Volleyball Rules: Comparing FIVB, NCAA and AVP Volleyball Rules

Woman Playing Volleyball
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Number of Players

  • Olympic Indoor, NCAA Men, and Women
  • Six players
  • AVP, Olympic Beach
  • Two players

Scoring

  • AVP, Olympic Indoor, and Beach, NCAA Men, and Women
  • Rally scoring
  • Must win by two
  • No point cap
  • Olympic Indoor and NCAA Men and Women
  • Best of five sets
  • First four sets played to 25 points
  • Fifth set played to 15 points
  • Teams switch sides at game's end in sets 1-4 and when leading team reaches eight points in set five.
  • AVP and Olympic Beach
  • Best of three sets
  • First two sets played to 21 points
  • Third set played to 15 points
  • Teams switch sides when sum of points scored equals seven in sets one and two, and when sum of points scored equals five in set three.

Court Size

  • Olympic Indoor and NCAA Men and Women
  • 18 meters x 9 meters (59' x 29'6")
  • AVP and Olympic Beach
  • 16 meters x 8 meters (52'6" x 26'3")

Net Rules

  • AVP, Olympic Indoor and Beach, NCAA Men and Women
  • Men's Net Height - 2.43 meters or 8’
  • Women's Net Height - 2.24 meters or 7’4”
  • Contact with net permitted as long as it does not interfere with play.
  • Olympic Indoor, NCAA Men and Women
  • Any part of body above feet can go under the net as long as it does not interfere with play.
  • Feet can go under the net if they don’t interfere with play and part of foot is on or above center line.
  • AVP, Olympic Beach
  • Players can fully enter opponent’s court as long as does not interfere with play.

Ball Handling

  • AVP, Olympic Beach and Indoor, NCAA Men and Women
  • Players can contact the ball with any part of the body
  • Olympic Indoor
  • Double contact permitted on first contact
  • AVP and Olympic Beach
  • Hard driven ball may be held momentarily.
  • No open-handed tips or dinks.

Time Outs and Substitutions

  • Olympic Indoor
  • Each team gets two time outs (30 seconds each) per set
  • Each team gets six subs (libero position has unlimited subs.)
  • A player may enter and exit the game only once each.
  • In sets 1-4, two additional 60 second technical time outs are automatically taken when the leading team reaches eight and 16 points.
  • AVP and Olympic Beach
  • Each team gets one 30-second time out per set
  • Each team gets one injury time out per player per match.
  • No substitutions.
  • In FIVB world events there is one 30-second technical time out in sets one and two when the sum of points reaches 21.
  • NCAA Men and Women
  • Each team gets two 60-second timeouts per set
  • One media timeout (75-90 secs.) per set can be taken at the discretion of host school when lead team reaches 15 points in sets 1-4 (or 8 points in set five) unless a team time out has been called prior to that point.
  • Each team gets 12 subs per set.
  • The same player can enter and exit the game an unlimited amount of times within the twelve-sub limit.

Playing Actions

  • Olympic Indoor
  • Block does not count as a hit.
  • Cannot attack a libero set.
  • AVP and Olympic Beach
  • Block counts as a hit.
  • NCAA Men and Women
  • Block does not count as a hit.
  • Libero may serve in one position in rotation.
  • Players may attack a libero set if made from behind three-meter line.