FSU IM Sports follows National Federation (High School) Rules except for the following modifications.

I. GENERAL ELIGIBILITY

1. Participation is limited to currently-enrolled, fee-paying FSU students, faculty members, and full-time staff. FAMU & TCC students and members of the community are not eligible. All areas of eligibility are covered in the Intramural By-Laws which are available through the Campus Recreation Office and online at the FSU Campus Recreation web site.

2. In order to participate in an Intramural contest each player must present their validated FSUCard. Exceptions must be directed to the Intramural Sports Office for consideration by the IM staff during regular business hours (9:00am-6:00pm). Bring a photo ID and proof of payment to obtain a waiver from the IM staff. No such waiver will be granted at the court.


II. TEAM COMPOSITION & SUBSTITUTIONS

1. Players can compete on only one men's/women's team, regardless of league classification. In addition, players may compete for one co-rec team as well.

2. Six (6) players constitutes a team. All players must present their valid FSUCard at the game site to sign-in to participate.

3. A team must have 4 players to start a game. Players who arrive late may be added to the roster and may enter the game at a dead-ball situation.

4. Team rosters will be formed based on the players who compete in the team's first regular season game (sign-in at the courts on the night of the game). Additions may be made to the roster at any time throughout the season and during the playoffs. New players will become part of a team's roster when they sign-in at a subsequent game. No player may participate on more than one team, unless his/her second team is a co-rec team.

5. Substitutions may only take place during a dead ball. A substitute must be from the serving team and shall enter into the rotation in the serving position only (exception: injury). A substitute must enter the game before the serve. Once a substitute has entered the game, he/she must play through the entire rotation and back to the service position before being removed from the game. There is no limit to the number of individual entries or team substitutions in any one game. Substitution is not "person for person".

6. If a player becomes injured and cannot continue playing immediately, he/she must leave the court. If a team desires to have that player remain in the game, and if the player cannot continue immediately, that team must use a charged time-out.


III. EQUIPMENT & PLAYING AREA

1. Volleyballs are available for check-out from an IM Supervisor at Tully Gym.

2. The court shall be regulation size with a net height of 7' 11" for men's matches, 7' 9" for co-rec matches, and 7' 4" for women's matches.

3. All players must wear shoes. Tennis shoes and soft-soled shoes are permitted. Shoes should have non-marking soles.

4. Jewelry is NOT allowed to be worn by any participant during an intramural event. This jewelry consists of any visible rings (including wedding bands), watches, necklaces, earrings, studs, bracelets, and any other such similar jewelry. Only medical alert bracelets are permitted. A player is subject to ejection for failure to remove any jewelry after first warning.

5. Spectators are permitted only behind the end line or in bleachers, when provided. No spectators shall be positioned between courts.

IV. MATCH TIME, LENGTH, & SCORING

1. Match time is forfeit time. A team needs at least 4 legal players to begin the match. Any team that forfeits a match will not be eligible for the playoffs. If the forfeiting team wants to play the rest of their regular season matches, they must come into the Intramural Sports Office by noon the next working day to present their case.

2. All matches will be best 2 of 3 games.

3. All games will use the rally scoring system with a point awarded on each service regardless of which team served. Points are scored on side-outs with serve also changing sides.
A. In the first and second games, the game will be won when one team has scored 30 points and has at least a 2-point advantage over the opponent. No game shall exceed 32 points. If the teams are tied at 31-31, the next point scored will determine the winner.
B. The third and final game will be won when one team has scored 15 points and has at least a 2-point advantage over the opponent. There will be no cap on points in the third game.

4. The choice of serve or playing area shall be decided by a coin toss by the referees between the designated captains of each team before the first game. If more than one game is played, the team not serving first in the previous game of the match shall serve first in the next game. A coin is tossed again if a third and deciding game is needed.

5. Two 30-second time-outs will be allowed per team per game. The time-outs may be used consecutively, if needed.
A. First request for a third time-out in a game results in a yellow card (warning) and subsequent requests result in a red card (point).


V. SERVE & ROTATION

1. At the instant the ball is hit for service, the server may not be in contact with the endline, the court, or the floor outside the two lines marking the service area. The server may stand on or between the two lines or their extensions which mark the service area. The service area spans the entire endline. All other players must have both feet inside the court.

2. A served ball is dead if it is hit illegally or before the referee has signaled to begin service. The ball must be hit with one hand. An illegally hit serve results in loss of service. If the ball is served before the referee signals for service, a re-serve results, on the first infraction only.

3. A server is given 5 seconds to contact the ball for service after the referee's first whistle.

4. A server will be allowed one release and drop per service term.

5. A served ball is dead and a point is awarded if the ball crosses the net entirely outside the antenna, touches the antenna, touches the ceiling or any obstruction, lands on the floor on the server's side of the net, passes under the net, or lands outside of the opponent's court. A serve that touches the net and continues over to the opponent's side of the court is a legal serve and the ball is in play.

6. The team which receives the ball for service after a sideout shall rotate clockwise before serving.
(Thisincludes a team's first service in a game after their opponent's first serve).

7. At the time the ball is served, the players of each team must be within their respective court positions.
A. No center position player may be nearer the sideline than that respective sideline player.
B. No backline player may be nearer the net than the corresponding front line player.
C. Center Back may completely overlap the right back when right back is serving as long as center back does not act as a screen.
D. All players except the server must be within the court as the ball is served. After the ball is hit for the serve, players may move from their respective positions.
(The position of players is judged according to the position of their feet in contact with the floor at the time the ball is contacted for service.)

