Tournament Rules

(Tournaments Sponsored by Pennsylvania Homeschoolers_®)

In general, the officials will use the United States Volleyball Association rules with coed stipulations. They will explain their calls if the players or the coaches ask.

1. The Official Roster for each team will be turned in before the team's first game.

2. Each team will have at least 2 females and 2 males on the court at all times. However, with special permission from the tournament administrator, a “B” level team will be permitted to play with 0 or 1 boys on the court if the organization that is fielding the “B” team is also fielding an “A” team. The purpose of this special provision is to allow teams to field a team consisting of “extra” girls who would not otherwise have the opportunity to play.

3. Each team is allowed twelve (12) members on the Official Roster.

4. A player can not appear on two different rosters with the exception that a player can appear on both a junior and senior team roster. If an injury to a member of a team causes the number of players on that team to fall below the minimum (i.e. 6 players including 2 girls & 2 boys), a player may be moved from another team's roster onto that team's roster if agreed to by the Tournament Director. A player moved in this fashion should, preferably, be a non-starting player on his or her team.

5. Ground Rules will be distributed and explained before a team's first game.

6. Substitutions can be made at any time. Once a player has played in a particular position of the rotation during a game he can only be substituted into that position in the rotation.

7. Game ball will be provided; however if both teams agree, an alternative ball can be used.

8. A match will consist of the best two-out-of-three games. Rally scoring will used with games to fifteen (15), winning by two. If neither team achieves a margin or two points, the first team to seventeen (17) is declared the winner.

9. One representative from each team (coach, manager) will report the number of games won by each team when the match is concluded.

10. Once the tournament begins, any questions regarding tournament rules, scoring or interpretation will be referred to the tournament director immediately for resolution.

11. All matches will begin five minutes following the previous match or at the scheduled time.

12. Teams are allowed a five-minute grace period in the event they do not have enough players to begin the match. After that time, the match will be declared forfeit.

13. Teams must have five players to begin a match, two of which must be female and two must be male. (Rule 2 is the one exception to this rule.)

14. Players may not, at any point in the game's progress, touch the ball with the flat palm of the hand.

15. The rule that players must return service with a bump of both hands has been discontinued.

16. Returns that touch the ceiling on the first or second hit can continue to be played. This does not apply to the third (final) return.

17. Non-playing teams shall provide a lines person in the same court for the match immediately following the one in which they just played.

18. Eligible players must be homeschooled or cyber-charter schooled for the same academic year in which the tournament is held.

19. In order to participate on a Senior team a player must be 18 years of age or younger as of September 1 of the school year of the tournament. In order to participate on a Junior team a player must be 14 years of age or younger as of September 1 of the academic year in which the tournament is held. All participants must be currently enrolled in a homeschool or cyber-charter school.

20. No jewelry may be worn by any player while he or she is playing.

21. When more than one player touches the ball during a return, one of those who touches the ball must be a girl.

22. A serve that strikes the net and continues into the receiving team's court will be considered in play.

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