Since the New York high schools follow modified NCAA Volleyball Rules, the Youth Volleyball League also follows the same modified rules, along with a few of its own modification. The NCAA rulebook shall prevail for any rule or interpretation not explicitly stated below. Coaches are expected to have a NCAA rulebook and a copy of these rules with them at all games. Click on the following link to download the latest NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules or ordered a copy from http://www.ncaapublications.com/c-64-womens-volleyball.aspx at 888-388-9748.

If there are any questions or issues, please contact Allison at (914) 715-0998

Modifications To The NCAA Rules

• The usage of the Libero player is allow, as speficied in the NCAA rulebook.
• All games of a match are 25 points, including the 3rd deciding game if needed.
• Teams must switch sides at 13 points in the 3rd deciding game.
• Teams are allowed 18 substitutions.
• Jewelry is not permitted at any time. This includes all "non-visual" jewelry such as tongue studs, naval rings, etc.
• Hair barrettes are not allowed. Only soft hair devices worn to control hair are allowed.
• The game ball is a solid WHITE Tachikara SV5W Gold volleyball.
• The home team's game ball should be used, assuming it is a Tachikara SV5W Gold. If the home team does have the above described game ball, the referees are instructed to see if the visiting team has this ball. If neither team has this ball, the referee will pick a ball that he/she sees fit for game play.
• The JV serving line is 20 feet back from the net.
• The net shall be at a minimum height of 6'9" and a maximum of 7'0". The variation between the sideline and center of the net shall not vary more than 3". That means that no part of the net should be lower than 6'9" and no part higher than 7'0".

General Etiquette Rules

• All coaches must have a copy of these rules at all games.
• The referees will start each game with a brief speech about proper etiquette and sportsmanship.
• All players, parents, and spectators are expected to follow the YVL Player's Code Of Conduct. To view the Player's Code Of Conduct, goto the Helpful Documents link on the left.
• All coaches and assistants are expected to follow the YVL Coach's Code Of Conduct. To view the Coach's Code Of Conduct, goto the Helpful Documents link on the left.
• All members of both teams shall line up at the back line prior to the first game and shake hands with the opponents when directed by the referee. The starting players shall then proceed to their starting positions.
• The ball shall be rolled under the net at any time the ball is not in play.
• Players shall remain at the back line for the coin flip for the third game.
• Players and coaches are expected to shake hands at the completion of the match in a friendly and respectful manner.
• Only the playes and the coaches who have signed the code of conduct are permitted to sit on the bench.
• Coaches should have players leave all articles of clothing, bags, etc. away from the bench areas. The players should only have their water bottles at the benches to facilitate the moves between games.

Team Requirements And Rosters

• A Junior Varsity team may consist of children in 4th through 6th grades. 3rd graders may only be allowed on JV to supplement a small JV team. No 3rd grade only team will be allowed.
• A Varsity team may consist of children in 5th through 8th grades. A JV player can play up for a Varsity game in order to prevent of forfeit on the Varsity team.
• A team must have at least 8 players and at max 18 players.
• A team may not consist of CCD/Parish children only. However, if a team was in the league for at least one year with players attending the school, then the team is grandfathered in and may consist of CCD/Parish children only.
• All girls participating on a team must meet the eligibility requirements described below.
• All rosters, CCD forms, attestation letters, coaches code of conduct and fees must be submitted by the season's opening date. If, on the due date, any part of the fees and/or paperwork is missing, the first game will automatically be forfeited. If, after 7 days from the due date, any part of the fees and/or paperwork is still missing, the second game will be automatically be forfeited. If, after 14 days from the due date, any part of the fees and/or paperwork is still missing, the third game will be automatically be forfeited. This third forfeit automatically disqualifies the team from the playoffs as indicated by the rules and regulations.
• Under no circumstances can a child play for more than one school or for more than one team.
• If a school cannot field both a JV and Varsity team, a school may enter the league with only one of these teams.
• If a school wants to enter the league with more than 1 JV and 1 Varsity, it must meet the following requirements:

  1)	The school must have enough players for two JVs and two Varsity's, with each team having at least 9 players.
  2)	The two JV teams cannot have the same coach. And the two Varsity teams cannot have the same coach.
  3)	The league encourages all coaches to evenly split the 2 JV teams athletically in order to achieve a positive experience for all.
  4)	The league acknowledges and understands that the 2 Varsity teams may not be evenly split athletically as players are preparing for high school competition.
  5)	Any school having 2 JV and 2 Varsity team must come up with 2 fun names for their teams, such as Tom and Jerry.

