Unless otherwise specified, USAV (formerly called USVBA) rules are to be followed. A few highlights are presented here as reminders, along with a few special rules in effect for TRW League play. A copy of the latest USAV rules will be kept in the equipment locker.

Schedule: 2 matches are played per court, per night:

7:50pm - 8:00pm: 2nd match warm-ups; Men’s/Women’s net adjustment
8:00pm - 9:25pm: 2nd match play
9:25pm - 9:30pm: Take down poles and nets

We must be out of gym by 9:30pm!!!!!

Co-ed/mixed teams are to consist of 8 players: 5 men & 3 women, with exceptions made when necessary.
Men's/Women's teams may consist of either 7 or 8 players.

Court 1: Closest court to the gym entrance (at Hawthorne High, this is the court closest to El Segundo Blvd.)
Court 2: Middle of gym
Court 3: Farthest court from gym entrance
Court 4: In the small women’s gym.

Rule 14.4 : Characteristics of the Hit

14.4.1 "The ball may touch any part of the body."
14.4.2 "The ball must be hit, not caught or thrown. It can rebound in any direction"
14.4.3 "The ball may touch various parts of the body, provided that the contacts take place simultaneously.
14.4.3.1 During blocking, consecutive contacts [Rule 19.4.1] may occur by one or more blockers provided the contacts occur during one action.
14.4.3.2 During the first hit of the team (not blocking [Rule 19.2]), the ball may contact various parts of the body consecutively, provided that the contacts occur during one action."

Double contact is allowed on any 1^st ball over the net (serve, hit, volley, etc.), regardless of block, as long as the ball is not held or thrown. The double contact must be in one continuous motion. Open hand passing is o.k. as long as it is not a carry, hold, or lift.

Held Ball: "A player does not contact the ball cleanly [Rule 14.4.3]."
Double Contact: "A player contacts the ball twice in succession, or the ball contacts various parts of the body successively [Rules 14.1.3, 14.4.3]."

1. Players may not enter adjacent courts before, during, or after an attempt to play a ball. An empty adjacent court shall be playable if no one is playing or warming up on it. If a game or warm-ups begin on the adjacent court, that court will then be unplayable. If an adjacent court becomes available during a game, it should be brought to the attention of both teams before it is considered playable.
2. A player or ball coming on from an adjacent court shall cause a replay.
3. If there is a free court available, free play may occur if there are 4 or more per side playing.
4. There shall be NO free play during the playoffs unless there is 2 empty courts such that the middle court will be left open.

16.4.1 "It is a fault to touch any part of the net or the antennas".
16.4.2 "A player may touch a post, rope or any other object outside the total length of the net provided this contact does not interfere with play."
16.4.3 "When the ball is driven into the net and causes it to touch an opponent, no fault is committed."

All nets are faults. TRW is no longer playing with the incidental net rule.

When the antennas are used, for a ball to pass legally over the net, it must do so between the antennas and their infinite extensions. A ball striking an antenna is a fault. The antennas cannot be touched by a player who is involved in the action of playing the ball, this constitutes a fault in the same manner as touching the net. A ball blocked or hit into an antenna will be a fault against the last player touching the ball. When antennas aren't used, the ball must pass over the net between the poles and their infinite extensions. The ball cannot touch a pole, but can touch the net cable. The pulley hardware is considered part of the pole. A player can touch the pole, as long as no advantage is gained from the action.

A player is "under" if any part of the player other than the feet touches the centerline or the opponent's court. A player's foot or feet may touch or cross the line as long as some part of the foot remains on or above the centerline.

[Rule1.4.2] The service zone is extended to the full back line, between the sidelines. A ball hitting the permanent backboards above the server shall be replayed.

12.4.4.2 "A ball shall remain in play if it contacts the ceiling or other overhead objects above the playing area. The ball is out of play if it makes contact above the opponent's playing area or above the team's playing area and crosses the plane of the net into the opponent's court. "

12.4.3 "A ball is out of play and a replay directed if it contacts overhead object(s) or the supports (e.g. basketball backboard) less than 4.6 m (15') above the playing area and would have remained playable if the object had not been present.

A ball striking one of the fixed backboards or their supports will be replayed if a logical play could have been made had the backboard not been there. A complete shank that happens to bounce of the backboard is not considered a logical play.

A service attempt striking any part of a fixed backboard above the server shall be replayed.

A ball hitting the backboards above the net (retractable backboards) will be dead and replayed as long as a logical play could have been made had the backboard not been there. A ball hitting the air conditioning ducts is considered dead and a side out.

A ball hitting the ceiling or any item attached to the ceiling (other than the backboards and the air conditioning ducts which are discussed separately) is playable as long as it is over the team’s playing area and does not cross the net after striking the ceiling or other object. The teams playing area consists of the court and surrounding area from the plane of the net, up to the wall, bleachers and next court in use. You cannot step on the bleachers, or into another court in use.

