Intramurals
6-on-6 Volleyball League Rules
Warning: Your participation in this sport could result in physical injury, which could be serious or fatal!! Methodist University assumes no responsibility for injuries and related medical expenses received during Intramural sports activities. Students, Faculty and staff are reminded that Intramural participation is completely voluntary. It is strongly recommended that all participants have a physical examination and secure adequate medical insurance prior to participation.
Required of all participants:
1. No jewelry
2. Athletic shoes must be worn. No bare feet or flip flops.
3. Padded support braces if result of previous injury or required by a doctor
4. A student, faculty or staff I.D. will be required and checked at all games. NO I.D. - NO PLAY!!
5. Game time is forfeit time; teams must have at least 4 players present at game time to avoid a forfeit. Two forfeits will result in a team being dropped from the tournament. Any forfeiting team will be held accountable per the IM Sports Handbook.
6. Any player addressing an opponent or staff member with profanity will be ejected from that game and must meet with a professional staff member or the Assistant Director before participating again.
Player Eligibility and Check-In:
a.) All players must first register on the EZLeagues webpage, and join a team to be placed on the team roster. Players MUST be on the team roster to participate in a game. Write-ins will only be accepted their 1st day playing.
b.) All participants must be current student, staff, or faculty.
c.) Each player must check-in prior to game time and present their current MU ID card.
d.) A player must be signed-in and checked off before entering the game on the game sheet.
e.) Players are allowed to compete on any one team.
f.) Roster additions can be made at any time up until the final date for roster additions. Please check the volleyball sport page on EZLeagues for this information.
g.) Coaches: Coaches may be recognized for an intramural team, but MUST be on the team roster and also be checked off and identified by the intramural staff and its officials prior to the start of the game.
GENERAL RULES
1. A team shall consist of 6 players. A team may start with a minimum of 4 players to avoid a forfeit. Team rosters are a max of 12. You may use nomads to bring your total to 6 players. If roster players arrive then the nomad must leave the game.
2. If a team is not ready to play at the scheduled start time of the game, a forfeit will be declared. (Game time is forfeit time). Each team will be granted one sixty second timeout per game. No more than 2 minutes between games.
3. A game shall consist of 21 points. Rally scoring will be used throughout all matches where a point is awarded for every play. The third game will be played to 15 points, switching sides at 8 points. The team that wins two games out of three will determine the winner of the match. Teams must win by two points, with a cap of 29 in a game. The third game will be played to 15 points, switching sides at 8 points.
4. Matches will be 50 minutes in length. Whatever game you are in at the end of 50 minutes will be it. The score will be recorded and the match ended.
5. A coin toss before the first game will determine which team will serve to begin the match. The winner of the coin toss has the option to serve, receive, or choose a side. Service and side will alternate for the second game, with the team receiving in the first game serving to begin the second.
An additional coin toss will determine service for the third game. In the case of a third game, teams will switch sides when a team first reaches 8 points.
6. When a player comes late to a game that has already started, that player may only enter the game when moving into the serve position.
7. Substitutions will be unlimited, but only when the serve moves to your team.
SERVING AND SPIKING
1. Serving:
a. A serve must be clearly hit and not pushed or thrown.
b. Serves may be underhand or overhand. Only one re-toss may occur.
c. The ball must be served from behind the service line.
d. A service that hits any part of the net is legal and playable.
e. A serve cannot be blocked or attacked (spiked) by the receiving team.
2. Spiking / attacking and blocking:
a. Any front-line player may spike/attack or block. Teams having less than six players are still considered to have three front-line players. For four players, the player that served last is the back-line player and for five players, the last server and the player to his/her left are back-line players.
b. Back-line players may not spike/attack or block in front of the 10-foot line.
SIDE-OUT SITUATIONS
1. If a player touches a ball or a ball touches a player, it is considered as a play or hit. If players touch the ball simultaneously, it is considered as one play or hit. After teammates hit the ball at the same time, it is considered one hit and either player may play the ball again.
2. A ball touching any part of the boundary line is in-bounds. It is permissible to run out of bounds to play a ball as long as no hazards are encountered.
3. Players may step on the center line when making a play, but no part of their body may wholly cross the line.
4. Players are not permitted to hold or scoop the ball. The ball cannot visibly come to rest on the players’ hands, fingers, or any other part of the body, according to the Official’s judgment. A ball, except on a service, may be recovered from the net provided a player avoids contact with the net and does not hold or scoop the ball.
5. A player may not make successive hits of the ball, except after playing an attack and touching the ball on a block attempt.
6. Balls that hit the ceiling or any other obstruction may be played provided that the ball comes down on the side of the team that hit the ball into the obstruction and that team has another legal hit available.
Team/Individual misconduct:
· Profanity and/or any other forms of derogatory or abusive language towards officials, site supervisors, administrative staff, other participants, and spectators are unacceptable actions during participation in Intramural sports, events, and tournaments.
Ø Furthermore, physical misbehavior, such as fighting, will not be tolerated when participating in Intramural sports, events, and tournaments. All participants, thus, acknowledge that they are subject to both removal from the team/league and disciplinary action from Methodist University on any such occasion.
Ø These actions will result in immediate ejection from the game. The individual and/or team must meet with a professional staff member or the Directors before being allowed to play again.
Sportsmanship:
· The goal of MU Intramural Sports is to provide recreational environments for its participants which are safe, fun, and inclusive and further promotes teamwork, communication, integrity and healthy lifestyles. While the game environment can be competitive, ensuring player safety, providing a fun atmosphere, and promoting sportsmanlike behavior for participants, spectators, and staff are the program’s primary concerns and are the sole responsibility of its participants, spectators, and staff.
Ø Participants and spectators are expected to maintain good sportsmanship throughout their participation in MU Intramural Sports as it applies to Intramural Staff, fellow participants, team followers, and spectators.
· The team and captain(s) are responsible for the actions of the individual team members and spectators or team followers. Coaches may be recognized for an intramural team, but MUST be on the team roster and also be checked off and identified by the intramural staff and its officials prior to the start of the game.
Ø Only the recognized head team captain (1) and/or coach are permitted to speak to the officials regarding administrative matters such as protests, ejections, rule clarifications, etc. Intramural staff will only recognize these persons when communicating matters in an intramural game, and only when addressed in a civil, good-natured manner.
Ø Furthermore, it is expected of team captains and/or coaches to assist the intramural staff and its officials to calm difficult situations, restrain troubled teammates, and assist in other administrative matters as asked by the intramural staff and its officials.
Forfeits & Defaults:
· After two forfeit, teams become ineligible for playoffs. Teams are dropped from competition after three forfeits. If a team knows that they are unable to make a contest, they must notify the Intramural Office (630-7366) before 2:00 P.M. on the scheduled day of the game to not receive a forfeit charge (they will receive a loss and “3” sportsmanship).
· Teams may cancel one (1) game free of penalty if notice is given 24 hours or more in advance and with a valid, academic reason.
· For any forfeits a match differential of (21-0) will be assessed. In addition, the forfeiting team will receive a sportsmanship rating of 3.0
· For any defaults a match differential of (15-0) will be assessed. In addition, the winning team will receive a sportsmanship rating of 5.0 and losing team a 3.5.