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Volleyball
Updated Jan. 23, 2012
Section 1. PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENT
1.1 - All member institutions fielding in volleyball shall agree to participate for the championship.
1.2 - The visiting (or traveling) conference team roster size is limited to 12 players for the sport of women's volleyball, except in pod (Pod is defined as geographic region; i.e. Hawai, SF Bay, or Southwest.) Travel roster within a pod is unlimited. The travel limit applies only to the number of who persons who suit up for a game. Travel parties are not limited. Players who travel, but who are not in uniform, are allowed to sit on the team bench during the game. There is no limit to the amount of players who may dress for home teams. (Updated August 18, 2011)
Section 2. SCHEDULE
2.1 All member institutions shall observe the NCAA starting date for pre-season practice regardless of geographic location. No geographic exceptions are allowed. (Updated October 2010)
2.2 - All season schedules must be finalized by June 1 each year. Copies of the finalized schedules must be submitted in writing to the following: (1) Conference Information Director and (2) Conference Commissioner. Conference schedules are the responsibility of the conference office and must be approved by a vote of the athletic directors.
2.3 - Once submitted, schedules may be altered only by mutual agreement of coaches and appropriate athletic administrators of the involved institutions and with the approval of the Conference Commissioner.
2.4 - The master conference schedule will be kept on file at the Commissioner's office.
Section 3. NCAA REGIONAL TOURNAMENT REPRESENTATION
3.1 - The conference champion shall be designated as the winner of the conference regular season schedule. In the case of a tie for first place in the conference standings, the winner of the head-to-head competition between the tying teams shall be declared conference champion. In all other cases, or in the case that a tie is not broken in head-to-head competition, co-champions shall be declared. (EFFECTIVE STARTING 2012-13.).
The automatic bid priority goes to:
- Conference champion
- If tie, head to head record
- If tie, then win-loss record against opponents in descending order of finish until tie broken
- If still tie, then highest ranked team by NCAA regional ranking committee
- If no regionally ranked team, and still tied, then a flip of the coin supervised by conference office
3.2 - In the case an NCAA-non-qualifier wins the conference title, the AQ will go to the next NCAA eligible team in conference standings (i.e. runner-up or highest-place finisher among NCAA eligible teams)
Section 4. CONTRACTS
Contracts may be agreed upon by the exchange of emails with opposing institutions by July 1 of the previous year (updated April 2010)
Section 5. CONDUCT OF PARTICIPANTS
See Bylaws, ARTICLE VIII -- CONDUCT & SANCTIONS
Section 6. PLAYING RULES
6.1 - All conference matches shall be governed by the current NCAA volleyball regulations.
6.2 - The three-ball rotation system will be used for conference competition.
6.3 - All matches will be the best three of five (3-of-5) games.
Sections 7. OFFICIALS
7.1 - Officials with a minimum of NAGWS or USAV certification at the state or national level shall be employed for conference competition and provided by the host institution. This shall include the First Referee and the Second Referee. (If available in the university's area.) These minimum requirements shall be communicated to the local assignors.
7.2 - Certified line judges (certified by appropriate state or national organizations) will be assigned by the respective assigning organization, and will be used for all conference matches. All officials will be required to be in appropriate uniform. These requirements shall be communicated to the local assignors.
7.3 - Preferences for officials for the conference competition shall be in order of certification level (i.e. National first, State next.) These preferences shall be communicated to the local assignors. The local assignors will use their discretion in making final assignments while following conference recommendation guidelines.
7.4 - During the conference season, it is the responsibility of both coaches of each conference women's volleyball contest to complete the Officials Evaluations Form, located on the conference website.
For consistency, the same coach for each team should complete the form each week. Comments on the form are the responsibility of the head coaches, regardless if an assistant completes the form, so head coaches should approve comments before form is sent in to the conference office.
The interactive officials evaluation form can be completed directly on the conference website, and submitted via the website directly to the conference office. The forms should be completed and submitted BY THE END OF THE BUSINESS DAY, EACH MONDAY, AFTER CONFERENCE GAMES OF PREVIOUS WEEK. A grace period will be allowed for those teams traveling on Monday. (It is recommended that forms are filled out after a cooling-off period, usually 24-72 hours after a match has been played.)
