Team cancellations after Thursday night cutoff forfeit team payment. If you need to replace players, we will do our best to help find someone.
Teams must have 4 members, with at least:
– one woman or non-binary person, and
– one man
We reserve the right to reassign teams to different divisions based on the overall skill level observed.
Outdoor reverse coed rules will apply. Rules can be found below and will also be reviewed the morning of the tournament.
***********OFFICIAL RULES ************
Side/Serve – To determine which side of the court the team starts on and which team serves first, team captains from each team will play rock, paper, and scissors. The winning team will decide whether to serve first, receive first, or choose their preferred side.
Back Row Attacks – If the last team contact is by a man, it must be behind the 10ft line, or the ball must have a clear upward trajectory; otherwise, it is a fault.
A Net is a Net – If you contact any portion of the net during play, it is a fault.
Blocking for women and nonbinary players – A block touch does not count as one of your three hits.
Blocking for men – The ball must go onto his side of the court and will count as one of your team’s three touches. (Reminder: Men may attack the ball at the net if it has a clear upward trajectory.)
Open-Handed Receiving – You cannot receive a serve open-handed ever. If it is not the serve, the first ball over the net may be received with open hands (handset), but it MUST be received cleanly (no lifts and no doubles). This applies to free balls as well as hard-driven balls.
No Centerline Violations – If a player goes under the net during play, it is not a fault, unless it interferes with the other team’s ability to make an immediate play on the ball. It is the ref team’s judgment as to whether it interfered with the play.
Time Outs – A single one-minute time out per team per set is allowed.
Time Outs – A single one-minute time out per team per set is allowed.
Hand Setting – There is a common misconception that handsets can be judged based on the number of rotations of the ball in the air. No such criterion has appeared in any recognized beach volleyball rule set in recent history. The USAV Beach volleyball rule book clarifies this matter:
“Rotation of a set ball may indicate a held ball or multiple contacts during the set but in itself is not a fault.”
You know when you double or lift a set, so don’t be known as the person who doesn’t call their own faults.
You can call two infractions on any set: (a) a lift whereby the ball comes to a noticeable rest in the player’s hand (hands come down with the ball then back up (in other words you re-direct the ball two times), which is different from the hands being low before receiving the ball in the hands or (b) a double, which is whenever there are two discernible contacts of the ball when it enters or leaves the players hands.
Spin is an INDICATOR of a double, but it is not in itself a double. There is NO RULE if a ball spins x number of times, it is a double. Stop watching for a spin on the ball and start watching the hands and feet (you can usually tell when there will be a lift or double based on the base of the player) of the setter.
3. Be consistent and fair.
Let Serves – Let Serves (the ball touches the net on the serve) will be allowed and played as normal.
Teams with three men or three women/non-binary persons – If the team has three men or three women/non-binary players, one of them must play as libero. The final contact over the net from the libero must have a clear, upward trajectory.
No Open-Handed Tips – You cannot direct the ball over the net using your fingertips.
Setting Over the Net – Setting over the net is only allowed if clean (no lifts and no doubles) and the trajectory of the ball is parallel (square) with the player’s shoulders. Sets can be either forward or backward, so long as they are square to the player’s shoulders and the set is clean.
Rotating Servers – No rotation of players is necessary; however, players must maintain a serve order. If a team serves out of order and scores points, these points will be counted before correction. Ref teams, please help keep track of serve order.
Subs – Subs will only be permitted in the event of an injury and cannot be a player on another team still in the tournament. You may pick up a player of a similar skill level from a team that has been eliminated.
Alternate Players – If a team has an alternate player for bracket play, that player must participate in at least one point of play with the team during pool play. If the player does not participate in at least one point with the team during pool play, they will not be eligible to play in bracket play.
Scoring – Rally scoring. Pool play games will be played to 21. Teams must win by 2, capped at 23. There is no cap in the playoffs.
Teams will switch sides every 7 points; ex scores are 3-4, 6-8, 9-12, etc.
Sacramento Outdoor Volleyball 