Player Eligibility

• The player must be a parishioner who attends church at the parish and receives the sacraments at the parish.
• The player cannot play on any high school team. (For example, if a 7th or 8th grade CCD player attends a high school and plays for that school, she may not play in YVL.
• The player cannot play in "Westchester Catholic Sports League"
• The players must meet one of the following:

  1)	The player attends the school associated with the parish.
  2)	The player attends a non-Catholic public or private school and is registered with the parish's CCD program, attending CCD as required.
  3)	The player attends another Catholic school that is not a member of the Youth Volleyball League and is "grand-fathered in" because she met 1) or 2) above the previous year while playing volleyball for the parish.

Court And Serving Lines Specifications

• Each side of the court is 9 meter by 9 meters square (9 meters is equivalent to 29' 6"), with 3 feet clearance all around (from gym walls, stage, and other obstructions). If the existing court lines do not match this specification, the court lines should be altered using clearly marked floor tape, making the court dimensions as close to what is required while allowing for the 3 feet clearance.
• Both sides of the court must be the same dimensions. So, if one side (or both sides) of the court is altered, the court dimensions must be a minimum of the two, ensuring equal dimensions on both sides.
• The JV serving line is 20 feet back from the net and must be clearly marked with floor tape across the entire court.
• The Varsity serving line is the back line of the court. As defined above, since the back line of the court has a 3 foot clearance, the varsity serving line will also have a 3 foot clearance.
• When floor tape is used, the color of the floor tape does not matter, as long as the tape color is easily seen, contrasting with the floor color.

Protesting Court And Serving Lines Specifications

• Any school, participating in the league, is required to meet the "Court and Serving Lines" specifications, since floor tape is not expensive and easily obtainable.
• If a school does not meet the "Court and Serving Lines" specifications, any visiting team upon arriving at the school has the option to protest the game due to unfair playing field. This protest must be made to the referee and noted on the score sheet BEFORE the beginning of the game. If the visiting team loses the game, the protest will be upheld and the game will be replayed at a neutral location.

Net And Equipment Specifications

• The net shall be at a minimum height of 6'-9" and a maximum of 7'0". It shall be consistent across the top in height and the variation between the sideline and center of the net shall not vary more than 3". That means that no part of the net should be lower than 6'9" and no part higher than 7'0".
• Volleyball antennas (usually red and white) should be placed on the net at the court's side lines. The purpose of the antennas is to vertically extend the side lines of the court and laterally define the crossing space.
• The net standards (that is, the poles to which the net is attached) must be padded to a minimum height of 5'5"
• A referee's platform is required. The front and sides of the platform, as well as its supports, must be padded.

Protesting Net And Equipment Specifications

• Any school, participating in the league in the 2006-2007 season, will be allowed a grace period of two seasons to meet the "Net and Equipment" specifications. Any new school, entering the league after the 2006-2007 season, will be given a grace period of two seasons after entering the league to meet the equipment specifications.
• If, after the two season grace period, a school does not meet the "Net and Equipment" specifications, any visiting team upon arriving at the school has the option to protest the game due to unfair/unsafe playing field. This protest must be made to the referee and noted on the score sheet BEFORE the beginning of the game. If the visiting team loses the game, the protest will be upheld and the game will be replayed at a neutral location.

Game Scheduling, Rescheduling, And Forfeiting

• All matches should be scheduled as double headers, JV first then Varsity following one hour later. Week day double header matches should start at 6:45. Week day single match (JV only and Varsity only, if needed) should be scheduled at 7:30 to allow easier scheduling of referees.
• Games are to start at the scheduled time and should not be postponed due to environmental factors such as sun glare.
• The home team must allow the visiting players and coaches to enter the gym 30 minutes before game time. The visiting players and coaches cannot enter the home team earlier than 30 minutes before game time.
• All visiting coaches and players a given a 15 minute grace period after start time. If, after 15 minutes past game time, the coach has not arrived or there is not at least six players, the team automatically forfeits, unless there has been communication of an unforeseen incident (such as an accident) under which circumstances the game will be delayed and played once the visting team arrives. If the game is forfeited, the game may be played as a scrimmage only.
• Regular season games may be played on the last day of the season, but not after that day.
• With the exception of emergency circumstances such as weather, power outages or a sudden accident, a game cannot be rescheduled or moved on the day the game is to be played. Any coach needing to reschedule a game must given the opposing coach at least 24 hours notice. If a coach finds out they cannot host or attend a game scheduled for that evening, that team must take a forfeit and is responsible for paying the referee fee.
• All teams will be given a grace period up until the end of March to reschedule games. After March 31st, each team will be allowed only one reschedule for the season. If the team has used it one reschedule and cannot play a game, they may appeal to the Board of Directors if they deem their circumstance is unavoidable. Once the Board of Directors evaluates the situation, either a reschedule will be granted or a forfeit will be given.
• It is the home team's responsibility to notify Allison and the opposing team of any game cancellations and rescheduling. The referees will be contacted by Allison.
• The referee fees for forfeited games become the responsibility of the forfeiting school.
• If a team forfeits more than two games during the season, that team will be ineligible for playoffs.

