Industrial Volleyball League Rules & Guidelines
Adding Players During Play
Alcoholic beverages
Back-row player attacks
Back sets
Ball contacting the body
"A" players in "B" leagues
Blocking
Center line violations
Ceiling balls
Delays in starting a match
Dialog with referee
Dinks
Double hits
Eligibility for playoffs
Food and drink
Foot fault
Front-row player attacks
Four Men and One Woman
Games per match
Hand/foot rule
Inadvertent nets
Incomplete teams
Legal Team Composition
Let Serve
Libero
Lifting or carrying the ball
Losing Players During Play
Misbehavior
Multiple hits
One Woman and Four Men
Overhead obstructions
Point cap
Protests
Referee testing
Rotation
Service zone
Serving into the Net
Serving technique
Setting criteria
Signing the roster
Schedule
Substitution
Time-outs
Two games equal a match--record is based on games won/lost. Two timeouts allowed per game (30 seconds per timeout).
Schedule will indicate which team serves first and from what side of the court. 2 minutes before official starting time (7:00/whatever) referee calls "last hit" and the first serve is exactly at starting time. Teams not ready are penalized one point for each minute--at 5 minutes is 1st forfeit, another 5 minutes and the 2nd game is forfeited. Teams without 4 members to officiate at the prescribed time will receive a loss.
Free substitution for all leagues (Player A for B/B for A as often as you like). Only a man can substitute for a man, only a woman for a woman--a man cannot replace a woman (nor vice-versa) when substituting. A player may only substitute back into the lineup for the player who replaced him/her originally. Teams may rotate players in, but the coed rule (at least one member of the opposite sex on the court at all times) is in force at all times. Teams cannot substitute and rotate in the same game, must be one or the other. A team must rotate positions on every sideout, including the first serve of the game. Team A serves the first ball of the match to Team B--Team B wins the rally and must rotate. When rotating, a team must rotate a player in and out on every sideout (unless a team is just rotating the women, or just rotating the men). A man may replace a woman when rotating, as long as there are still at least 2 women on the court at all times. If there are only two members of the opposite sex at the league that night, neither of those two players would rotate out. The Libero: All levels have the option of using the libero; a backrow sub who cannot serve, hit or set (can't set using their hands in front of the 10 foot line.) After being replaced in the front row, the libero must sit out at least one serve before returning to the backrow.
A team must have at least 4 players to play. Here is a list of all of the legal compositions of a team: 1 woman and 3 men, 3 women and 1 man, 2 women and 2 men, 2 women and 3 men, 3 women and 2 men, 3 women and 3 men, 2 women and 4 men, 4 women and 2 men. We have recently added the "4 and 1" rule in all the coed leagues: A team may play with 4 men and 1 woman. The woman still serves in the proper order, but she must start each play at right front. 99% of the teams play 2 women and 4 men. When playing with 4 or 5, there are no imaginary players when rotating for sideouts. (There are 3 front-row players.)
Serving: The current rule states that after the whistle is blown, you have 8 seconds to put the ball in play, and you only get one toss. If you catch the toss, or allow the ball to drop to the floor, it's a sideout. Also, the ball cannot be hit out of your hand when serving. You must either toss or drop the ball from your hand before making contact. You can now serve from anywhere behind the endline and between the sidelines. It is a foot fault if you step past the outside edge of the extension of the sideline. It is okay to step on the sideline, but not past the outside edge. Note: It is a foot fault if you step on any part of the endline. Serves that touch the net and land in the opponent's court are in play.
You cannot block the serve. A player near the net and not above the height of the net when contacting the ball will no longer be considered a blocker, even if the player was above the net earlier in the play. In this case, that first contact would be the first team hit. After a touch on the block (when a player contacts the ball above the height of the net) a team still has three hits left.
The ball may contact any part of your body, regardless of intent. However, a serve must be hit with either the hand or arm.
