I.                    THE MATCH

a.       Matches will be approximately 45 minutes long.

b.       All matches will be played at the Willmar Civic Center unless otherwise noted.

c.       All matches will consist of three sets, regardless of whether a team wins the first two.  One league point is awarded for each set win.  Playoff Seeding will be determined by regular season points.

d.       One minute is allowed between sets.

e.       Each team is allowed one 30 second time-out per set.

f.        A set is completed when one team scores 25 points.  The 2-point advantage is waived for regular season games.

g.       Playoffs will be 25-25-15 format – Win by 2 (NO CAP).

h.       Please have an adult supervising any children you bring to games.  Please do not let your kids run around the gym or schools unsupervised.  We are not a babysitting service.

II.                  STANDINGS

a.       Standings will be determined by total of Set wins (1 point for each set win)

b.       Tie breaker for standings will be…

                                                               i.      Set Wins

                                                             ii.      Head-to-Head Record

                                                           iii.      Record against Top team, descending

                                                           iv.      Defensive Average

                                                             v.      Coin Flip

III.                PLAYOFFS

a.       Playoffs will be double elimination.

b.       If the schedule needs to be adjusted due to weather cancellations, the playoffs may be single elimination.

c.       Teams will remain in their league and will be seeded according to final league win-loss record.

d.       Players must play in one league game to be eligible to play in the playoffs.

IV.                PLAYER ELIBILITY:

a.       Players must be 16 years of age or older as of September 1 of the current year.

b.       Both high school and college students are eligible to participate.

c.       Only teams in the top division of all leagues may have current athletes competing in interscholastic/intercollegiate athletics.

d.       A person may play on only one team per night in Willmar.

e.       Teams short a player may pick up players with opposing team approval.

f.        New player must sign in before playing.

V.                  FEES & ROSTERS:

a.       No team will be included in the league’s schedule until the league fee is paid.  League fees include payment for officials, game balls, lights, scorebooks and sanctioning fees.

b.       All players will sign in first night on sign-in sheet provided by the official.  This is also your waiver of liability for Parks & Rec while participating in Adult Volleyball leagues.

c.       If a team is caught with a person either not on the roster or without a signature on the roster, that player will be ejected from the game(s) that week and the following week, the manager will also be ejected from the current and following week’s games and the team will forfeit all games(s) played with the illegal player.

d.       Roster is limited to 20 players.

e.       Players may be added to your roster up until the last night of regular season play.

f.        Willmar Parks & Recreation reserves the right to suspend any team or player from further participation for the season for falsifying their names.

g.       Any player wishing to switch teams must get approval from the League Director.

VI.                GENERAL LEAGUE RULES

a.       All games will be played according to Willmar Parks & Rec rules.

b.       Scoresheet is to be filled in by manager or team rep before game starts with first and last names, numbers (if applicable) and team name.

c.       Manager or team rep will meet with official(s) before game to go over ground rules.

d.       An official team consists of six players.  Teams must have four players to play. Teams will be given a five-minute grace period.  If not enough players after five minutes, they must forfeit their first game.  If not enough players after 15 minutes, they must forfeit their second game.  If not enough players after 30 minutes from the time the first match was supposed to start, the team must forfeit their third game.

                                                               i.      Co-Rec:  Serving order and positions on the court must be an alternate of male and female or vice versa.  There can never be more men than women on the floor at any one time.  Minimum of 1 male to fulfill Co-Rec requirement.

e.       Any team forfeiting two matches, your team will be removed from the league with no refund at the League Director’s discretion.

f.        Equipment:

                                                               i.      Willmar Parks & Recreation will furnish one official and a game ball.  Teams may use their own balls if both teams agree on the ball being used.

                                                             ii.      Caps or jewelry shall not be worn.  Note: non-dangling pierced earrings are permissible at ref’s discretion.

                                                           iii.      A guard, cast or brace made of hard and unyielding leather, plaster, pliable (soft) plastic, metal or any other hard substance is not permitted on the finger, hand, wrist or forearm.

