TO: All NCAA Head Women’s Volleyball Coaches and Conference Coordinators of
Officials. FROM: Kerry Major Carr, chair
NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules Committee
Marcia Alterman, secretary-rules editor
NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules Committee. SUBJECT: 2008 Rules Changes.
A complete list of rules changes that will be implemented for the 2008 season
are below for your information. You will receive a complimentary rules book this
summer.
If you have questions about the rules changes, please contact Ms. Carr for more
information (kmajor@pobox.upenn.edu).
The following rules-change proposals have been approved by the NCAA Women’s
Volleyball Rules Committee and the Playing Rules Oversight Panel. The rule and
page references are from the 2007 Women’s Volleyball Rules Book.
Major Rules Changes
Playing Area. (Rule 1.1, page 14)—All playable areas must be visible to team
members and officials. Rationale: Playing areas that are non-symmetrical or
non-rectangular can result in areas that are not visible to all match
participants, giving a possible unfair advantage to one team.
Non-Player Interference. (Rule 4.2.4, page 26)—In addition to the current
language pertaining to media, spectators, or officials, interference by speed
wipers or ball crew personnel will result in a replay. Rationale: At times,
speed wipers and the ball crew are in the playable area as they perform their
tasks. If their presence prevents a legitimate effort to make a play on the
ball, the team should not be penalized.
Coach Position During Play. (Rule 5.2.4.1, page 28)—During play, coaches
will be required to stay at least 1.75 meters from the court, and completely out
of the substitution zone. An imaginary line perpendicular to the outside edge of
the extended attack line indicates this distance. Rationale: During play,
coaches that are too near the court create a potential safety hazard and may
interfere with the officials’ duties. The previous rule language stated that the
coaches must be “near” their bench during play, which was ambiguous and not
standardized. NOTE: When the ball is out of play, coaches may still approach the
court to the sideline (outside the substitution zone) to instruct their players.
Coach Position During Play (Rule 5.2.4.1, page 28)—Failure to comply with
the correct coach position during play will result in a team delay. Rationale:
The sanction for this action was not designated clearly in the rule previously.
A team delay is less punitive than an individual sanction in most cases.
Communication with Officials. (Rule 5.2.4.3, page 28)—The result of
multiple coaches addressing the referees at one time will be an individual
sanction. At the referee’s discretion, the sanction may be given to the head
coach (who is expected to be responsible for their staff behavior), or the
second coach to approach (for failing to comply with the rule). Rationale: The
sanction for this action was not designated in the rule previously. Depending on
the situation presented, the head coach may be the appropriate team member to
sanction, because s/he has fails to control other coaches after being requested
to do so. However, the referee may determine that it is more appropriate to
sanction the second coach.
Terminology. (Rule 8.2, page 45 and throughout)—The term “game” will be
changed to “set”. Rationale: Volleyball throughout the world refers to “sets”
rather than “games”. Coaching instruction and referee training will be more
consistent and compatible with this change.
Points Required to Win a Set. (Rule 8.2.1, page 45)—The number of points
required to win sets one through four is now 25. Rationale: There seems to be a
reduction in the intensity of many contests in the middle of a set that is
played to 30 points. The intention of this rule change is to increase fan and
player focus and fan excitement. Additionally, the Division I Championship
committee recommended this change. Note: the number of points required to win
the fifth set remains at fifteen.
Substitutions (Rule 11.2.2, page 57)—The maximum number of substitutions for
each team is 12 per set. Rationale: When sets were played to 30 points, a
maximum of 15 substitutions allowed for a ration of two points to each
substitution. With the change to 25-point sets, a reduction to 12 substitutions
per set approximately maintains that ratio.
Inadvertent Whistle or Horn (Rule 16.1.2, page 80)—Only inadvertent whistles or
horns that affect play will result in a replay. Rationale: There are situations
where an inadvertent whistle or horn has no effect on the result of the play.
For example, if the ball is clearly traveling into a non-playable area but has
not yet contacted an object, an inadvertent horn would not affect play and the
rally should not be replayed.
Protest Facts to be Recorded (Rule 17.2.4.6, page 83)—When a protest is lodged,
the coaches will now be required to sign the protest documentation rather than
the captains. Rationale: Several years ago, the rules were modified to allow
coaches as well as captains to lodge a protest. In the collegiate environment,
it is logical to ask the coach to be the team representative to authorize the
protest documentation. If the coach is unavailable, the captain may sign the
documentation.
Significant Editorial Changes
Requests for Interruptions. (Rule 5.2.4.4, page 29)— A clarification will note
that an improper request results when coach requests a substitution, timeout or
line-up check from an area away from the substitution zone is an improper
request (request denied).
Uniform Numbers-Trim (Rule 7.1.2.4, page 40) —If the shadow trim surrounding a
number (rather than the number itself) is providing the necessary contrast to
the jersey color, the trim must completely surround the number. Uniforms must
comply by the 2011 season.
