co-ed Advanced teams may play with the additional combination of:

§  4 men – 2 women

   3.      Player Eligibilty / Roster:

        a.     Age - Minimum age for all FVA players is 18

        b.     Players must sign the liability release form before playing.

        c.     Players must be listed on the roster for the team they are on. 

        d.     Players may not compete on more than one team in the same league.

e.     Teams found utilizing an ineligible player (non-rostered player or player who already        played for an opponent in the same league), will forfeit all games in which the ineligible player participated.

f.      If a player wants to switch teams in a league, they have to notify their captain and a board member so the board can review the request. 

g.     Players must play in at least 5 regular season matches in order to be eligible to play in playoff games.

h.     For Wednesday Leagues, a player cannot play on an upper league team as a regular player and lower league team in the same season.  **An Intermediate man or woman player may sub on an Advanced League team. Advanced male players may not sub on an Intermediate League Team. Advanced women players may sub on an Intermediate League Team.

    4.      Rotation Rules:

                  a.   All rotations are clockwise.

b.     Teams rotate on all side-outs including the first one.

c.   All leagues are designated as 6 player leagues. When there are only 4 of your team’s teammates playing, your team must maintain all 6-person guidelines. Teams that play with only 4 players MUST rotate as if they were 5 or 6 player teams. 

To aid the referee as to who is allowed to hit on the front line, the server is considered back row.  If the server of the 4-player team crosses the 2 meter line (back row attack line) and attacks, it will be considered a back row attack resulting in a loss of point and the serve.

It is the desire of the league to allow play to continue and to hold matches as scheduled. Teams showing with a minimum of 4 players are granted the privilege to play, to prevent forfeits.  At no time should the shorthanded team afford themselves any competitive advantage set forth by 4 player rules over 6 player teams. Failure to comply with these rules will result in a forfeit of the game and/or match by the team that has violated this rule.

d.        Advanced leagues may use additional formations such as 5-1

     5.  Forfeit Rules:

a.     A team has the first 10 minutes to have enough players; if not; that game is forfeited. They will get another 10 minutes to have enough players for the second game; if not; that game is forfeited. They will get another 10 minutes to have enough players for the third game; if not; that game is forfeited.

Ex. 7:15 pm Game time

     7:25 pm first game forfeit

   7:35 pm second game forfeit

   7:45 pm third game forfeit

**There will be a $20 forfeit fee when a team forfeits**

b.     If you will not be able to field a team for whatever reason, please notify league officials (see attached contact sheet) to allow us to inform the other team. Any team that forfeits four matches will lose its "playoff eligibilty" and “returning team” status for next session. Additionally, if a team forfeits five matches, they can be dropped from the remainder of the schedule.

c. Any forfeited game shall be recorded as 0 – 25. Double forfeits will be recorded as a loss for both teams 0-0.

     6.    Service rules:

a. Players must follow the service order established by their positions at the start of the game.

b. After the loss of service by the opponents, the (side-out / receiving) team rotates one

position in a clockwise direction.

c.    The service is illegal if the server comes into contact with the staked boundary lines or is outside the imaginary extension of the side-lines prior to or during contact with the ball.

d. A served ball which makes contact with the net and continues over into the opponent’s

court is considered “good and playable.”  A serve can be delivered from any point along 

the back boundary line.

e. All players must be inside the staked boundary lines during the serve.

f. It is illegal to screen, block or attack/spike a serve or deliberately perform acts of distraction during the serve.

g. It is illegal to serve out of order. If an error is discovered during the service, all points are deducted, and the service is terminated. If the error is not detected until after the player has completed their serve (and a side out has been awarded), no penalty is assessed, but positions must be corrected.

      7.    Hitting rules:

  a.   Each team may play the ball a maximum of three times before it crosses the net.  A   

third hit is considered an attack no matter the intention (a block is not considered a hit,

but the block must occur above the net to be considered a block).

b. The ball must be cleanly hit when it is volleyed. It may be contacted with any body part,

If the ball contacts two parts of the body at the same time, it is considered one play. Simultaneous contact with the ball by teammates constitutes one play and either player can play the ball again. Any front row player contacting the ball in a multiple block may play the ball again.  Kicking is allowed, however, to avoid injury to players and damage to the equipment, no swinging kicks are permitted.

       8.    Playing Area:

             a.   A player may go outside the boundary lines to play the ball as long as he/she does not

                       cross the imaginary extension of the center line (net line). No player will come in

                       contact with the net with their   body or clothing (exception:  can contact net with hair

                       without penalty.)  Exception, when the net is driven into a player by the ball or an

                    opposing player.

b. Completely crossing the center line and touching the other side of the court with any body part is a violation. It is not a violation as long as the person remains in contact with the line.

c. A player may reach under the net, crossing the plane of the center line to play the ball, and opponents may not interfere with the play.

d. A ball is considered “IN BOUNDS” if any part of the ball strikes the marked line.

e. Ropes and pipes are in play as is the ceiling on your own side of the court. A ball may not hit the ceiling while crossing over the net. The basketball hoops (small and large) are out of play. There is no replay if it hits them

     9. Blocking:

·         Blocking is legal, provided the player of the attacking team has spiked or directed the ball into the opponent’s court.

·         Any ball coming over or near the net with no reasonable play by the attacking team may be blocked.

·         If a ball contacts the top of the net and the block simultaneously and the ball returns to the attacker’s side of the net, this team will have three more hits (a block is not considered a hit).

·         There is no blocking of the serve. 

·         Back row players are not permitted to participate in a block.

·         Clarification of Reaching Beyond the Net:  In blocking, a blocker may touch the ball beyond the net, provided that he/she does not interfere with the opponent’s play before or during the latter's attack hit. After the attack hit, a player is permitted to pass his/her hand beyond the net, provided that the contact has been made within his/her own playing space.

     10.   Replay:  

a.  A point is to be replayed if: a double foul is committed, a player is injured, there is

 interference from outside sources, a service takes place before allowing the opponents

 adequate time to position themselves, a ball is simultaneously hit by opponents goes out of

bounds or becomes suspended between opponents, or if both Team Captains cannot agree on

a call. In the event the Team Captain is unavailable, an alternate team captain should be

designated to handle these responsibilities. 

   11.  Substitution:  

        a.  A substitution can be made after any dead ball. Intermediate leagues can sub one player at

            a time, upon rotation, when the team earns a serve. Advanced league can sub any number

             of players at one time. Injury substitution can occur at any time.  On a regular substitution,

             extra players rotate in, entering from only one designated position (team's choice)...i.e. at

             the net/left, after their serve, before their serve.

    12.  Injured Player:  

       a.   If there is an injury on the court and there are only 4 players to begin with, the game can

             be finished with 3 players because the game started with enough players. The play must

              still be consistent with the 6-person rules and rotation must be the same.