Volleyball

6 players

How many players are on the court per team?

Best of 5 sets. First to win 3 sets wins the match.

How many sets are in a standard volleyball match?

25 points with a 2-point lead. The 5th set is played to 15.

How many points do you need to win a set?

It's in. Balls landing on any boundary line are considered in play.

A ball lands on the line. What happens?

It's a fault — double contact. The other team gets the point.

A player hits the ball twice in a row. What happens?

3 contacts (a block touch does not count as one of the 3).

How many total contacts is each team allowed per rally?

Play continues — it's a legal serve.

The ball touches the net on a serve and goes over. What happens?

Fault — illegal block.

A player reaches over the net and blocks the ball. What happens?

The ball is out. The team that hit it loses the point.

The ball hits the antenna. What happens?

It's a service fault. The other team gets the point and the serve.

What happens if a serve hits the net and doesn't cross over?

Foot fault — service fault. Other team gets the point and the serve.

A server steps on the end line while serving. What happens?

When they win a rally (side-out). They also rotate before serving.

When does a team earn the right to serve?

Only in some rule sets. In FIVB rules, the libero cannot serve. In some high school rules, the libero may serve in one rotation.

Can a libero serve?

When they win a rally from the opposing team's serve. They rotate clockwise before serving.

When does a team rotate?

Positional fault — the other team gets the point and the serve.

A player is out of rotation position when the serve is made. What happens?

Position 1 (back-right).

Which position serves first in a new rotation?

1 → 6 → 5 → 4 → 3 → 2 → 1

What is the rotation order of positions?

Positional fault — the opposing team gets the point and the serve.

A front-row player is standing behind a back-row player when the serve is made. What happens?

Yes — positional rules only apply at the moment of the serve. After contact, players can move anywhere.

Can players move freely after the serve?

Fault — illegal back-row attack. The other team gets the point.

A back-row player jumps and attacks the ball from in front of the 3-meter line. What happens?

Cannot serve (FIVB), attack above the net, set from in front of the 3m line for an attack above the net, or rotate into a front-row position.

What can the libero NOT do?

Freely — the libero can replace any back-row player during a dead ball without counting as a regular substitution.

How is the libero substituted?

Fault — the other team gets the point.

A player touches the net during play. What happens?

Fault — the other team gets the point.

A player's foot fully crosses the center line. What happens?

Play continues if your team can still play the ball within 3 contacts.

The ball hits the ceiling and comes back down on your own side. What happens?

A 5th deciding set is played to 15 points, win by 2.

If both teams win 2 sets each, what happens?

A coin toss decides who serves first and which side each team starts on.

How is the 5th set started?