                                                           iv.      All participants must wear shirt and shoes.

g.       Substitutions:

                                                               i.      Individual Substitutions:  A substitute may enter a game in the position of a teammate of the starting lineup.  Unlimited individual entries within the team’s allowable 12 substitutions are permitted.

                                                             ii.      Player Rotation Substitution:  Right front player is substituted by the incoming player entering in server’s position.

                                                           iii.      Coed:  A man may only substitute for a man.  There can be more women than men, but NOT more men than women.

h.       Service and Rotation of Positions:

                                                               i.      Choice of which team is to serve first at the start of a match is determined by the toss of a coin.  The winner can pick serve or side.  The opponent of the team that served first in the first game serves first in the second.  Choice of which team serves first in the third game is determined by a coin toss if games are 1-1.  If 2-0 serve will continue to rotate.

                                                             ii.      Player in right back position makes serve.  Server can serve anywhere along the serving area (end-line)  The server will have five seconds after the referee’s whistle for service in which to contact the ball for serve.  The server must serve within the marked service area and shall not touch lines bounding the area until after contact with the ball has been made.

                                                           iii.      The first server of the game is the player in the right back position.  In subsequent side-outs the player in the right front position rotates clockwise to the serving position.  The receiving team will rotate on the first side-out, therefore their first serve will be their right-front player.

                                                           iv.      Teams change courts when the game is completed; alteration in positions of players may be made at this time.

                                                             v.      Late players may enter in the rotations regardless of position in rotations

1.       Coed – If team has 3 women and 2 men and the third man comes late, he may enter between the two girls in the rotation on his team’s next serve, regardless of position in rotation.  Note:  No player can be skipped in the serving order.

i.         Playing the Ball:

                                                               i.      A player may use any part of the body.  The ball, upon contact, may not visibly come to rest, even momentarily.  It is an illegal hit if, during contact, the ball visibly becomes motionless or is in a state of inactivity.  A ball rolling up the arm is illegal because of prolonged contact.

                                                             ii.      A player may not hit the ball twice in succession unless: it is the team’s first hit. (Multiple contacts are permitted on any first team hit, whether or not the block touches the ball).

                                                           iii.      A ball may be contacted a total of three times by a team before it is sent over the net.  Exceptions:  a) a team may have four hits if its first contact is an action to block; b) there is simultaneous contact of the ball by opponents which does not count as one of the three hits.  (Ball must be above the net).

                                                           iv.      Blocking the serve:  It is illegal for a player to attack or block a served ball.  Setting the serve is allowed.

                                                             v.      Blocking a ball that is entirely on the opponents’ side of the net is permitted when the opposing team has had an opportunity to complete its attack.  A player shall not contact a ball that is completely on the opponent’s side of the net unless the contact is a legal block.

                                                           vi.      A player may cross the centerline with their foot or hand as long as part of the foot/feet or hand remain(s) on or above the centerline.

                                                          vii.      A ball touching a boundary line is in or good.

                                                        viii.      Kicking the ball is legal.

                                                            ix.      Net foul occurs when the net is contacted, a player gains an advantage by contacting the ref stand or net standards or there is dangerous contact with the floor or wall cables, standards or referee’s stand.

                                                             x.      A ball contacting the ceiling may be played if it comes down on the attacking team’s side of the net (within the three hit parameter).  If it comes down on the opponent’s side, it is a side out.

                                                            xi.      A ball contacting backboards or rims hanging in a vertical position over a playable area is to be judged in or out based on where the official deems the ball would have remained in play if the backboard hadn’t been there.  Replays are an acceptable call.

                                                          xii.      A held ball (joust) at the net is not considered a replay.

                                                        xiii.      Coed:

1.       When more than one person on a team plays the ball, either both a man and a woman must play it, or two women.  Whenever there are 2 or 3 touches by a team, a woman must play at least 1 ball.

2.       One backcourt player male may also block when there is only one male player in the front line position.  This player cannot spike or return a ball that is above the net.

j.         A Side-Out is Awarded If:

                                                               i.      A served ball contacts the server’s teammate, ceiling or any obstruction or lands outside of opponent’s playing court.  Note:  A net serve that passes over the net is a live ball.

