Volleyball Manual Regular Season

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Regular Season

• Volleyball teams may play unlimited scrimmages, with not more than four teams, prior to school starting.  Once school begins teams are limited to one scrimmage during the school week. Schools may also participate in an additional scrimmage, with not more than four teams, at the end of the school week (Friday after school or Saturday).  No scrimmages may be played after a team’s first interschool game. If more than four teams are invited to a scrimmage, each team may only scrimmage three different teams.     

Practice Regulations 

Practice Regulations - During the School Year.

In-Season Practice Regulations - When School is in Session - Individual & Team Sports 

• Eight-Hour Practice Rule – School districts shall adopt policies limiting extracurricular activities from the beginning of the school week through the end of the school week (excluding holidays) by limiting practice outside the school day to a maximum of eight hours per school week per activity.

IN-Season Practice Regulations - When School is NOT in Session - Team Sports

• The maximum length of any single practice session is three hours. 
• Student-athletes shall not engage in more than five hours of practice activities on those days during which more than one practice is conducted. 
• Schools shall not schedule more than one practice on consecutive days and student-athletes shall not participate in multiple practices on consecutive days. Exception: Volleyball. 
• On days when more than one practice is conducted, there shall be, at a minimum, two hours of rest/recovery time between the end of one practice and the beginning of the next practice.
• What counts towards practice time? Actual on-court practice, sport specific skill instruction, mandatory conditioning, water breaks and rest breaks.
• What doesn’t count? Meetings, weight training*, film study, injury treatment and voluntary conditioning. *Cannot be done during the two-hour rest between the two practices.

Sundays. A League participant school shall not participate in any athletic contest or conduct any practice, or teach any plays, formations, or skills on Sunday.

• Violation. Any showing of films to, or meetings of athletes for the purpose of instructions or reviewing of plays, formations, or skills in any sport will be construed as a violation.
• Coaches Sunday Meetings. This does not prevent coaches from meeting on Sunday or from viewing films or planning an instructional program, provided that no athletes are involved in this meeting.

Contest Scheduling Rules

Contest Scheduling Rules.

The following section combines State Law, State Board of Education regulations, and UIL rules regarding scheduling and participation in a contest.    

• One contest per school week: According to State Board of Education mandates, students may only participate on one day per activity during the school week. School districts shall ensure no more than one contest or performance per activity is scheduled per student. 
• *Exception: Tournaments and post-season competition may be scheduled as an exception to the school week limit. As well, district varsity contests postponed by weather or public disaster, provided that they are rescheduled and played on the next available date, other than Sunday, on which another district match is not scheduled.  Junior varsity, freshman and junior high teams may not play postponed matches as an exception.
  • Junior varsity, freshman and junior high teams may not play postponed matches as an exception. 
  • District varsity games that are postponed by weather or public disaster, and not played on the next available date, shall be rescheduled and played on a date determined by the District Executive Committee, but may not be made up as an exception to the school week limitation.
• TEA and Participation: The Texas Education Agency defines participation as being involved with the activity, traveling with the team, or sitting on the bench. Example:  On a Tuesday night, the student’s name is on the scorebook but she remains on the bench and does not actually enter the game.  This counts as participation for TEA but not UIL, this student would not be able to participate again until after school on Friday, per TEA regulations.
• UIL and Participation: UIL defines participation if a student athlete actually entered the contest as a player. In the example above, the contest does not count as one of the allowable games as determined by UIL policy.

Definitions:

• Calendar week means 12:01 a.m. on Sunday through midnight on Saturday. 
• School week means the week beginning at 12:01 a.m. on the first instructional day of a calendar week and ends at the close of instruction on the last instructional day of the calendar week, excluding holidays. 
• Post-district play means competition in UIL playoff series or contests such as bi-district, area, regional, etc.

Volleyball Scrimmages

Scrimmages. A scrimmage is a meeting of no more than four teams for practice purposes, which does not count as a match for any of the teams. Admission may be charged. Officials may be paid in accordance with the schedule in Section 1204 (m) and may, by prior agreement with the school, be reimbursed for mileage and meals.

• Volleyball teams may play unlimited scrimmages, with not more than four teams, prior to school starting. 
• Once school begins teams are limited to one scrimmage during the school week. Schools may also participate in an additional scrimmage, with not more than four teams, at the end of the school week (Friday after school or Saturday). 
• No scrimmages may be played after a team’s first interschool game.
• If more than four teams are invited to a scrimmage, each team may only scrimmage three different teams.     

