What Are the Rules of Volleyball?

If you caught the volleyball action at the Summer Olympics and found yourself totally obsessed with both indoor and beach volleyball, trust us, you’re not alone. The sport had us all on the edge of our seats, with Team USA indoor bringing home major wins: a Bronze for the men, a Silver for the women, and Gold for the Paralympic team.

Volleyball is a fast-paced game that’s fun to watch even if you don’t fully understand why one player wears a different colored jersey or what an overhand serve looks like. And the best part is that you can play it (or watch it) all year round. If you’re interested in learning how to play volleyball or are a new fan who doesn’t want to miss a beat when you’re watching, we’ve got you covered with this quick guide to the rules of volleyball.

The Teams

How Many Volleyball Players Are On Each Team?

Volleyball team rosters range from 12 to 20 people. Ideally, a team wants to always have two to four people of the same position on the squad, in case of injury. But during gameplay, each side can have six players on the court.

What Are the Volleyball Positions?

Each one of the six players on the court has a position and can touch the ball at any given point of gameplay. Players are positioned as front row and back row. The front row players tend to be your tallest on the team; they execute your offense and are the power on the floor. The back row players are the team’s best defensive players. They tend to touch the ball first after it’s served or attacked on the opposite side. Here’s a breakdown of the specific positions:

Front Row

• Setter: This player is the offensive coordinator on the floor. The setter usually gets the second touch after a first pass is made. They decide if the ball is going to be pushed outside, middle, or right side depending on what the defense presents on the other side of the court.
• Attackers: There are three hitters on the court: an outside or left side hitter, middle blocker/hitter, and right side hitter. These players are your powerhouses. They “spike” the ball during offensive plays in an effort to score points.

Back Row

• Libero: This player is your best defensive player on the team. They can sub for any player in the back row without counting toward the team’s substitutions. There are some specific rules about where they can and cannot be on court, but they’re essentially meant to be defensive specialists who can receive key serves and make saves during longer rallies.
• Defensive Specialists: These players are your primary passers besides the Libero. They are the last line of defense making sure that the ball doesn’t touch the ground on their side without a fight.

The Game

How Is Volleyball Scored?

Volleyball matches are won by sets, with higher-level play typically following a best-of-five format. To win the match, a team must take three out of the five sets. Sets are played to 25 points and the team must win by a two-point margin to take the set, but if the game is tied 2-2, then a fifth match is played to 15 points. Most high-level matches can run from 90 to 120 minutes per game. For more in-depth information, see our volleyball scoring guide here.

What Size Is the Volleyball Court?

An indoor volleyball court measures 59 by 29.6 feet, and it includes an attack line that divides the front and back courts. The court’s boundary lines are five centimeters wide, designed in a lighter color to stand out against the floor. The service line is the back line of the court, where serves start.

As for the net, its height varies depending on gender and age. For men, the net stands at 7.97 feet, while for women, it’s slightly lower at 7.34 feet. For younger players under 10, the court is reduced to 52 by 29 feet and players under 9, 45 by 29 feet. The nets are lowered depending on age group. Sitting volleyball also has a slightly smaller court and lower net height. (More about sitting volleyball rules here.)

How Do Volleyball Rotations Work?

In volleyball, every player can serve. A new player moves into serving position via rotation. After a side out – which is when the receiving team wins the right to serve, either by winning a point or due to an error by the serving team – the new serving team will rotate clockwise, with each player moving into a new position. The order of rotation is determined at the beginning of the game.

How Many Referees Are There in Volleyball?

There are four total referees in volleyball. The DOWN ref is on the floor. They are closest to the players during the match. They will usually call your net and center line violations, substitutions, time keeping, and rotation tracking. The UP ref is the final judgment of all other calls. They can also administer coaching infractions. Then there are two line judges. They stand at the opposite corner of each side of the court. They determine if a ball is in or out of bounds, as well as if a server’s foot crosses the line before they serve, known as a foot fault.

How Do Volleyball Penalties Work?

Penalties can be detrimental and inopportune in volleyball. If a penalty is called by the UP or DOWN ref, it results in a turnover and a point for the other team. While some rules vary depending on the level of competition, common penalties in volleyball include:

• Double contact: This occurs when a player touches the ball twice in row or and the ball touches two different parts of the body in a row. (Doubles are now allowed in NCAA games, but not professional play.)
• Lifting: When contact is made with the ball in an upward motion with one hand.
• Foot fault: When your foot crosses the service line before contact is made on the ball.
• Net Violation: If a front row player touches the net with any body part that’s a turnover.
• Back Court: If a player is in rotation in the back row, the player jumps and hits or pushes the ball over the net while crossing the attack line; this is a backcourt violation.
• Under the net: When a hitter’s foot lands and crosses the center line to the opposite side under the net.
• Over the net: when a defensive blocker’s hand goes on the offensive side of the net and disrupts a playable ball

How Does Volleyball Serving Work?

A coin flip occurs to determine if a team will serve or receive the first ball. If the team is serving, they will begin in rotation 1. You become the server when you rotate to the 1 zone (back right corner).

The server must serve behind the end line. The ball must be visible to the other team. The server has five seconds to serve once the UP ref blows the whistle. When contact is made and the ball crosses the net, the server may re-enter onto the court.

The ball is allowed to graze the net and land on the other side.

The team that loses a rally loses the right to serve, and the receiving team rotates.

How Are Points Earned in Volleyball?

Points in volleyball can be given in a few ways. You can win a point off of rally play, you can win a point on another team’s error or a side-out, and you can win a point off of a serve.

Rally scoring is when a point is awarded to the team that wins the rally. This doesn’t matter which team served the ball. A rally is back and forth play until the play is ended. If the serving team wins the rally, they win the point and serve again. If the receiving team wins the rally, they get the point, rotate and serve.

The old school way of volleyball scoring was a side-out. Side-out scoring meant the receiving team could only win back the serve, not the point if they won the rally. In modern play you can side-out and win a point off of a team’s error.

If a team has a service error or an ace (one touch) then a team can win a point.

How Are the Rules of Beach Volleyball Different?

The Paris Olympics gave beach volleyball the most epic backdrop, the Eiffel Tower. Bringing the game to the sand does give beautiful views and a few differences in play.

• Teams: Beach volleyball consists of partners on each side of the net. No substitutions are allowed.
• Scoring: Sets are played to 21 points, teams must win by two points. Games are played in a best of three format. If the game is tied 1-1, then a third game is played to 15 points.
• Court Size: Beach volleyball courts are smaller than indoor courts. Beach volleyball courts only have the outside boundaries with no attack lines.

D’Annette Stephens is a PS contributor, certified personal trainer, and former volleyball player and coach.