SUNY Potsdam Athletics

DEFINITIONS

1. Hit Ball — The ball must be clearly hit. When in the opinion of the proper official, the ball visibly comes to rest at contact, the player shall have committed a foul.

2. Out of bounds — The ball is out of bounds when it touches any surface or object or ground outside the court, or touches the net outside the markers on the sides of the net. Any part of the ball touching a boundary line or marker on the sides of the net is not out of bounds.

TEAMS AND PLAYER

1. Number of players — A team may not begin play with fewer than four players.

2. Starting times — Teams not ready with five players five minutes after the starting time will forfeit the match.

3. Team roster — Each team shall give the scorer a list of every squad member's name.

CHOICE AND CHANGE OF PLAYING ARE

1. For first game — For the first game of the match, one of the captain of the two teams shall call the toss of a coin. The winner takes the serve or choice of playing areas as the case may be.

2. For subsequent games —Teams shall change playing areas at the end of each game of the same match.

3. In the middle of the third game —During the third game of a match, the teams shall automatically change playing areas after:

(a) one team has scored eight points

(b) when time is being kept, the first time the ball becomes dead after four minutes of play

POSITIONS OF PLAYER

1. Server — The server shall serve from within the serving area and shall not touch the lines bounding this area or the floor outside this area at the instant the ball is contacted when hit for the serve.

2. After ball is served —After the ball is contacted when hit for the serve, the players may move from their respective positions.

3. At the moment of the serve - it is illegal for players of the serving team to place their arms for the purpose of forming a screen with which to mask the server's action.

4. Back line player — A back line player forward of the 10-foot line, returning the ball across the net, must contact the ball from below the level of the top of the net.

5. Substitution position — Any substitute shall take the position of the player whom he or she is replacing. No change shall be made in the relative positions of other players when a substitution is made. After a player has re-entered the game, he or she shall be in his or her original position in relation to his or her teammates.

6. Only front line may block— Blocking is permitted by any or all the players of the front line only. Any player is considered as having the intention of effecting a block if he or she places one or both hands above his or her head while in a position close to the net in an effort to intercept the ball.

NET PLAY

1. Contacting the net — A player shall not contact any part of the net or its supports while the ball is in play. When the ball is driven into the net so that it causes the net or its supports to contact an opposing players or players, this is not a foul if they did not actually contact the net by their own impetus.

2. Reaching over net — In returning the ball, a player may follow through over the net, providing he or she first contacts the ball on his or her own side of the net. Players in the act of blocking may reach across the net but may not contact the ball there until opponent has hit ball to return it.

3. Crossing center line —A player may touch the center line but not the floor on the opposite side of the center line while the ball is in play. Any part of the player's body may be in the air below the net and beyond the center line if he or she does not interfere with the opponent's play by touching the ball or an opponent. A player may reach under the net to retrieve a ball that is in play by his or her team.

4. Recovering the ball from net — A ball may be played from the net.

5. Ball considered crossing net — When only part of a ball crosses the net and is then contacted by an opponent, it is considered as having crossed the net. Any ball contacted by blockers on the opponent's side of the net may be considered to have legally crossed the net.

6. Successive contacts by a player — A player shall not make successive contacts of the ball except that when playing a hard-driven spiked ball he or she may make successive contacts if they constitute one attempt to play the ball.

7. Simultaneous contacts by opponents — If two opponents simultaneously hit the ball above the net, the player behind the direction of the ball is considered as having touched it last; the team upon whose side of the net the ball falls is allowed three plays of the ball. If, after the simultaneous touch by two opponents, the ball falls and touches within the limits of the court, the other team is at fault.

OTHER PLAY

1. Simultaneous contacts by teammates — Simultaneous contacts of the ball by more than one player on the same team are allowed and are considered as one play. Players participating in such play may participate in the next play.

2. One play by player — A player shall not play the ball twice in succession- cession. The three plays that are exempt from this rule are:

a.) simultaneous contacts by teammates

b.) successive contacts by blockers

c.) simultaneous contacts by opponents

-The players participating in any such plays may participate in the next play.

3. Playing the ball —The ball may be hit by any part of the body above and including the waist.

4. Intrude on height of court —A ball other than the serve may strike one or more times on the ceiling and/or fixtures or obstructions which intrude upon the height of the court or that of the surrounding play area, and may still be in play by the offending team according to the rules as though the ball had not touched such obstructions. However, no such rebounding ball may legally strike above the opponent's side of the net nor may it legally fall to the opponent's court. In touching obstructions, should a ball come to rest or be wedged, the referee shall declare the ball dead.

TIME FACTOR

1. Team's time-out (30 seconds) — Time-out shall not exceed 30 sec-seconds. Each time-out taken by or charged to a team, in excess of two per game, shall be penalized. However, the team may use this penalized time-out. Times-out may be taken consecutively without any play between them. While the ball is dead, the playing captain or coach may make a request for the time-out to the referee or umpire; however, requests for time-out shall not be honored after the referee has blown his or her whistle indicating readiness to play.

SUBSTITUTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS

1. Positions —The substitute shall take the position of the player whom he or she is replacing. No change shall be made in the relative positions of other players when a substitution is made. After a player has re-entered the game, he or she shall be in his or her original position in relation to his or her teammates.

2. Limitation on substitution — A team may have not more than 12 substitutions during any one game. A player may enter the same game not more than three times.

3. Fourth entry — When a player has entered the game a fourth time, he or she may not remain in the game. If the discovery is made before the opponents serve, points scored by the player's team while he or she was playing during the fourth entry shall be canceled and side out declared if the offending team has possession of the serve.

4. Wrong position re-entry — When a player has re-entered the game in a position different from that of his or her original position, in relation to his or her teammates, the player may not remain in the game unless he or she assumes his or her original position. If the discovery is made before the opponents serve, points scored by his or her team while he or she was playing in the incorrect position shall be canceled and side out declared if offending team has possession of the serve.