Game Postponing And Rescheduling Due To Hazards

• In the event an unpredictable hazard occurs at a school while a game is in progress and the referee deems it too dangerous to proceed with the game, the game will be postponed and a new date must be agreed upon within 48 hours of the postponement. If a date is not agreed upon within 48 hours, the Board of Directors will evaluate the efforts of both teams to reschedule the game. The Board will determine which team was negligent in its responsibility to reschedule the game and as a result will receive the forfeit. In addition, if the hazardous condition cannot be rectified by the next home game, that game must also be rescheduled.
• In the event an unpredictable hazard occurs at a school while a game is in progress, the home school is responsible for paying the ref for any match completed or in progress. The league will pay the referee for any match not started.
• In the event a visiting team arrives at a school where a hazardous condition postponed a previous game and the same hazardous condition still exists, the home team must take a forfeit and pay the referee as they were negligent in notifying the visiting team.

Matches and Games

• Each match shall be the best 2 out of 3 games.
• Each game shall be rally scoring, which means that every ball served results in a point for one of the two teams. A sideout results in a point and the serve.
• All the games (including the third game if necessary) of the match are played to 25 points. The first team to 25 points wins, except the game continues until the winner wins by 2 points or one team reaches the game cap of 36 points. During the final tournament, the game cap of 36 is not observed and the game continues until a team wins by 2.
• The home team always chooses the side for the first game. The team that wins the first coin toss chooses serve or receive for the first game.
• The team that wins the "3rd Game" coin toss chooses serve, receive or side.
• During the third game, the teams MUST switch side with the first team reaches 13 points.
• There shall be two minutes between games.

Warm up Periods

• Each team shall be allowed at least 5 minutes warm up on opposite sides of the net before the referee begins the official warm up procedures.
• The official warm up procedures includes: 6 minutes of full court for the home team then 6 minutes of full court for the visiting team.

Referee

• The league shall provide the referee for each game.
• The referee will start each game with the following brief speech about proper etiquette and sportsmanship:

  On behalf of the Youth Volleyball League, I want to remind everyone that proper sportsmanship must be maintained at all times. Fans are supposed to cheer for their team not against the other team. Fans are encouraged to applaud good plays by both teams. Any improper conduct will not be tolerated and I will instruct the offending party to leave the gym. Please place your cell phones and pagers on vibrate and remember that quiet must be maintained on the serve.

• Referees should maintain a calm and controlled demeanor at all times, never yelling at the players. Any coach who thinks a referee has acted out of line should report the behavior to the board.
• If the referee has not arrived by 10 minutes before the start time, contact Allison at (914) 715-0998. Then, proceed with the coin toss and warm-ups, under the assumption the referee is on the way
• If the reference has still not arrived by 15 minutes after the start time, coaches should attempt to find an adult acceptable to both teams that can begin to ref the game. If no agreement is reached between the coaches, the game shall be rescheduled.
• Once the league referee arrives, he/she shall immediately replace the temporary replacement.

Line Judges

• Each team shall provide one line judge for each game/match. The line judge shall be a responsible individual who must pay attention to the game. It is up to the coach to assign a responsible person, whether an adult or child, to do lines.
• If a coach feels that the opposing team's lines judge is not paying attention or is delinquent in his/her duties, the coach may approach the other's team coach and nicely request for a line's judge replacement.
• The Referee can and should ask for a replacement line's judge should the assigned lines judge be delinquent in his/her duties.

Official Scorekeeper

• At the beginning of a match, the coaches should agree on who will be the person designated as the official scorekeeper, which is usually the home's team responsibility. If an agreement cannot be made between the two coaches, the home team automatically is designated as the official scorer.
• The home team must report the scores of the games within 24 hours to Allison at (914) 715-0998 or allisonalviggi@gmail.com. Leave the scores on the recording if there is no answer.
• The official scorekeeper should be a responsible teenager or adult who should be completely knowledgeable and comfortable with the proper method of scorekeeping. An assistant scorekeeper should also be available to assist the scorekeeper with tracking the game.
• The scoreboard or flipboard are not to be considered official scores. The scoresheet shall prevail at all times.
• The referee is not responsible for tracking the score of the game.