Allowable Contests

Allowable Contests & Match Regulations

Number of Contests allowed (2024-25)

• 0 Tournaments and 29 Matches or
• 1 Tournament and 27 Matches or
• 2 Tournaments and 25 Matches or
• 3 Tournaments and 23 Matches

Matches:

• A team or individual may only play one match (or dual match) during the school week Monday (12:01 am) through Friday (after school).  This means that if a team competes once Monday through Thursday, the second competition must be after school Friday or Saturday. EXCEPTION:  See exception under Contest Scheduling Rules.  
• Teams or individual(s) are limited to two matches (or dual matches) per calendar week (Monday through Saturday) plus an invitational tournament.  
• Three matches may be played during the first two calendar weeks allowed for matches (according to the official UIL calendar).  If school is in session, the one contest per school week rule must be followed.
• A team or individual may play up to, but not exceed, three matches per day. There is no required rest break between matches.  EXCEPTION:  Tournaments – teams may play four matches in a 2 or 1-day tournament.
• Two matches may be substituted in place of a tournament.  Pre-scheduled district tournaments must count as one of the invitational tournaments unless all matches played in the district tournament are counted in the season match limitation for all schools in the district. 

Playing Rules. The current National Federation Volleyball Rules shall govern League volleyball. Rulebooks may be ordered from the National Federation customer service office (800-776-3462) or www.nfhs.org. Schools may obtain scorebooks, court diagrams, lineup sheets, and libero tracking sheets from the National Federation.

Single Match. A single match shall be defined as: NFHS Rule 1-2-1, 2, 3

• Art. 1...A match shall consist of the best three-out-of-five sets. The first team to win three sets shall be the winner of the match. The fourth and fifth sets shall not be played unless it is necessary to determine the winner of the match.
• Art. 2...A match shall include a let serve.
• Art. 3...A match shall entitle each team a maximum of two time-outs per set.

NOTES:

• By state high school association adoption, teams may play a best two-of-three set match in which a team is considered the winner of the match when it wins two sets. All sets shall be 25 points (no cap). The third set shall not be played unless it is necessary to determine the winner of the match. If a third set is necessary, a coin toss shall be conducted prior to that set. 
• By state high school association adoption, modification of format is permitted for series other than dual varsity matches.

Dual Match. 

• In a dual match, a team plays two other teams or plays the same team twice (same competition level). At the same site, the same day.
• A dual match counts one of the two matches UIL permits students per calendar week and counts as two of the total matches for the student per season.
• Example: A team could play a dual match (two varsity matches) on Tuesday and then again on Friday, in addition to a tournament on Thursday-Saturday or Friday-Saturday.

Double Header.

• In a double header a student may play in a varsity and a junior varsity match (or a ninth grade and a varsity match) at the same site the same night. 
• A double header counts as the two allowable matches UIL permits the student for the calendar week and counts as two of the total matches for the season.
• Students could also play in a tournament the same week they participate in a single match or double header.
• Example: If a student plays a double header on Tuesday, they would be finished with their matches for the calendar week and would only be allowed to participate in an invitational tournament the remainder of that week.

Volleyball Tournament Regulations

Tournaments. A tournament consists of at least three teams assembled at one site for competition.

• Schools shall not schedule tournaments on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, unless school is not in session. Schools may schedule tournaments on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
• Tournaments may be scheduled on non-consecutive days. A two-day tournament shall not be scheduled on Thursday and Friday. A one-day tournament must be held on a Saturday.
• Three matches per calendar day are allowed in a three-day tournament.
• Four matches per calendar day are allowed in a one-day tournament scheduled on a Saturday only or a two-day tournament scheduled for Thursday/Saturday or Friday/Saturday.
• A tournament may be played during the week in which there are two matched contests being played (ie. matches on Tuesday/Friday and a tournament on Thursday/Saturday).
• A double round robin elimination tournament shall not be used in any League contest except by unanimous consent of participating schools.
• A tournament must be held at the ISD of the host school, or at an adjoining ISD. Host schools may authorize additional sites other than same or adjoining ISD for preliminary round games.

Pool Play. A team may play in pool play during the first rounds of a tournament provided the pool games consist of two "mini games" using rally scoring 0-15 (cap at 20) OR regulation and modified regulation 2-out-of-3 matches using rally scoring 0-25 (cap at 30).

