Sand Volleyball rules

SAND VOLLEYBALL GAME RULES

LEAGUE POLICIES:

There are no maximum number of players allowed on your roster. Players will not be allowed to participate without signing the RGV SSC roster/waiver form. New shirts cannot be ordered. The only way to add a new player to your roster after the registration deadline is by first dropping another player. Teams have up until the third week of the season to do so. After that, rosters are frozen. The additional player must obtain the uniform from the dropped player in order to play. If a team wishes to add a player only after the registration deadline, this can only be done if the league has the uniforms in stock.

WAIVERS:
In order to participate in the league, each participant must sign the team waiver. Waivers will be e-mailed to all team captains, which need to be printed out, and turned in no later then the first night of play. Players not present the first week of play will still be required to sign a waiver with our staff before participating. An RGV SSC staff member will keep your team waiver at the field, or a new one can be printed out. Players, who sign up as individuals, sign the waiver online when they register.

PLAYER RESTRICTIONS:
A. All RGV SSC participants must be at least 21 years old before the season starts.
B. Players that have participated in Division 1 or professional sports must be 2 years removed from participation if they wish to play in a similar RGV SSC sport.
C. RGV SSC will have the right to request ID from any player. Any player in the super social league who is determined a social player by the RGV SSC will have their league fee credited towards a future season. If more than one player fits in the category, the RGV SSC has the option to move the team to the social division.
D. Players may only play for one team and be on one roster, regardless of if multiple divisions are offered. One can play, for example, softball on Tuesdays & softball on Thursdays, but not for two teams in the same day or night. Any player that breaks this rule will cause both of their teams to forfeit games played on that day.

SPORTSMANSHIP:
We are all adults, and the RGV SSC expects all participants to act like it. Unsportsmanlike behavior may result in that player or team being suspended from participating in all RGV SSC sports. Being ejected from a game may carry a suspension.

GAME UNIFORMS:
RGV SSC t-shirts are your team’s uniforms. All players must wear their current RGV SSC uniform (past season’s uniforms are not permitted) to participate and any player not wearing his/her uniform will be will be sidelined for that game. Missing or swapped uniform players’ names will be taken and if they are not on your roster, a loss will be assessed for that game.

UNIFORM ALTERATIONS:
Names on uniforms, numbers, cut-off sleeves, corporate logos, etc, are permitted, as long as they do not cover any logos originally printed on the shirts.

GAME EQUIPMENT:
RGVSSC will provide all equipment necessary.  An “official” RGVSSC softball will be used for legal game play.

FORFEITS:

If your team forfeits a game during the season, the following rules apply:
First Offense: Loss of game and warning issued.
Second Offense: Loss of game and staff reserves the right to remove team from playoffs.
Third Offense: Removal from the league.

If you know in advance that your team is going to forfeit a game, we encourage you to call our office so as to help us schedule your opponent a game. This will still be considered a forfeit, but is a courtesy to your opponent.

Teams have until ten minutes past the designated start time to field a full squad (minimum numbers of players required to play according to the rules). Refer to rules regarding the guy/girl batting ratio. Anything less then the minimum must be approved by the staff and opposing team.

STANDINGS:
The updated standings will be posted weekly on RGVSSC’s website, displaying each teams rank within its skill level. Rank is based on winning percentage. 

POINTS AWARDED:
Win – 2 points…Tie – 1 point….Loss – 0 points.

PLAYOFFS:
All eligible teams make the playoffs (teams that have not abused any policies or forfeits are eligible).
In certain situations teams at or near the bottom of the standings may not advance to the playoffs. Check with RGVSSC league coordinator to see if this applies to your league.
Playoffs are single elimination.

Seeding: Teams are seeded according to winning percentage and strength of schedule.
Teams may be dropped from their regular season level based on the above criteria. Teams may be moved to a higher division during the playoffs only if permission is granted.
Skill levels may be divided into separate divisions based upon size of level.

Teams may play more than one game per day.

Any questions regarding rules, policies, or eligibility must be addressed before the start of the game. RGVSSC reserves the right to schedule playoff games on days other than your regularly scheduled league night.

Game Rules

START OF GAME:
Rock/Paper/Scissors will be played between the two captains to determine serve or side; best two out of three wins and picks either serve or side. Teams will rotate sides and serve after the completion of each game.

