Adult Indoor Volleyball League Information & Rules

Season Information:

General Sports Guidelines
  • Please visit Adult Sports Guidelines for additional league information on the following topics.
    • Team Manager Duties
    • Forfeits
    • Player Conduct
    • Weather Guidelines

Divisions: 

  • Women, Open, & Co-Ed 
Skill Levels:
  • Level Upper B: Skilled players who understand, but may not have completely mastered the dynamics and strategies of both 5-1 or 6-2 offense. This division focuses on more position-specific roles, defensive and offensive strategies, and serve receive rotations.
  • Level B: Players who have learned the basic skills of serving, passing, and doing three contacts with a team strategy of defense, offense, and rotations that will make them successful.
  • Level Lower B: Lower skill level, more recreational play. Teams may have a mix of B & C skill level players.
  • Level C: Players who are relatively new to the game of officiated volleyball or in the process of learning the basic skills of accurate serving, passing, making 3 contacts, creating a consistent strategy, and team environment.

League Games and Times:

  • Leagues are offered Sunday - Thursdays.
  • Match times for the evening leagues may begin between 6:00pm to 9:30pm on weeknights and 1:00pm to 9:30pm on Sundays.

General Information:

MPRB Leagues follow USA Volleyball Rules with highlights and MPRB modifications listed below.
Weather Info: 
  • Click HERE for gameday weather and match status updates

Roster Info:

  • All players must be listed on the roster before competing
  • All rosters must be completed by the third scheduled match.
    • 6-person: Teams may have 12 players on the roster / 4 players to start play. 

Forfeits: 

  • If for any reason, a team fails to have the required number of players on the court by 5-minutes after the scheduled match time, a penalty of 2-points per minute will be assessed until that team is ready to play. At 20-minutes after scheduled start time, including a 5-minute grace period, the match is forfeited. 
  • If during play a team becomes incomplete due to disqualification or expulsion of a player, and substitutions cannot be made, the team loses the match by default.
  • Two forfeits and you can be removed from the league.

Match Format - Regular Season Play

  • All teams receive a 5-minute warm-up with 55-minutes of playing time.
  • Scoring
    • Rally scoring will be in effect at all levels of play, winning by 2 points. 
    • Three sets will constitute a match with all three sets counting in the standings.
      • Scoring for each set will be up to 25, capped at 27.
      • The 3rd set will be dictated by time, with the team that is ahead at the end of the allotted time winning.
  • Each team is given one time-out per set.
Match Format - Tournament Play
  • Best of 3 games will constitute a match (3rd match if necessary).
  • All teams receive a 5-minute warm-up with 55 minutes of playing tie for the best of 3 matches.
  • Scoring
    • First 2 games up to 25, capped at 27.
    • The third game up to 15, capped at 17 (if necessary) UNLESS the match reaches the 55-minute limit.
    • If time is running out, the official will cap the third set at a new score (under 15 points) and allow the teams to play to the new capped score.
    • If time expires before the match is complete, the team that is ahead will be the winner.
  • Officials will give teams a 5-minute warning before time expires.
  • Coin toss will determine the 1st and if necessary, the 3rd set.
Points of Emphasis:

Player Safety

  • Players may not enter another court, even after contacting the ball.
  • Players with any type of cast / brace must gain approval from league director. 
Serving
  • Only one toss or release of the ball is allowed. Dribbling or moving the ball in the hands is permitted. 
  • The server may not step on or over the service line before the ball is contacted. 
  • If a served ball hits the net and goes over, it is a legal serve. It is legal to set the serve as a receiver. 
  • A player may not attack or block the opponent's serve when the ball is entirely higher than the top of the net. 
  • An inadvertent serve before the whistle is not a fault and the serve will be replayed.

Out of Bounds

  • The ball is out if it passes beyond the net outside of the posts.
  • The ball is out of bounds and become dead when it touches a non-player or an obstruction outside of the court. 
  • The ball is in if it hits the line.

Ball Handling 

  • Three hits are allowed per side and blocking is not considered one of these hits.
  • A double hit is allowed on any first team contact, provided it is not two separate attempts to play the ball.
  • The ball must not be caught and/or thrown. It can rebound in any direction.
  • Any player may contact the ball with any body part, above or below the waist.
  • A team's second team hit may touch more than one body part only if the ball remains on the same side of the net. A fault will be called if the double-contacted ball crosses the net or is legally touched by an opposing blocker during the second or third attempt.
    • Upper B and B teams will be subject to double hit faults for a 2nd and 3rd contact sent over the net by a player who contacts the ball more than once with a body part.
    • Lower B and C teams will not by subject to double hit faults unless one player hits the ball consecutively (two separate attempts to play the ball).

    Play at the Net

  • Players cannot touch the net.
  • Players may not cross the center line while the ball is in play.
  • Incidental contact with an opponent is ignored, unless such contact interferes with the opponent's opportunity to play the ball.
  • While opposing players are not required to avoid the ball or player, they cannot intentionally interfere with any legal attempts to pay the ball or their court.
  • When blocking, a player may touch the ball beyond the net, provided they do not interfere with the opponent's play, before or during the attack hit.
      • Individual League Rules

       

      Co-Ed Play:

  • Co-Ed teams must have 4 players to start play (maximum 6 on the court). 
    • You will need at least two (2) women on the court at all times. 
    • A team cannot have more than three males on the court at one time. Failure to comply will result in forfeiture.
  • When the ball is played three times by a team, a female must make one of the contacts. Contact of the ball during blocking shall not constitute playing the ball.
  • USAV Rule 1.4 - When only one male player is in the front line at service, one male back row player may be forward of the attack line for the purpose of blocking.
  • Unlimited substitutions are allowed. 
  • Rotation or substitution may be used for teams with more than 6 players. The method must be chosen at the beginning of the match and used for the entire match.
    • When there are 3 women and 3 men on the court and an odd number of players on the side, women can only sub for women and men can only sub for men.
    • Team members on the court must be separated by gender.
  • Follow USAV rules

      • Women's Play:

  • Teams must have 4 players on the court to start play.
  • Rotation or substitution may be used for teams with more than 6 players. The method must be chosen at the beginning of the match and used for the entire match.
  • Unlimited substitutions are allowed. 
  • Follow USAV rules

      • Open Play:

  • Open leagues do not follow any specific gender rules.
  • Teams must have 4 players on the court to start play.
  • Rotation or substitution may be used for teams with more than 6 players. The method must be chosen at the beginning of the match and used for the entire match.
  • Unlimited substitutions are allowed. 
  • There are no specific gender rules regarding the following:
    • Ball Contact
    • Serving order and/or court position
    • Contact of the ball during blocking shall not constitute playing the ball.
  • Follow USAV rules

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      MPRB League Directors reserve the right to make additions and/or changes for the betterment of the program.