Rules

Rules

The championship consists of 2 stages.

Stage 1: Round robin

Each team faces off against all other teams once, leading to a classification of all participating teams. The top 8 teams will qualify for the knockout stage. The point system and other rules are described below. The classification will be based on the following priorities:

1) Number of points

2) Ratio of sets won (Won : Lost)

3) Direct comparison

4) Difference between scored and lost points across all matches

Stage 2: Knockout stage

Teams classified 1 to 8 in the first stage qualify for the knockout stage, which will consist of quarter-finals, semi-finals, the 3rd place match, and the final.

As in a classical tournament, the team ranked 1st will play against the team ranked 8th, 2nd against 7th, etc.

NB: The BV-DTIC committee may change the format of the tournament to two separate round robins if there are a lot of teams participating.

Game rules

• • Matches are played as best of three sets, with each team having 4 players on the court at any given time.

  • Mixed gender line-up rule: Four or more players may represent a team for any given match, as long as they are not all of the same gender. All people representing a team in a match should play, by rotating players in and out fairly during the entirety of the match, such as when the team wins back the serve.

  • The first two sets are played to 21 points, if a 3rd set is needed to determine the winner it is played to 15 points. Sets are won by scoring the required number of points and having a lead of at least 2 points (e.g. if the score reaches 20-20 in the first set, teams keep playing until the score 22-20, or 23-21, or 24-22... is reached).

  • The server remains the same person as long as their team wins points. Service therefore goes to the opposing team when a point is lost. When a point is won again, the server should change, and service order (of all players) should be maintained throughout the set. 

  • The first team to win 2 sets wins the match. After a 2-0 victory, the teams may play a third set, but it is optional and does NOT count.

  • All other rules, especially for the gameplay, are the same as those of the 4x4 BVPRBB (Beach Volley Championship from PRBB).

Scoring rules

The 3 point rule applies:

• • 2-0 = 3 points for the winner, 0 points for the loser.

  • 2-1 = 2 points for the winner, 1 point for the loser.

  • Additional sets do NOT count.

Penalties and rescheduling:

• • Teams that have non-registered players will be penalized. If these players are externals, the team will be EXPELLED from the tournament. No excuse will be accepted.

  • To postpone a match: 48h advance notice to the other team and 24h MINIMUM to BV-DTIC committee is required. Last-minute notice will be penalized with MINUS 1 point (Exceptions: RAIN and EXTREME WIND).

  • Absence without previous announcement: MINUS 1 point for the absent team + the match will be considered lost 2-0 unless the opposing team agrees on rescheduling (we rely on fair play).

  • Games played without proper approval from BV-DTIC committee count as not played and score 0 points. 

  • Violating the mixed gender line-up rule: MINUS 2 points. 

  • The teams in charge of the net will be penalized 1 point for losing any piece from the net kit. 

  • Punctuality is a must. Games must start at most 15 minutes after the scheduled time. If a team is not ready at that time, it will be penalized with MINUS 1 point. If the team doesn't appear at all, the Absence without previous announcement rule will apply.