                                                             ii.      Server steps on or over end line or markings depicting their serving area at the moment they contacted the ball.

                                                           iii.      The server serves the ball before official signals to serve.  Reserved to ref’s discretion.

                                                           iv.      If a player on the serving team is out of serving order, any points made on the service shall be cancelled, serving order corrected immediately, side out declared.  Points scored by serving team when its opponents were in error are not lost.  If improper serving order is not discovered until after the service has alternated and the first serve contacted, there shall be no loss of points.  If the receiving team is in error, only one point shall be awarded to the serving team.

VII.              PROTESTS:

a.       Protests shall not be received or considered if they are based on decisions involving accuracy of judgement on the part of the official.

b.       Protests may involve misinterpretation of playing rule or failure of an official to apply the correct rule to a given situation or correct penalty for a given violation.  All protests should be made on field or play.  Notification of intent to protect must be made immediately.  If the protest cannot be solved on the field of play, the game shall continue and the recreational supervisors will rule on the protest.  Written protest must be filed with league coordinator within 48 hours and be accompanied by $50.  If protest is upheld, the deposit will be returned and the game will be replayed from the point of the protest.

c.       The league coordinator will rule on protests concerning player eligibility ($50 deposit applies)

VIII.            UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT:

a.       Managers are responsible for their team’s conduct, both on and off the court.

b.       Only managers are to question the official concerning rule interpretations.  Players are to stay in their positions if a question arises.

c.       A player, coach, or team follower shall not:

                                                               i.      Use disconcerting acts or words when an opponent is about to play the ball.

                                                             ii.      Make derogatory remarks, use insulting language or gestures to officials or opponents.

                                                           iii.      Question or show disgust with officials’ decisions.

d.       Excessive Unsportsmanlike Conduct:  At the official’s discretion, the offender shall be removed from the game and premises.  For the first offense the offender shall also be disqualified from playing in the game(s) the following week.  (Player needs to meet with league director during regular business hours, 8 am-4:30 pm before allowed to rejoin play).  Second offense, you will be removed indefinitely.  If the offender doesn’t conform within one minute, the offending team forfeits the game.

                                                               i.      Fighting will result in an automatic one year suspension form all Parks & Rec leagues subject to review by League Director.

                                                             ii.      Anyone striking or pushing an official will be suspended from all Parks & Rec activities indefinitely.

e.       If a spectator becomes unruly or interferes with the orderly progress of the game, the official shall suspend the game until the team whose follower(s) are unruly removes that persons(s) from the premises.  Failure to do so within a reasonable amount of time shall result in forfeiture of the match by the offending team.

f.        Swearing is not tolerated.  Offending team will be penalized a side-out.

g.       The penalty for verbally abusing or physically contacting a game official before, during or after a game carries a one year suspension from all Willmar Parks & Recreation sports, effective through the sport the player was disqualified from the previous year.

h.       The official has the power to order a player, coach or manager to do or omit any act that, in his/her judgment is necessary to give force and effect to one or all of the rules.

IX.                BLOOD RULE:

a.       A player, coach or official who is bleeding or who has blood on their uniform shall be prohibited from participating further in the game until appropriate treatment can be administered.  If medical care or treatment is administered in a reasonable length of time, the individual will not have to leave the game.  The length of time that is considered reasonable is left to the umpire’s judgement.  Uniform rule violations will not be enforced if a uniform change is required.  The official shall:

                                                               i.      Stop the game and allow treatment if injured player would affect the continuation of the game.

                                                             ii.      Immediately call a coach, trainer or other authorized person to the injured player.

                                                           iii.      Apply the rules of the game regarding substitution, short-handed play and re-entry if necessary.

If you know you won’t have enough players, please inform the Parks & Rec Office – 235-1454 before 4:30 so we can inform opponents.  After a second forfeited match, the team will be removed from the league schedule (at the discretion of the league coordinator) with no refund of entry fee.

After 4:30, contact John Hartley at 320-212-5830 if you will not be able to make it to your scheduled league game.