Volleyball Rules - 4v4

You may suffer physical and/or mental injury from participating in Intramural Sports. There are certain risks of injury that are inherent to participation in sports and recreational activities. These types of injuries may be minor or serious and may result from the actions or inactions of themselves or others. By choosing to participate in Intramural Sports, you do so at your own risk. It is understood that most activities require a certain level of fitness and health, and that each person has a different capacity for participating in these activities. Participants of Intramural Sports are highly encouraged to have a physical examination and procure health insurance prior to play. UC Campus Recreation does not provide health insurance.

Intramural Supervisors undergo concussion recognition training. In the instance a participant is exhibiting any signs or symptoms of a concussion as a result of a head injury sustained during intramural play, he or she will be removed from the activity. This individual must provide a physician’s note clearing the individual to play by a specific date. This note may be e-mailed to intramural@uc.edu or faxed to 513-556-0601.

Following each game, each team will receive a sportsmanship rating between 0.0 and 4.0.

In order to qualify for playoffs, teams must obtain a 3.0 or higher sportsmanship average during the regular season based on the table below:

* A team that receives a "0" rating will be suspended from competition until its captain meets with the Assistant Director or Coordinator of Intramural Sports. The team may be removed from competition.

In addition to team ratings, any unsportsmanlike actions may be forwarded to Judicial Affairs and may include but is not limited to revocation of Intramural Sports and/or Campus Recreation privileges.

To be eligible for intramural sports, each player must possess an active membership to the University of Cincinnati Campus Recreation Center AND be a current University of Cincinnati student (enrolled in at least one (1) credit hour), faculty, or staff member.

Uptown, full-time UC students receive a Campus Recreation membership through full payment of the Campus Life Fee. All other populations will need to purchase a membership in order to be eligible to play.

Participants may participate on one (1) mixed gender and one (1) non-mixed gender team (i.e. men's, women's, open, Fraternity, Sorority) per sport, per season. Substituting for another team in the same league is prohibited.

Every game, each participant must check in with the intramural official with a valid Bearcat card

Intramural particpants must additionally meet all requirements of Section 3.4:

Teams are limited to one (1) competitive club sport participant (in the same or similar sport) on its roster.

Current varsity athletes and professional athletes are not allowed to play on an intramural team of the same or similar sport as their varsity sport.

Former varsity athletes must sit out 365 days from last appearing on a varsity roster to be eligible to play in the same or similar sport as their varsity sport. Teams are allowed one (1) former varsity athlete (in the same or similar sport) per roster.

Jewelry is not allowed during intramural play. This includes earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and fitness trackers, among other things.

Medical jewelry is allowed but must be taped down.

Headwear is not permitted during intramural play. This includes hats and bandannas among similar items.

Athletic clothing and footwear is required. Prohibited items include but is not limited to: jeans, cargo pants/shorts, skirts, loafers, open-toed shoes, and boots. 

Non-marking footwear is required to participate.

Any casts, braces, or other protective equipment must be padded and secure.

Knee pads are recommended, but not provided.

Prior to registration close, a team must have at least four players confirmed on its IMLeagues roster. Teams that fail to do so may not be included in the league.

Once playoffs begin, players may not be added to the roster without direct approval of the Coordinator and/or Assistant Director of Intramurals.

Teams may have up to twelve (12) players on its roster.

No team shall participate with less than three (3) players at any time

If injuries or ejections cause a team to drop below minimum players required, the team may continue, as long as they started with the minimum number of players.

At the approval of the supervisor and opponent, teams may participate below the minimum number of players needed to start a game if deemed competitive by the staff and the opponent agrees to waive protest rights under Section 5.4

Mixed gender teams may not have more than two players of one gender on the court

Mixed gender teams must adhere to section 5.5 regardless of injury or ejection - even if it results in a short handed scenario

Teams are permitted one (1) checked-in coach on the bench. 

Teams may elect to substitute in accordance to Section 6.1.1 or Section 6.1.2. Teams may not use both methods of substitutions concurrently or switch methods mid-set:

Entire team rotation: Substitutes all enter the server’s position in the same order throughout the game.

Person for person: The substitute enters the same spot as the player leaving the court.The player leaving the court may only re-enter the game for the person who replaced them in the initial substitution.

Substitutions may enter the contest during any dead ball

There shall be no liberos.

A match will consist of the best two (2) out of three (3) sets. The third set will only be played if necessary.

The first two (2) sets will be played to 25 points, win by two (2)

The third set will be played to 15 points

Each team is allowed one (1) time-out per set. Timeouts do not carry over between sets.

All checked-in players and coaches have the authority to call timeouts on behalf of their team. These timeouts can only be called during a dead ball.

Teams that arrive late to games and/or are not ready with the minimum roster by start time will receive the following penalty:

1-4 minutes late = Other team starts up 5-0 and gets first serve

5-9 minutes late = Other team starts up 10-0 and gets first serve

10+ minutes late = Game is forfeited.

Teams that forfeit must pay a $20 non-refundable reinstatement fee prior to the end of the regular season to be eligible for playoff consideration [Refer to Section XII of the Intramural Handbook for more information]

In order to prevent forfeits, teams may also default once per season. Teams must give a minimum 48 hour notice of default to qualify by emailing intramural@uc.edu. [Refer to Section XII of the Intramural Handbook for more information]

Teams must win by two (2) points to win the set [Exception Sections 8.1.1, 8.1.2]

Sets 1 & 2 are capped to 30 points, making the first team to reach 30 points declared the set winner

Set 3 is capped to 15 points, making the first team to reach 15 declared the set & game winner

The official will hold a pre-match Rock, Paper, Scissors. The winner will receive first serve

In playoffs, the higher seed will receive first serve

Each team is allowed three (3) contacts on its side of the net.

A player may not have prolonged contact with the ball, nor may the ball visibly come to rest on the player’s hands, fingers, or any other part of the body.

Simultaneous contacts by two members of the same team will be counted as one contact, and either player is allowed to hit the ball again.

Simultaneous contacts by two opponents (i.e. – a ball above the net) will not count as a contact and either player is allowed to hit the ball again, provided the ball is not completely on one side.

When positioned on or in front of the 10-foot line or in the air having taken off on or in front of the 10-foot line, a back row player may not contact the ball completely above the height of the net which results in a completed attack or block.

Players may not contact any part of the net while the ball is in play.

A player shall not contact a ball which is copmletely on the opponent's side of the net unless the contact is a legal block.

The net height for mixed gender league play will be midway between official men’s and women’s heights.

The following plays are considered out of bounds:

Any ball that contacts an antenna, or any part of the net outside the antennas (net, officials, official’s stand).

Any ball hit over the net, outside the antennas.

Any ball that strikes a wall, partition, track, out of play person or object.

A ball that strikes the ceiling is still considered playable, as long as it remains on the side of the team that last played the ball and is legally played by the same team.

A ball that strikes a basketball backboard and/or hoop will be replayed, provided the officials judge a player is in reasonable position to play the ball.

If a ball from another court comes into the field of play, the official will immediately stop play and signal a replay.

A serve must be contacted within 10 seconds after the official’s signal to serve, otherwise a side-out is issued.

A replay will be called if a server releases the ball than catches it or drops it to the ground.

It is illegal to step on or cross the end line before striking the ball during a serve.

Players may not block or spike a served ball completely above the height of the net.

Prior to the ball being served, all players (except the server) must be in bounds. Once the ball is served, players may move anywhere on the court.

If a ball contacts the net (inside the antennas) and lands in play on the opposing side, the ball is considered live.