To encourage the maximum playing time for all club members there will be no restriction on the number of times a person may sub into a game. Subs may be rotated in consistently or replace specific individuals. In the case of the latter, the player who was substituted for must stay out for a full rotation or replace the person who he/she substituted in for.

1. Substitutes may be requested from the league coordinator only to increase a team to 6 players, or to bring the men or women up to a full number on a mixed team. If a team member shows up unexpectedly for whom a sub has been arranged, the sub shall be played as much as the normal team player.

2. Requests for subs should be made before 4:30 p.m. on the last working day before the game. The league coordinator will contact the substitute to arrange for his/her participation.

3. If there are no official subs available, the requesting captain may contact and play any current VBC member who is not on another team in that league (in any division).

4. No more than 1 sub may be used in any game for teams of 8.

4. No more than 2 subs may be used in any game for teams of 7 - (co-ed teams may have: 1 sub of each sex or 2 women subs).

4d. No subs are allowed for playoff games.

5. Permanent subs for a missing or injured player may be assigned to a team by the league coordinator if an appropriate replacement is available. If necessary, the executive committee shall review objections from captains in the league. The executive committee decision shall be final.

6. NO-SHOWS: Two no-shows (without any or sufficient notification to the captain) will result in a warning. After a third no-show the captain may request a permanent sub and the offending player will be sub-listed for the rest of the round. The player cannot be drafted for the following league season, but will be eligible for the sub-list.
1. Substitutes may be selected from teams in lower divisions as long as they don’t have a game at the same time.

1. USAV rules do not allow play with less than 6 players. TRW will allow play with 4 or 5 players.
2. Men's or Women's teams playing with fewer than 6 players do not have to play the "hole." A mixed team must play the hole only to the degree that there are never more than 2 men in the front row.
3. A mixed team is allowed to bring no more than one man to block from the back row in the event there are fewer than two men in the front row. The back row blocker is not allowed to hit in front of the ten-foot line.
4. A mixed team may play with only one woman provided there are four or fewer men on the court.
5. The serve cannot be blocked or attacked.
6. The team which receives the ball for service after a side-out must rotate.
7. The team listed first on the schedule serves first; the other team has the choice of side. Side and serve are then rotated each game.
8. The TRW leagues do not have referees. Teams are expected to "call their own"; each captain is ultimately responsible for making calls on his or her team or delegating this responsibility to another player. Any disputes regarding calls are to be settled calmly between the two captains; if agreement cannot be reached, a replay shall be directed. If a player or captain yells at a player on the opposing team or makes calls on a player on the opposing team, this action may be considered intimidating or abusive and, as such, may be dealt with as described in Disciplinary Problems, item 1.
9. Time-outs are limited to one minute. Teams are allowed two time-outs per game. No time-outs are allowed during the last 5 minutes of scheduled play. Time-outs cannot be called once the server is in serving position.
10. Since there is limited time for warm-up before the league games, those players who are scheduled for the late match may not arrive early and participate in the hitting lines for the early match and those players who are scheduled for the early match may not stay late and participate in the hitting lines for the late match.
11. All matches shall consist of 3 games to 15 points, win by 2 with a 17 point cap.
12. Two or three rounds will be played, depending on the number of teams. Playoffs will determine the league winner as described below.
13. Scoring

Match points will be awarded as follows:

14. Playoffs will be based on overall record.
For leagues of 3 teams, 3 teams will make the playoffs.
Semi-finals: 2 vs. 3; Finals: winner vs. 1
For leagues of 4 or 5 or more, 4 teams will make the playoffs
Semi-finals: 1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3; Finals: winners vs. winners
15. If time expires before the 3 games are completed, the last game will be scored a tie if neither of the teams has scored at least 8 points. A 1 point lead with at least 8 points is sufficient for the win in this case.
16. The clock should be set-up by the team on Court 3 for both warm-up period and game period. Since it is only a 60 minute clock, it needs to be set in the middle of the match. This should be done after the first or second game, depending on how long the games take. When the buzzer sounds there shall be no more serves. If a ball is currently in play, that play shall continue to completion.
17. Early match players in each division shall set up the standards and nets. Late match teams shall take down and store all equipment.
18. This is a list of what should be put away in the equipment locker. Please be aware that at Hawthorne High the standards, nets, and antennas do not belong in the TRW locker.

1. If any player begins intimidating or abusing any other player, either verbally or physically, any club member can file a formal protest against the offending player by notifying any officer of the Volleyball Club or leagu coordinator present in the gym. The officer will then give an official warning to the offending player to discontinue such behavior.
2. If any player receives a second warning in the same year, that player will automatically be suspended for the rest of that league period. At the end of the suspension, the player will be on probation for a period of one year.
3. If any player is suspended a second time, the period of suspension shall be one year.
4. If any player receives a third suspension, that player shall be permanently prohibited from participating in any TRW Volleyball Club activity.
5. The TRW VBC reserves the right to suspend any player for disciplinary reasons.