Serving Rule Clarifications

• There will be no serving out of the hand. All serves must clearly not be in the server's hand at the point of contact. The decision of the referee shall be final.
• A JV and Varsity server may serve from anywhere behind the respective serving line, within the sidelines extended. The server does not have to server from behind position one and does not have to "be in position" at time of serve.
• Players, who are receiving the serve, are not allowed to intentionally distract the server by needless motion on the court. For example, if Team A is serving and Team B is receiving, players of Team B should not be moving their hands and body in order to intentionally distract the server of Team A.
• On Varsity, a server is NOT allowed any "do over". The ball must be served on the first toss. A ball missed in the action of attempting a serve shall be counted as a serve, resulting in a side out and point for the other team.
• On JV, a server is allowed ONE "do over" per rotation. The ball can be dropped only once during that server's entire serve during that rotation. After that one drop, the ball must be served on all subsequent tosses. A ball missed after the first drop in the action of attempting a serve shall be counted as a serve, resulting in a side out and point for the other team.
• All serves must go over the net and may hit the net while going over. A serve may never hit the ceiling or any over-head obstruction. A ball not served over the net results in a sideout for the other team and a point.

Miscellaneous Clarifications

• Attacking the serve is not allowed. Attacking the serve by any player is when some portion of the served ball has not dropped down below the plane of the net and the receiving returns to ball over the net.
• Players are allowed to cross under the net without touching the net as long as they do not interface with any player of the opposing team.
• The original player does not need to sub back in before a different player can be subbed in. For example, let's say Player #2 starts the game. Then player #4 subs in for #2. Another player #7 (who has not yet played in the game) may sub in for #4. Player #2 does NOT need to sub back for #4 before #7 can sub in. Now players #2, #4 and #7 can all sub in for each other in any order, but for no one else.
• Coaches and players should review the rules concerning "blocking" and what is considered as one of the three hits of the ball during a volley.

Playoffs

• All teams qualify for playoffs, unless they have more than two forfeits.
• All teams are seeded for playoffs within their division (North or South) based upon the regular season games standings.
• If two teams are tied in the division standing, the tie is broken as follows:

  1)	If Team A beat Team B in head to head competition during regular season games, then Team A becomes the higher seed. (Note: Head to head competion means who won more 25 point games)
  2)	If Team A and Team B are tied in head to head competition, then all the points during the two regular season games are added up and the team with the most points becomes the higher seed.
  3)	If Team A and Team B beat each other once and have equals points, then all the points for all the regular season games are added and the team with the most points becomes the higher seed.
  4)	If Team A and Team B are still tied, there will be 25 point tie-breaker game to be held at a neutral school. If a team forfeits a tie-breaker game, the opposing team is allowed to choose whether they want the higher or lower seed.

• The top two teams in each division (according to the regular season games standings) host the playoffs.
• Playoffs are single-elimination with two winners from each division proceeding to the finals tournament.
• Playoffs games are played as follows:

  Hosted By Seed #1
  	Game 1:	Seed #1 plays Seed #8, if Seed #8 exists. The Loser is eliminated.
  	Game 2:	Seed #4 plays Seed #5. The Loser is eliminated.
  	Game 3:	Winner of Game 1 versus Winner of Game 2. The Loser is eliminated and The Winner proceeds to the Finals Tournament.

  Hosted By Seed #2
  	Game 1:	Seed #2 plays Seed #7, if Seed #7 exists. The Loser is eliminated.
  	Game 2:	Seed #3 plays Seed #6. The Loser is eliminated.
  	Game 3:	Winner of Game 1 versus Winner of Game 2. The Loser is eliminated and The Winner proceeds to the Finals Tournament.

Fees

• The registration fee is $150 per roster due by the season's opening date made payable to Youth Volleyball League. This registration fee includes one NCAA rulebook per roster
• The admission fee for regular season games is $2 for adults and $1 for children and must be standard at all schools. There is no family admission. Players and coaches listed on the rosters are admitted free.
• The admission fee for playoffs and all star games is $3 for adults and $1.50 for children and must be standard at all schools. Players and coaches listed on the rosters are admitted free.
• The admission fee for tournament games is $4 for adults and $2 for children and must be standard at all schools. Players and coaches listed on the rosters are admitted free.
• The referee fee for regular season games and playoffs games is $45 per match (the best 2 out of 3 games) to be paid by the home team when there is atleast two matches to be played. When there is only one match, the referee fee is increased to $50 for the single match.
• The referee fee for all star games is $60 per match (the best 3 out of 5 games) to be paid by the hosting team.