SCORING:
All games are rally scoring. In the “rally” game, points will be awarded on both the service and service receive side. Each match will consist of the best of 3 games to 21 points. Play continues until a two point advantage is reached or until a team scores 25 points with a one point advantage.The team that wins two games first shall be declared the winner. Teams may play a third consolation game if a winner has already been declared and time permits.

TIME OUTS:
Each team is allowed one (one-minute) time-out per game. No carryovers.

GENDER RULE:
A woman must hit the ball before it is returned over the net, unless the ball goes over on the first hit. A gender fault will occur (side out) if this does not happen.

SUBSTITUTIONS:
After each side out, players must rotate from the front right to back right position. Substitutions can ONLY be made at this point in the rotation. The substitute is now the server. All substituting players must be behind the end line.

SUBSTITUTION PENALTY:
If a team illegally substitutes a player (not replaced from the right front position), that team will lose their serve immediately. All players must relocate to their original position.

BALL “IN”:
The ball is “in” when it touches the sand of the playing court including the boundary lines.

BALL “OUT”:
A ball is “out” when the part of the ball which contacts the sand is completely outside the boundary line, touches any object outside the court, touches the rope, post, net, etc., outside of the sidelines.

TEAM HITS:
The team is entitled to a maximum of three hits (in addition to blocking) for returning the ball. If more are used, the team commits the fault of “four hits”. The hits of the team include not only intentional hits, but also unintentional hits.

A player may not hit the ball two times consecutively.

The ball may touch any part of the body.

The ball must be hit, not caught and/or thrown.

The ball may touch various parts of the body only if the contact take place simultaneously.

FAULTS IN PLAYING THE BALL: (SIDE OUT)
Four hits

Back row player spikes the ball in front of the 10′ line.

Catch/throw.

Double contact; hits ball twice or ball contacts various parts of body in succession.

Not using a female on one of the three hits (unless over on first hit).

Illegal rotation (substitutions made anywhere other then the front-right line).

Hitting the ball while out of bounds.

No “prolonged contact” between the player and the ball, otherwise known as a carry. The contact should continue in one fluid motion and the ball should not come to rest at any time in that motion.

BOUNDARIES:
Professional boundaries are league provided, at 59.5′ long x 29.5′ wide.

BALL AT THE NET:
The ball sent to the opponents court must go over the net.

The ball may touch the net, INCLUDING the service.

A ball driven into the net may be recovered within the limits of the three hits, except the service.

PLAYER AT THE NET:
A player can break the plane on a spike and a block, as long as you do not interfere with the opponent’s attempt of a returning shot.

FAULTS AT THE NET: (SIDE OUT)
Contact with the net is a fault, even when a player’s momentum causes them to contact the net (excessive net faults will result in that player suspended from the game).

A player may go completely under the net as long as they neither touch the net or interfere with the play.

A player touches the ball or an opponent in the opponent’s space before or during the opponents hit.

SERVICE:
No “jump” serves are allowed.

When the serving team wins the rally, the player who served before, serves again.

When the receiving team wins the rally, it gains the right to serve and rotates before actually serving. The player moves from the front right position to the back right position to serve.

No receiving player may leave his or her feet to block a serve.

The server must not touch the end line or a “foot” fault will be called.

BLOCKING:
Blocking is the action of players close to the net trying intercept the ball coming from the opponent’s side.

A block contact is not counted as a team hit, and a team is entitled to three hits to return the ball.

The first hit after the block may be executed by any player, including the one who blocked the ball.

PLAYER(S) EJECTION:
Any excessive attack hit deemed unsportsmanlike by the referee’s.

General unsportsmanlike conduct towards opponent, referee, etc.

Player(s) ejected will be suspended for the current game and the following week’s game.

GHOST PLAYERS:
Teams that are short players must designate a spot in their serving rotation for a “ghost player.” The space(s) is where the other player would play in the rotation if he/she were present. When the “ghost player” rotates to the serving position, the team will automatically lose their serve. If a team is 2 players short, they would play with two “ghost players.” Players arriving late may automatically take over the “ghost player’s” position at any time during the progress of the game.

Any rules not mentioned above follow those of the USAV