Filling out and submitting evaluation forms is mandatory for all conference games during the women's volleyball season. (Updated Sept. 15, 2010)
Section 8. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES
8.1 - Any NCAA approved ball from Molten is to be used for conference games.
8.2 - The host institution shall provide at least twelve practice balls (official game) and a container for pre-game warm-up.
8.3 - An official playing court shall be used for all conference competition.
8.4 - The host institution shall be responsible for providing the following for visiting teams at all conference competition:
8.4.1. - Showers/Locker Room facility or other similar suitable facilities, if member institution has such facilities available at game site.
8.4.2 - Towels
8.4.3 - Water with drinking containers
8.4.4 - Practice balls
8.4.5 - Trainer on site a minimum of two (2) hours prior to competition
8.4.6 - Meeting room for pre-match and break between games 2 and 3
8.4.7 - A recorded video tape or DVD of the match
8.4.8 - Court access for practice time, if requested (and facilities are available to the institution).
8.4.9. - The game facility shall be open and available 90 minutes prior to the start of the match unless the facility is not controlled by the conference institution. For institutions that are not in control of own facilities, please contact them to see if adjustments are necessary. In all cases, the warm-up clock will start at 60 minutes prior to start of match (August 2009).
8.4.10. - The home team shall be the first team to be able to use the facility and court for 20 minutes. If the home team does not utilize the time, the time is forfeited and the visiting team has the facility and court available for its 20 minutes. (Updated Aug. 22, 2011)
8.4.11. - In conference matches, the home teams agree to wear light uniforms and visiting teams dark uniforms for the first match. In subsequent matches (as in matches scheduled for the next day), the teams shall make the best effort to wear contrasting uniforms. (An exemption is granted to schools that do not currently possess light-colored uniforms)
Section 9. CONDITIONS OF COMPETITION
9.1 - Match times shall be set by the host institution but will start no later than 7:30 p.m. The time may be changed by mutual consent of the athletic directors of the institutions involved and the written approval of the Commissioner. The conference office shall decide if it cannot be agreed upon. NCAA Championship match protocol should be used for all conference matches.
9.1.1 - The host coach or the event manager shall inform the visiting coach of any special events that may affect pre-match protocol. The host institution will communicate to the visiting team any promotions scheduled between games two and three. When no promotion will take place, intermission will be three minutes. (February 2011)
9.1.2 - National anthem is played.
9.1.3. - Announcer introduces the team members, visitors, then home.
9.1.4 - First referee signs the captains to the net to shake hands, followed by the other team members (counter- clockwise rotation along sideline to the net.)
9.1.5. - Floor is cleared and starters return immediately to the floor.
9.1.6 - At the conclusion of the match, players return to the end line and file counter clockwise along the sideline to the net to shake hands (as in pre-match.)
9.2 - Pre-Match Protocol (NCAA Pre-Match Protocol) (Updated Sept. 28, 2011)
The competition court must be set up and available 75 minutes before the scheduled match time. The following example is for a 7 p.m. start (the pre-match protocol start time may be adjusted by the home institution based on scheduled start time). The protocol to be followed is mandated by NCAA Rules and is as follows:
- Actual Time (Visible Clock) - Protocol
- 5:45-6:00 p.m. (75:00-60:00) - Visiting team practice*
- 6:00-6:41 p.m. (60:00-19:00) - Court available for shared warm-up
- 6:30 p.m. (30:00) - Coin Toss^
- 6:41-6:45 p.m. (19:00-15:00) - Visiting team court
- 6:45-6:49 p.m. (15:00-11:00) - Home team court
- 6:49-6:54 p.m. (11:00-6:00) - Visiting team court
- 6:54-6:59 p.m. (6:00-1:00) - Home team court
- 6:57 p.m. (3:00) - Lineups due, may be changed until 1:00 (on visible clock)
- 6:59-7:00 p.m. (1:00-0:00) - Team huddle/Announcements
- 7:00 p.m. (0:00) - Match begins with national anthem and introductions
Late Arrival - No adjustments are made to the warm-up protocol when a team arrives within 60 minutes of the match start time (i.e., when the first referee is ready to begin the match), unless the home institution has been notified that the team is delayed. If notification is given, the standard pre-match protocol should start when the delayed team arrives on the court. The shared court time period of 41 minutes may be reduced to a minimum of 10 minutes.