Logos and Insignia (Rule 7.1.3.2, page 41)—The requirement for identical team
uniforms extends to commemorative or any special patch, logo, or insignia worn
by team members.
Media Timeouts (Rule 11.1.3.1, page 56)—Media timeouts may be allowed at the
host institution’s discretion for broadcast matches with paid advertising (e.g.
television, radio, or Internet audio or visual).
Second Referee Duties (Rule 18.3.11.4, page 91)—The second referee’s duties will
now indicate the responsibility to work with the scorekeeper to ensure the
legality of libero replacements.
Ball Handling Directive
Based on extensive discussion at the 2008 annual meeting, the NCAA Women’s
Volleyball Rules Committee has developed a new directive regarding ball handling
judgment, primarily on second team contacts. This is not a rule change, but a
new approach to ball handling judgments that is intended to increase intensity
and focus for the players and coaches, and improve fan understanding and
involvement.
Current Culture of Women’s Collegiate Volleyball
*Recent rule changes emphasize continuation of play and fewer stoppages (for
example, rules for the libero, rally score, and net fault continuation)
*Collegiate women players demonstrate more athleticism than ever before, and
that athleticism should be highlighted.
*Players have better skills due to increased quantity of play through the year,
training started at an early age, and better coaching.
*There is a demand for consistency in ball handling judgment by all match
participants.
*Volleyball is enjoying an increased fan base & significant growth.
The committee recognized that ball handling judgment was, at times, inconsistent
both within a match and from contest to contest. Not only were those
inconsistencies frustrating for players and coaches, whistles for subtle
infractions discernable only by the referees are confusing to fans. With
increased television exposure, it is important to attempt to develop ball
handling guidelines that are understandable by typical sports fans, not just the
volleyball community. The basic tenet is that the excitement of the sport of
volleyball can be increased with fewer whistles for minor ball handling
infractions and increased leniency on particularly athletic plays that may not
result in a perfectly executed set by traditional standards, but provides a
continuation of play with no disadvantage to the opponent.
Directives
The points below have been emphasized in ball handling judgment discussions for
several years, and are still vitally important when considering faults:
*Referees should only call faults that are actually seen.
*Only the contact point should be considered in judging legality.
*Outside influences such as player technique, spin, crowd reaction, or coaches’
expectations should not be regarded.
The following points are new emphases by the rules committee, and should
decrease the number of whistles that stop play:
*Only the most obvious violations should be called.
*Referees should be less severe when judging an athletic play by a player in
less than ideal position. In other words, be lenient when a player makes their
best effort that results in unorthodox technique. However, don’t confuse
clumsiness or lack of skill with athleticism. A player who has the opportunity
to set the ball from good position will be expected to execute without a double
contact.
*Referees should avoid being overly mechanical or technical in their judgments,
and work within the current culture of the sport and the spirit of the
competition.
Principles
There are two basic tenets associated with this directive that the committee
feels will improve the overall image of our game by the public without damaging
the integrity of the sport:
*Less severe ball handling judgment will result in more consistency within a
match and from event to event.
*Coaches will continue to teach good technique and play the best players,
because the best result is derived from well-executed skills.
Other Points of Emphasis
Fan Behavior
Referee training will include a review of the fan behavior and crowd control
rules (Rule 18.2.5), and referees will be reminded to establish a cooperative
relationship with event management in that effort. Inappropriate behaviors as
discussed by the rules committee will be reviewed during referee training to
prevent both over-sensitivity and laxness. Crowd control is primarily an event
management responsibility. Referees will report inappropriate fan behavior to
event management with the expectation that the problem will be resolved, and
only become more involved if event management does not respond appropriately.
Substitutes in Warm-up Area
The rules regarding the legal location of substitutes are clear. Substitutes in
the warm-up area must be at least 2 meters from the extended sideline, which
reduces the chances of them interfering with play, or with the opponent’s or
referees’ view of the actual players on the court (including the server).
Referees will be instructed to identify a visible mark that can be used to
provide the imaginary limit to the warm-up area in the pre-game period, and
communicate that to the teams. Continued failure to comply will result in team
delay sanctions.
Pursuit Under the Net
In women’s collegiate play, it is not legal to take a path under the net or net
cable when pursuing a ball to the opponent’s free zone. However, a fault is not
committed unless the ball is contacted. Team representatives will be reminded of
this rule in the pre-match meeting.
Facilities and Event Management
The Event Management section of the rule book has been clarified to define the
best possible practices regarding facility setup and playable area.
Publication Schedule
The NCAA has recently made a change to provide for a two-year rules cycle for
all NCAA sports. Rule changes will only be enacted and rule books published
every other year. For volleyball, the rules committee will request an
implementation date of 2010 for the first two-year rule book, primarily based on
the cycle of rule changes implemented by the Federation of International
Volleyball (FIVB). A new FIVB rule book will be published in 2009, based on rule
changes that are considered following the 2008 Olympic Games.