8. At the moment of service it is illegal for players of the serving team to wave their arms, jump, or form groups of two or more players for the purpose of forming a screen to conceal the action of the server. The referee will be the sole judge of this action which does not have to be deliberate to be a fault.

9. A player may not attack or block a serve. The action is illegal as soon as contact is made regardless of the player's position on the court or whether the ball is returned to the opponents.


VI. BLOCKING & ATTACKING THE BALL

1. Only front row players may take part in a block.

2. A player may not reach over the net to attack the ball. A player may reach over the net during the follow through after a spike, or during a block on a team's attack or third team hit.

3. Back line players may not block, or attempt to block, nor may a back line player attack the ball above the height of the net in front of the 3-meter line.

4. If two teammates contact the ball simultaneously, this is considered one contact, and either of the players may make the next play on the ball. (This does not include action on block attempts.)

5. Players may have successive contacts of the ball during a single attempt to make the first team hit of the ball coming from their opponents (includes serves). Even if the ball is blocked, provided there is no finger action used during the effort and the ball is not held or thrown.

6. If two opposing players contact the ball simultaneously above the net, either may play the ball on the next hit for the first of their team's three hits. If the ball visibly comes to rest during simultaneous contacts by opposing players, the referee will direct a replay. The player on the side opposite the projected flight after a simultaneous contact is considered to have contacted it last.

7. The net may not be touched by a player while the ball is alive. If the ball is driven into the net with such force as to cause the net to contact an opponent, such contact shall not be considered a fault. Inadvertent contact of the net by the hair may be overlooked by the official.

8. The lines are considered part of the court; thus any part of the ball hitting a line is inbounds.

9. A player may be on the centerline AND OVER THE LINE SO LONG AS SOME part of his/her encroaching foot remains in contact with the line. Contact with any other part of a player's body with the opponent's side of the court during play constitutes a fault.

10. A player may go outside the court and may cross the extension of the centerline, but if playing the ball, the ball must not be completely across the centerline extension. Players may not enter another court that is being used to play a ball.

11. Any attempt to distract a player by yelling, stomping the feet, or distracting action will result in unsportsmanlike conduct and a red card (point) given.

12. A ball is dead if:
A. It touches the floor.
B. It hits the antenna.
C. The ball becomes lodged or momentarily comes to rest on any obstruction over the court.
D. It is whistled dead by an official for any reason.

13. Any ball that has been caused by your team to strike the ceiling or ceiling fixtures on your half of the court may be played again by your team provided that the third hit has not already occurred. The hit on the ceiling does not count as one of your team's three allowed contacts.

14. A ball may not be held, lifted, pushed, thrown, or carried at any time. Using an open hand to contact the ball in an underhand motion or to direct the ball forward from behind the head with an open hand usually constitutes a lift or carry.

15. A double foul occurs when players on opposing teams commit rule infractions at the same instant. The ball will be re-served by the serving team.


VII. CO-REC RULE MODIFICATIONS

1. Team Composition
A team is composed of six (6) players, three (3) men and three (3) women. Play may start with no less than four (4) players, two (2) men and two (2) women. At all times there must be equal numbers of men and women on the court, thus the only legal combinations are 2 males + 2 females and 3 males + 3 females. Substitutions may only take place as a man for a man, woman for a woman.

2. Positioning & Serve
In court positioning, men and women must alternate positions; therefore, they must also alternate serving. On the serve, any legal technique may be used.

3. Contacts
Each team may have three (3) hits on its side of the net. If the ball is returned on one hit, either a man or a woman may hit the ball. If, however, two (2) or three (3) hits are required, a member of each sex must hit the ball. The ball must always be returned over the net on or by the third hit.

4. Male Restrictions
Men may spike the ball only from behind the 3-meter line.


VIII. SPORTSMANSHIP

1. Sportsmanship is an important part of intramural sports. Teams receive sportsmanship ratings at the conclusion of each game on a scale of 0 to 4 with 4 as an excellent rating. Teams must average a 3.0 during the regular season to qualify for the playoffs.

2. Teams are responsible for keeping their spectators under control. Misconduct of spectators and players may results in ejection and/or forfeiture of the game. Spectators must remain in the out-of-play areas. Only players are permitted in the playing area.

3. Any player who uses foul language, violently protests a call, or curses an official or supervisor, will be removed from the match and will automatically be suspended from his/her team's next match. In addition, he/she will have to meet with the Director of Intramural Sports during office hours (Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) before he/she is eligible to participate again. Any player who touches an official or supervisor will be placed on suspension from all Intramural activities for a minimum period of one calendar year from the time of the incident.

4. If at any time a team has 2 players or spectators ejected from the match, the offending team will immediately forfeit the match.

5. FSU Intramural Sports does not recognize the use of coaches. Only the team captain may speak to the officials regarding administrative matters (protests, ejections, disqualifications, etc.).

6. Teams shall assist in removing trash and equipment from their game area at the conclusion of their match.

7. Officials and supervisors are college students employed by FSU Campus Recreation to provide a service to the participants of FSU Intramural Sports. Officials are employed regardless of experience to fulfill a need for a large number of officials to cover all the matches being played. Officials undergo clinics and evaluations to help them to constantly improve in their abilities. Supervisors are trained to handle conflicts that occur during matches and are there to answer questions that participants may have regarding Intramurals. The supervisors can be identified by the FSU IM shirt or sweatshirt they will be wearing. FSU IM supervisors are veteran officials or trained tournament personnel who have complete authority to make decisions regarding problems or special situations. Supervisors have been selected for their knowledge of intramural sports regulations and rules, maturity, professionalism and a sincere interest in intramural sports.

8. Additional information regarding sportsmanship may be obtained from the Intramural Sports office or online at the FSU Campus Recreation web site.