LEAGUE RULES

Grades 3rd–6th

Nebraska high school volleyball rules will be used except for the league modifications listed below.

1. Warm-Up
•    Teams will have 2 minutes of shared court warm-up, followed by 1 minute of shared court time for both teams to serve.
•    For 6th grade only, each team may have 2 minutes of solo court warm-up if the coaches choose and games are running on schedule. This optional warm-up time must not delay the game schedule.

2. Match Format & Timing
•    Home and away teams were determined before the start of the season and are listed on the schedule.
•    Matches are best 2 out of 3 sets using rally scoring.
•    Sets 1 and 2 are played to 25 points. Set 3 is played to 15 points.
•    Teams must win a set by 2 points.
•    The home team, as identified on the league score sheet, will serve first in Set 1.
•    The away team, as identified on the league score sheet, will serve first in Set 2.
•    First serve in Set 3 will be determined by the winner of Rock-Paper-Scissors.
•    Each team is allowed two 60-second time-outs per set.

3. Minimum Number of Players / Defaults
•    A minimum of 5 players is required to start a match.
•    If only 4 players are present at the scheduled start time, the team will default the first set.
•    After the first-set default, the team will be given 10 minutes for additional players to arrive.
•    If the team still has only 4 players after 10 minutes, the second set will also be declared a default.

4. Serving Rules
•    The hosting school must clearly mark the serving location for each grade. If tape is not permitted, another clear marker or visual distinction must be provided so players can identify the appropriate serving line.
•    All players are expected to start their serve behind the regulation baseline unless a forward serving line has been approved for them. Coaches must identify any players who need to serve closer to the net and agree on their designated serving line before the match begins.
•    3rd Grade: Players may serve from any position behind the 10-foot line that allows them to successfully put the ball into play.
•    4th Grade: Players may serve from a line 6 feet inside the regulation baseline.
•    5th & 6th Grade: Players may serve from a line 3 feet inside the regulation baseline.
•    There will be no foot-fault calls in any age group; however, every player must begin their serve behind their designated serving line.
•    If a player begins their first serve in front of their designated serving line and the ball goes into play, the serve will not count. No point is awarded, and the player must re-serve from behind the designated line.
•    If the player again begins their serve in front of the designated serving line, a side out will be called.
•    Any player using an approved forward serving line must move back to the regulation baseline after 3 successful serves in that service turn and remain there for the rest of that turn.
•    Each server is allowed two serving opportunities on their first attempt. If the first serve is missed, no point is awarded. If the second serve is missed, a point is awarded to the opposing team.
•    After 5 serves by the same player, the ball is awarded to the opposing team to serve. No point is awarded for this automatic change of service.

5. Net Height
•    Net height for 3rd through 6th grade is 7 feet.

6. Violations
•    5th & 6th Grade: All net touches and any instance in which a player completely crosses the center line will be called as violations.
•    Players are not allowed to contact the net during play at any time.
•    3rd & 4th Grade: Each team will receive a warning before a net or center-line violation is called.
•    Two consecutive contacts by the same player will be considered a double-hit violation and will result in loss of possession.

7. Substitutions

Teams may use one of the following two substitution methods:

Method 1 — Rotation Substitution
•    Single substitutions may occur during the regular rotation into the front-left position (Zone 4).
•    Only the player rotating from rear-left (Zone 5) into front-left (Zone 4) may be substituted using this method.
•    These substitutions do not require specific oversight from the officiating staff.
•    No substitutions for servers are allowed.
Method 2 — Regular Volleyball Substitution
•    Regular volleyball substitutions may be used as long as standard substitution rules are followed.
•    Paired players must remain linked to one another for substitutions and may not be on the court at the same time.
•    No libero is allowed.
•    There is no limit on the number of substitutions in a set or match and no substitution limitation based on playing position, other than the requirements above.
•    The intent of the substitution rules is to promote equal playing time for all players.

IMPORTANT: Games may start early if the schedule is running ahead. Teams should be ready to play before their scheduled match time.