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Rules Changes and Effective Dates for the 2004 Season

The NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules Committee, at its Jan. 27-30 meeting in Key West, Fla., proposed several rules changes for the 2004 women’s volleyball season. The Playing Rules Oversight Panel, on their March 10 conference call, approved all the rules proposals with an effective date of the 2004 season. A full summary of the rules changes for 2004 is listed below.

The 2004 edition of the rules book will be mailed to all head coaches and conference commissioners in June. Additional copies will be available for $7.50 online at www.ncaa.org, or by calling 888/388-9748.

Volleyball Rules Changes

Media Equipment and Personnel. (Rule 1-1-1-b, page 10) – Under the old rule, media equipment and personnel were restricted from a 2-meter area around the court and from the playing area between the two attack lines extended. The rule was changed to establish the media area as within 1 meter of the boundary defining the playable area, and to clarify that media is not allowed in front of the team benches or between the attack lines on the bench side of the court. This change allows increased exposure for the media while keeping the safety of the student-athletes and the integrity of the pursuit rule in mind.

Officials Stand. (Rule 2-3-2-d, page 17) – Addition of language clarifying that a referee stand is required equipment and includes specifications of the referee stand.

Substitutes. (Rule 5-2-2, page 22) – Currently, substitutes must be located on the team bench or in the team warm-up area. Additional language will allow a substitute to go to the training room for medical reasons or to ride a stationary bicycle in a safe area. Balls still may not be used in the warm-up area or anywhere on the playable surface during a game.

Designated Coaches. (Rule 5-2-4-a, page 23) – Language will be added to clarify where coaches may stand during play. This rule change will allow coaches to stand directly in front of and near their bench or any portion of the score table that extends past the attack line on their side.

Designated Coaches. (Rule 5-2-4-b, c, d, e, page 23 and Rule 6-1-4-i, page 26) – In order to improve the flow of the game, coaches may not enter the substitution zone to discuss judgment decisions with the referee. Failure to comply with this rules change results in an individual sanction. Coaches may continue to approach the referee to request a substitution, lineup check or timeout, to lodge a protest, or confirm the number of timeouts or substitutions their team has used.

Sanction Procedures. (Rule 6-4-2, page 29) – There were several cases in 2003 where coaches and players were not aware they had been issued a sanction, then were given a second sanction when misconduct continued. Additional language will state that when a sanction is given during the game to a player on the court, she must approach the stand when requested to acknowledge the sanction. When a team member on the bench or in the warm-up area is sanctioned, the second referee will clearly communicate the sanction to the head coach; the first referee may also communicate this sanction to the captain. This process will ensure that the team member at fault is aware of a sanction, and help eliminate confusion and restore the appropriate atmosphere.

Logos. (Rule 7-1-1-a, page 33) – Logos and jersey lettering is exempt when determining whether uniforms are identical. NCAA Bylaws regarding logo rules will remain in place.

Illegal Equipment. (Rule 7-2-4-c, page 35) – Add medical equipment (such as insulin pumps) as a legal piece of equipment. Many players are already playing with insulin pumps, and this language will specify to officials and coaches that insulin pumps are legal.

Failure to comply. (Rule 7-3-1, page 35) – It is not the officials or opposing coaches responsibility to make sure the team has compliant uniforms. Under the new rule, any player not in a legal uniform will not be allowed to enter the game. The opposing coach will no longer be involved with the protest procedures when the uniform specifications are not met.

Libero Serving. (Rule 11-2-5-a, page 52) – Forty percent of survey respondents indicated they allowed the libero to serve during the spring experimentation period; seventy percent of survey respondents voted in favor of the libero serving. The original intent of the libero position was to create a defensive ball-handling specialist. By allowing the libero to serve, a team will be able to put their best six players on the court for a larger percentage of the game, and individual players are given another opportunity to play. In response, this rules change will allow the libero player to serve in one position designated for the game. Coaches must still designate the number of the libero player before the game, but can designate the rotation the libero will serve in at any time during the game.

Libero Serving (Rule 11-2-5-b2, page 52) – The current rule states that there must be a rally between two libero replacements. To allow the libero to serve, an exception will be made to this ruling. The libero will be allowed to replace the server without leaving the game for a rally.

Game Interruption Exceptions. (Rule 11-3-3, Page 55) – A conference may opt to establish rules to cover situations where a prolonged interruption prevents a match from being completed and still consider the match a completed contest.

Execution of the Service. (Rule 12-1-3-h, page 57) – Delete language that allows a request for a lineup check, timeout, etc., when a replay is awarded between the authorization for service and the contact of the serve.

Contact with the ball. (Rule 13-1-2, page 61) – Contact with the ball made only by hair is usually insignificant contact and should be ignored. Adding this language would be consistent with other parts of the rules book.

Player contact with the net. (Rule 14-2-1, page 67) – The language regarding player faults at the net has been clarified regarding insignificant contact that should not be penalized. Some actions of play may include actions in which players do not actually touch the ball (i.e., players faking an attack hit or attempting to block), but there is insignificant net contact.