• Pool play utilizing "mini games" format will count all mini games played in a day as one of the three (or four) allowed matches per day.  "Mini games" do not count on the overall win/loss record for the season.
• Pool play utilizing regulation and modified regulation 2-out-of-3 match format, each match will count as one of allowed matches per day (3 matches in a 3-day tournament) and (4 matches in a 1 or 2-day tournament).
• Modified 2 out of 3 format – all three sets (if needed) should be played to 25 points.
• Participation in pool play is counted as a tournament.  The win/loss record from pool play may be used to create a single elimination bracket.
• When two or more teams are tied in win/loss percentage, two steps should be taken to determine the winner. 
  • The team that defeated the other in head-to-head competition will be the winner.  If each team won one game in a two-game pool, the team that had fewer points scored against them in both games would be the winner. 
  • If a tie still remains, a coin flip(s) would determine the winner(s).

Volleyball Tournament Regulations Chart

District Certification

• The DEC shall determine the place and/or time of matches in case of disagreement between two schools. 
• If not previously scheduled, a district executive committee may authorize a single elimination match or tiebreaker tournament to resolve district ties. A one-match play-off could break a two-way tie. A tournament could resolve a tie between three or more schools. 
• Tie-breaker matches (two teams tied) must be held in compliance with calendar week and school week restrictions. 
• Tie-breaker tournaments (three or more schools tied), if held on more than one day, must be held on consecutive days. Can be played on Thursday. 

NOTE: These matches must be completed by the district certification deadline and will not count against the allowable matches if not previously scheduled. 

• If the district executive committee schedules any other matches or tournaments as part of their method for determining play-off representatives, the matches played must count in the match or tournament limitation.
• The State Executive Committee shall have jurisdiction in all disputes arising between districts. 
• Districts must be certified by 11:59 p.m. on the certification deadline date.
• Link for instructions to certify district representatives. 

Miscellaneous Volleyball Regulations

Warm-Up Procedures. It is recommended that schools use the 15-minute warm-up procedure that is used at the state tournament: Each team will have the court for six minutes. Both teams will share the court for the last three minutes for serves.

Rally Scoring Format.

• 3 out of 5 to 25 (no cap)
• 5th set to 15 (no cap)
• The let serve shall be allowed.
• Each team shall be allowed two time-outs per set.
• Dual and tri-matches must be played using the 3 out of 5 format. No exceptions.

EXCEPTION: Varsity tournaments can choose to play 2 out of 3 matches for bracket play (up to the discretion of the tournament director). If the 2 out of 3 format is used, it will be 2 out of 3 to 25 (cap at 30), with the third game being played to 25 (cap at 30). 

Sub-Varsity/Junior High. According to Rule 1 Section 2 Article 1, Note 2 of the NFHS Volleyball Rule Book: “By state high school association adoption, modification of match format is permitted for series other than dual varsity matches.”

For purposes of the above note from the NFHS Volleyball Rule Book, as long as the modification does not increase playing time above what is allowed in NFHS rules, the participating schools shall mutually agree on the length and format of any sub varsity or junior high volleyball match.

Guarantees for Contests.

• In district and non-district games/matches, unless there is mutual agreement or a district executive committee ruling, the home team is entitled to 100% of the gate receipts.
• In play-off games, the visiting team shall have a sufficient guarantee to cover expenses and also 50% of the net gate receipts unless mutually agreed upon by both schools.

Videotaping/Filming.

Non-Conference and District Contests.

Videotaping/Filming by Schools.

• It is a violation to film or videotape a non-conference or district athletic contest in which your school or team is not competing unless prior consent of the two schools involved has been obtained.
• A school does not have to obtain permission to film or tape a NON-CONFERENCE OR DISTRICT contest in which it is competing. However, the film or videotape shall not be utilized until after the contest has been completed.
• Films and videotapes become the property of the school doing the filming unless by district rule or by consent of the schools involved in the contest.
• Videotaping/Filming by Individuals. Any individual (other than the officially designated school camera) taping or filming must have prior written permission from the schools involved in the contest and may not obstruct the view of other spectators of the contest.
• Commercial Uses. The use of the films or tapes for commercial purposes must be approved by all schools involved in the contest.

Pep Bands.

• The UIL does allow “pep” bands (up to 30 members) to play at volleyball games at prescribed times listed below.  
• Musical instruments may not be used as noisemakers during the contest. 
• The “pep” band shall not be located behind or near the opposition’s bench.
• If a “pep” band does perform the following guidelines should be followed to ensure a full appreciation of the group’s performance. Performances by the pep band should be limited to appropriate times listed below:
  • The band may play before the game begins. The director should coordinate the schedule so that the host school may introduce team members.
  • The band may play during time outs and in between sets of the contest.
  • The band may play at the end of the contest if desired.