FORMAT
Matches
Each team will play 3 games vs. one opposing team each night.
Scoring
Games will be played to 21 using rally scoring with a cap of 23.
Time allotment
Matches have a 60-minute time limit. If time is called before the end of a match then the current score is final.
Game is forfeited 15 minutes after start time if not enough players of a team arrive.
Referees
Matches will be self-reffed.
Any issues with reffing should be immediately brought to our League Director or any CGVA Board Member present during play by your team captain. To email us, visit our Board Member page to find the address for a specific person.
RULES
Players
Each team will consist of 4 rostered players.
More players are allowed on a team roster and can rotate in during play.
Minimum of 3 players required to play.
There must be at least 2 original rostered players present or a team must forfeit.
Substitutions
Players from other teams can substitute if at the same division or lower.
A player at a higher division CANNOT play in a lower division game.
For people who have not played with CGVA before or are not rated, we ask for an honor system to keep play as fair as possible.
If any issue comes up, reach out to our League Director, any CGVA Board Member present at the time of play by your team captain. To email us, visit our Board Member page to find the address for a specific person.
Game Management
First serve will be determined by rock/paper/scissors (on 3, not after 3). The team that wins will have the choice of first serve or court, with the remaining choice going to the other team. Teams will switch both sides and server for the second game. Rock/paper/scissors should be repeated before the third game.
Teams are allowed up to two one-minute time-outs per game.
Rotation
Players are not required to rotate positions during the course of play, but must serve in a consistent order.
All players are considered front row the entire match. A player is able to hit in the front row even if he/she just served; there are no back-row attack violations.
Center Line and Net
Touching any part of the net is a net fault.
You may travel completely under the net, provided you make no contact with a player on the opposing team and do not interfere with the opposing team's play.
Within the limits of the three team contacts, a player may contact a ball that has crossed the net below the net (or outside the posts) in an attempt to recover a ball that has not been contacted by the opponents. The recovered ball must cross the net below the net (or outside the posts).
Service
"Let" serves, where the ball makes contact with the net on serve, are legal.
Stepping on or over the line prior to making contact with the ball is a foot fault and loss of point.
A player is allowed to let the ball drop to the ground (once per serving attempt) on a toss to serve. Catching a toss will result in a side-out.
You may not prevent the opposing team, through screening, from seeing the server or the path of the ball. At an opponent's request, a player must move sideways, bend over, or bend down.
You may not block or attack a serve.
Setting
Sets must leave the setter's hands cleanly without multiple contacts on the ball. The NAGVA ball handling rules are in effect such that consideration may be given to setters due to the circumstance of the set and the level of play (A/AA, BB, B, Rec).
- A setter may set the ball over the net (forward or backward), provided his/her shoulders are perpendicular to the path of the ball. Side or directional sets are not permitted over the net. Side or directional sets are permitted when setting a fellow teammate on your side of the net.
General Ball Handling
A player MAY open-hand set a hard-driven attack (spike) in his or her attempt to dig that attack. An open-hand set with a slight double hit is acceptable if the ball is not controlled with any sort of carry. When receiving a serve, a player's hands must be together/touching.
The first contact on the ball any time it comes over the net may be double-hit by a single player and still counted as a single contact provided that the double contact is made in one attempt to play the ball.
The ball may be played with any part of the body.
A touch on a block is not considered one of the three contacts allowed per team, nor does it prevent the blocker from making immediate secondary contact with the ball, which would be considered the first of the three contacts.
You may not carry/lift the ball, which includes palming or throwing the ball on a hit.
- When contacting the ball with one hand, the ball must be cleanly hit with 1) the heel or palm of the hand (including roll shots), 2) straight, locked fingertips (cobra), or knurled fingers (camel-toe), 3) a closed fist, or 4) the back of the hand. One-handed placement or redirection of the ball with the fingers (dink or open-hand tip) is not permitted.
You may not "roof" (blocker's hands extending over the net and breaking the plane of the net when the setter is setting the ball for an offensive play). A blocker may extend his/her hands over the net when 1) the ball is above the height of the net AND 2) is being attacked by the opponent (a hit or if the setter is dumping the ball).