alvl PLAYING RULES
2026-2027 Season

The referee will flip a coin to determine which team serves first.  The team losing the first game of the match will serve first in the second game.

Limit of five consecutive serves per player.

A player will be allowed one foot in the court while serving.

Teams must have a continuous rotation of players during each game.  Lineups may be altered at the beginning of each new game.

Players must rotate on and off from the same position within a game.  No random substitutions are allowed (injury excepted).​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

• Substitution for an injured player is allowed.  A player currently on the sidelines will take the place in the rotation of the injured player. If the injured player is able to return to the game, they will assume their original position by calling for a substitution. The substitute will return to the sidelines and will rejoin the rotation in their original position.

Players on the sidelines are expected to keep score. If necessary to facilitate this, teams might not change courts between games.

Players arriving late may join in the game in progress. The player may;

• Enter the game at the next available rotation OR
• Remain on the sideline until their natural spot in the rotation comes up OR
• Be added to the lineup for the next full game.

Any ball contacting the basketball apparatus or the ceiling will be deemed out.

NO touching any part of the net during play.

Contact below the knee is not allowed and will be considered an illegal hit.

A serve cannot be returned, on first contact, using a spiking motion, from in front of the attack line.

 SCHEDULING / GAME FORMAT / SCORING 

Unforeseen gym cancellations will result in matches being cancelled. The schedule will not be amended. In the event of an exceptional game interruption (e.g. games are late starting due to a school event, the fire alarm sounds, etc.), any time lost will be divided between the early and late time slots at the discretion of the referees and any executive members on site.

• Matches are two games, to a maximum of 40 minutes, and will commence at the times published on the schedule on the league website.
• A game is won by the team which first reaches 25 points with a minimum lead of 2 points (capped at 27), or the team which is ahead at the time limit, no matter what the margin.
• One timeout of 30 seconds, per game, per team is allowed. No timeouts are allowed during the last 2 minutes of play.
• Teams receive 2 points for each game win, 1 point for a tie.
• Teams with fewer than five players at the listed starting time for each game will forfeit that game. Games will be forfeited at each start time (i.e. a team may need to forfeit Game 1, but not forfeit Game 2 if a late player arrives).
• Game 1 must begin at the scheduled start time and be played in full regardless of the forfeit. A player arriving late may join in but this will not affect the game being scored as a forfeit. 
  
• If a team knows in advance that they will not be able to field five players, the match will not be cancelled and will be scored as a forfeit. All available players are expected to attend and participate. The match will proceed as scheduled as an exhibition game. Players may be borrowed from the opposing team to balance team numbers and allow for meaningful play.
• Teams that begin the evening with five players, and subsequently lose a player to injury or illness, may play with four players to avoid a default.
• A forfeited game will be scored as 25 – 0.

 PLAYOFFS 

All rules listed above continue to apply.

Playoffs are a round robin structure, with each team playing every other team four times.

Standings will be determined at the end of the round robin. If necessary, the tie-breaking criteria will be:

1. Head to Head: who won when they played each other in the playoff round.
2. Point Differences in games played between the two tied teams in the playoff round
3. Total points scored by the two tied teams in the regular season

 CHAMPIONSHIP / CONSOLATION FINALS  

The teams finishing the playoff round in first through fourth will play in the Championship Round.  The teams finishing fifth through eighth will play in the Consolation Round.

The championship/consolation rounds will take place over two evenings. All teams will play on both evenings. The structure will be:

• Week 1 - Semi-Finals 
  • Champions Round
    • 1st vs 4th
    • 2nd vs 3rd
  • Consolation Round
    • 5th vs 8th
    • 6th vs 7th
• Week 2 - Finals
  • Champions Round
    • Final - Winner of 1st/4th vs. Winner of 2nd/3rd
    • Bronze - Loser of 1st/4th vs. Loser of 2nd/3rd 
  • Consolation Round
    • Final - Winner of 5th/8th vs. Winner of 6th/7th
    • Bronze - Loser of 5th/8th vs. Loser of 6th/7th 

With the exception of the below, all regular rules continue to apply:

• All matches MUST start and end on time. A strict curfew will be enforced. Each match will be allotted 1 hour and 15 minutes. A match starting late will be curfewed at the originally scheduled time.
• A coin toss will occur. The winner will choose serve or side. Regular OVA rules will apply. The team that did not serve first in the first game, will serve first in the second game. If a third game is required, the team who served at the beginning of the first game, will serve. Teams will not change courts halfway through the third game.
• There will be a two minute break between games in the match.
• All matches will be best two out of three. Each game will be played to 25 with a 27 point cap. You must win by 2 points unless the game is capped.
• If the third game is necessary, it may be curfewed at the time limit. The team that is ahead at the curfew will be declared the winner no matter what the margin. If the game is tied at the curfew, last serve will be called - winner of that point will win the set/match.
• Teams may have one 30 second timeout in each game. There will be no timeouts in the last five minutes of the match.
  
  

Revised: August 2026