^Pre-Match Coin Toss - Before the start of a match, the referees conduct a coin toss near the scorekeeper’s table with a representative(s) of each team. The visiting team representative calls the toss. The winner of the toss chooses either to serve or to receive the serve for the first set.
9.2.1 - A team’s pre-match warm-up activities, including laps, are confined to its team area whenever
- Both teams are in their respective team areas
- The teams are sharing the court per the warm-up protocol
9.2.2 - When teams share the court during the pre-match warm-up period, team members may not intentionally enter or cause balls to enter the opponent’s playing area.
9.2.3 - During the pre-match warm-up, when one team has exclusive use of the court, the other team must be at its team bench or out of the playing area. If a team chooses not to use any portion of its exclusively allocated time on the court, the court remains unoccupied.
9.2.4 - During the pre-match warm-up, any nonplaying area used for warmup should be equitably available to both teams.
Section 10. STATISTICS INFORMATION
10.1 - The official NCAA Volleyball Box Score Form shall be completed by the host institution after each match. The host institution will provide the visiting team a copy of the score sheet, NCAA Box Score and official evaluation form, prior to leaving the match site, if requested.
10.2 - The host institution shall provide the Conference Sports Information Director (Preferable via FAX transmission) a copy of the official NCAA Box Score or each Conference match.
10.3 - It shall be the responsibility of each member institution to call the CID and report the results of each week's play. The CID will compile all conference statistics and submit releases.
10.4 - The host institution shall provide the Conference Sports Information Director (via email) the appropriate StatCrew game file for each game.
Section 11. VIDEO EXCHANGE AND SCOUTING REPORT POLICY
11.1 - Each conference member home team is responsible for providing a new DVD or videotape of the game to the visiting conference team immediately following the game.
11.2 - Dissemination of videos or scouting information on member institutions to non-conference institutions is not permitted by any means (e.g., tape, phone, email, written material).
11.3 - Live scouting - Live scouting is disallowed for the sport volleyball by any person representing the coaching staff of a member institution, except in a tournament where both institutions are playing. A waiver provision will be provided for parent(s) of a student-athlete who is playing in a contest. (Updated April 2010)
It is not permissible to provide DVD, film, or gametapes or any other form of scouting information to any non-member institution. (Updated April 2010)
The penalty for not providing requested gametape (via gametapeexchange) to opposing conference institution by deadlines noted is $250 for the first offense and $500 to the conference office, paid to the conference office—with funds received donated to appropriate NCAA-designated charities (such as Make A Wish). (Updated April 2010)
11.4 - All members shall utilize game tape exchange.
Each team shall upload three matches to the game tape exchange website by September 15 or five days before the team's first conference match (whichever comes first). (Updated Aug. 18, 2011).
When the conference season begins, all conference games shall be uplinked to the game tape exchange site within 24 hours after the completion of the match, or up to 48 hours after the completion of the match if the next day is a Sunday or a holiday.
The responsibility for the uplinking and downlinking rests with the coaching staff of each institution, working in compliance with their own institutional staffing. Members have been provided with contact information for game tape exchange and procedures to follow.
The penalty for failure to provide the requested tape/DVD or uplink to game tape exchange will be $250 for the first offense and $500 for the second offense, paid to the conference office.
The conference office should be notified if procedures are not being following. Athletic directors are responsible for ensuring that member institutions are providing good quality video.
(The current contact at gametape exchange is Lee Burghgraef, who can be reached at lee@gametapeexchange.com)
11.5 - Videos shot by home teams shall be shot from above, and behind the endline, and the videographer shall make every effort to include all players on the court in the shots.
Section 12. GENERAL
12.1 - All other situations not covered by these conference rules should be referred to the NCAA rules manual and handled accordingly.