No one may lift or carry the ball. Bump the ball, do not scoop it underhanded as this is illegal. Face the direction you are setting (or for back sets, directly back) rather than carrying the ball across the body. The ball must be played cleanly--it cannot visibly come to rest on any person's hands or body.
Multiple/double-hits: You are allowed to multiple/double-hit the ball if 1)It is the first ball over the net and 2) You make only one attempt to play the ball (as Gary Wakai, formerly of the USA Rules of the Game Commission says, "In your heart, you know what we mean"). Speed of the ball is not a factor in this rule. If your team touches the ball on the block, the next play is considered the "first ball" in this rule. Note: The original rule allowed multiple/double-hits if there was no finger action involved. That part of the rule has been dropped. You are now allowed to use finger action on the first ball and multiple/double-hit it as long as you don't Lift the ball. A lifted ball is one that visibly comes to rest against a bodily part. You are allowed to set the first ball (including the serve) in any level of the IVL as long as it is not a lift. In summary: You can set the first ball and mangle it, double-hit it, have it make noise going through the air (however you want to describe it) AS LONG AS IT IS NOT A LIFT. If you set the first ball and a referee calls you for a lift, that's the end of the play. You can politely ask, "Did you know double-hits were legal on the first ball?" And the referee can answer "Yes, but I felt it was a lift". And that's the end of the discussion. Referees: Make sure you signal a lifted ball and not a double-hit, if you choose to call that play. Players: We still recommend bumping the first ball, especially in the recreational and returning B levels. Why give the referee a chance to make a call? However, it's your choice. But if you get called for a lift, you can't complain.
Setting criteria: Rec and returning B--As long as the setter is facing the direction either directly to or directly back, generally no throw will be called. BB--If the setter throws the ball, it should be called--if it's a marginal set, it should be called if the setter is not facing the direction. If it's marginal, and the BB setter is facing the direction, it usually should be okay. Naturally, if it's a good set, it doesn't matter which direction the setter is facing. In the A and above: it better be a good set or it's going to be called. One rule of thumb--if you can't count the revolutions of the ball going through the air- -a referee would generally call that in the A and above. The set should be cleanly made-- all you deep-dish setters who massage the ball are asking for trouble--if you try to laterally set the ball you are almost guaranteed of throwing/lifting the set.
Open hand dinks: Legal as long as the ball is directed in one motion, in one direction.
Inadvertent Nets: If you are involved in a play at the net (either before, during or after the ball has been played), and you touch the net, it is a net. Inadvertent nets in the IVL only apply to a player who brushes against the net but who is away from the play, and not involved in any way with the play of the ball. Note: Incidental contact with the net by a player's HAIR is not considered a net.
Overhead: You may play the ball off the ceiling and overhead obstructions (baskets, etc.) as long as you would have had a legal hit remaining if the ball had not hit the ceiling/obstruction. Note: The ball must contact the ceiling above playable area on your side of the net. One way to think about it: If you can't stand under the area the ball hit and legally play the ball, it would be out of play. Refs: Linespeople may need to help make this call on occasion. There may be specific ground rules for the gym you play in. See your league supervisor.
No one should referee unless they have at least taken the written test.
Only the captain may speak with the referee. This keeps a situation of 12 people arguing at once from happening. Teams that abuse this rule will not be asked back. If any one person gets out of line, the ref should warn him/her with a yellow card. If this same person disrupts play again, the ref will issue a point or sideout (red card) to the other team. The league supervisor at the site should be notified if someone receives a red card. That person/team will receive a warning from the League Director--if it happens again, the penalities will consist of: 1) Suspension for 1 week 2) Suspension for 2 weeks or 3)Expulsion from the league with no refund. Circumstances surrounding the incident will be taken into consideration.
No food or drink in the gym. Sealed, plastic water bottles only.
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Industrial Volleyball League, Inc.
Kirk Anderson, Director
947 Emerald Hill Road
Redwood City, CA 94061
650-365-2666 9am-5pm M-F
650-367-0881 (fax)
ivlinc@aol.com
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