Colorado Association of Recreational Athletics (CARA) Youth Volleyball Rules

Divisions:

2nd-4th Grade
5th-6th Grade
7th-8th Grade
High School (9th-12th Grade)
- Advanced 7th-8th grade teams may play in the high school division.

Rosters:

All divisions play with 6 players on the court. There must be a minimum of 4 players to avoid a forfeit.
Maximum of 12 players on a roster, unless approved by the CARA Volleyball Committee.
Players may only be on one roster for one team and cannot play in any other division.
Teams are not allowed to share players between different teams during a game day or tournament.
Players must be enrolled in school at or below the maximum grade level for their division. However, players are allowed to participate in older divisions.
Coaches should have rosters available at tournaments. Please have names and date of birth available on the roster.
Roster changes may not be made after the 4th week of the regular season.

Regular Season Game Day Formats:

Game day and match formats may vary depending on the location, number of teams, time constraints, etc. Host locations are responsible for setting the format and communicating it to teams.
The 2nd-4th grade division will play all games to 15 with a cap of 17.
The 5th-6th, 7th/8th, and high school divisions will play all games to 21 with a cap of 23.
All divisions will use rally scoring.
Teams must win by 2 unless they have reached the cap.

Pre-Match and Post-Match Ritual:

All divisions will begin each match by lining up on the end line of their side.
The official will blow the whistle and each team will follow their sideline to the net.
Each player and coach are required to slap hands under the net and say “good luck” to every other player and coach.
At the end of each match, teams will repeat this ritual and say, “good game.”
Teams and players refusing to practice good sportsmanship will be reported.

State Tournament Information:

Teams must play a minimum of 1 regular season game day to qualify for the state tournament.
Teams may be separated into multiple brackets based on regular season game days.
Each team will play 1-4 matches in the tournament.

Practice:

Teams are permitted to initiate practice sessions at their discretion before the first game day.
With the league's recreational emphasis in mind, practice time must not exceed 3 hours per week.

Uniforms:

All teams are required to wear matching shirts that display their agency logo or information.
Liberos must wear contrasting uniforms.

Officiating Duties:

All teams will be required to officiate during the regular season and at state tournaments. Teams not fulfilling their officiating duties will be fined $25 per match.
Each team is required to provide the following:
- 1st Referee-mandatory; adults only
- 2 Line Judges-mandatory; players allowed
- Scorekeeper-mandatory; players allowed (no more than 2)
Although the official has ultimate judgment for game calls, coaches are encouraged to help move players back on serves, and accurately monitor and utilize player substitutions.
Coaches must address unruly spectators and/or parents from their team and help control the sportsmanship of everyone involved.
The head referee has elastic power over each game and rule interpretations. They may make reasonable rulings on all areas of the game and their decisions are final.
If there are concerns regarding a referee’s fairness and consistency, please address the site supervisor so they can discuss with that referee directly.

Sportsmanship:

This policy will be enforced during all tournaments and can be implemented by the Up referee and/or staff at the host facility.
If any participant, coach or spectator exhibits any kind of poor sportsmanship, they will be given one warning at the discretion of the host dependent on the severity of the violation. If they continue the behavior, they will be asked to leave the facility. Police will be involved in the removal, if necessary.
Poor sportsmanship includes but is not limited to the following:
- Yelling at or negatively addressing (cursing, name calling, etc.) any line judge, referee, coach or player for any reason.
- Disrespecting the facility, including vandalism of any kind and not picking up your trash.
- Rude gestures towards any line judge, referee, coach or player, including but not limited to not shaking an opponent’s hand after a match, spitting in your hands prior to shaking an opponent’s hand, and any other inappropriate hand signs.
- Physical contact with any line judge, referee, coach or player such as shoving, hitting, kicking or throwing things. This will result in immediate removal from the facility.
Only coaches and captains are allowed to communicate with referees, line judges, and scorekeepers. If spectators, parents and/or players have a complaint, they need to first address it after the match is completed with their own coach. The coach can determine if it is necessary to discuss things further with their agency coordinator.
Coaches demonstrating poor sportsmanship will be reported to their coordinator and the volleyball committee and will be under review and may be subject to further suspension from upcoming tournaments. If the situation calls for the coach to be ejected from the tournament, with no fault of the players on the team, a parent may continue as “coach” for the tournament to allow the team to finish without forfeit.
Players and/or spectators will be reported first to their coach and the host at the tournament. If the behavior continues, players and/or spectators will be reported to their coordinator and the volleyball committee. They will be under review and may be subject to further suspension from upcoming tournaments.

Game Play:

Any rules not specified here will follow the current National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Girls Volleyball Rulebook.
It is illegal for players to touch the net.
If any part of the body completely crosses the center line and contacts the floor, it is illegal. If the body part in question is still touching any part of the center line, there is no violation.
All divisions are allowed one 30-second time out per set.

Substitutions:

All divisions must rotate every side out.
For 2nd-4th grade and 5th-6th grade divisions, teams must substitute one player out and a new player in out of middle back each side out.
- Officials do not have to whistle in substitutes in these divisions.
- Officials can monitor playing time and hold coaches to the expectation that every player plays the same amount.
- Teams must resume play from the same rotation position where they left off in each game of the match.
The 7th-8th grade and high school divisions may sub player for player. However, all players must receive equal playing time in every match and cannot serve more often than once every 6 rotations.
- Officials can monitor playing time to make sure teams stay in rotation, and every player is receiving equal playing time.
Referees are allowed to penalize a team for making incorrect substitutions after a warning is given. This can include not subbing certain players in or out due to their skill level, having a certain player serve more often than every 6 rotations, or any other illegal substitutions.
- The penalty is a side out. One point and the ball will be awarded to the opponent.

Coed Rules:

All players must rotate in and out to give equal playing time to all participants per team.
For the high school division, if the ball is touched more than once, one of the touches must be by a female player.

Passing:

A serve may be received with a forearm (bump) pass or overhead pass. Although double contact on any first ball over is legal, the ball may never be held or lifted.
Double contact is penalized when a player hits the ball twice in succession or the ball contacts various parts of his/her body in succession.
The ball may touch any part of the body. Provided that the contacts take place simultaneously.

Setting:

All divisions are encouraged to set the ball. When judging a legal or illegal set, the division should be taken into consideration.
- For the 2nd-4th grade and 5th-6th grade divisions, this should only be called an illegal set when the player contacts the ball in one body quadrant and releases the ball into a different body quadrant.
- For the 7th-8th grade division, this should only be called an illegal set when an obvious lift or double contact is present.
- For the high school division, all lifts, carries or obvious double contact should be called. This division should have relatively clean sets.

Blocking:

Blocking is encouraged for all divisions. A block must be contacted no further than a foot and a half from the net. A block is not considered to be one of the three touches allowed on each side.
A serve may not be blocked or attacked.
No backrow player may participate in a block.

Let Serve:

Let serves are allowed in all divisions and is defined as a serve that touches the net while crossing into the opponents’ court and remaining inside the boundaries of the court.

2-Hit Rule:

The 2-hit rule requires a team to hit the ball 2 times before returning it to the opponent, regardless of where the ball is hit or where the player is when they hit the ball. The 2-hit rule is in effect for grades 5-6 and 7-8. The 2-hit rule is not in effect in the following situations:
- Return of service.
- The ball is successfully blocked. The player needs to be arm’s length distance from the net when they leave the ground or contact the ball. Grades 5-6 do not have to leave the ground, but it is encouraged. Grades 7-8 must jump. The setting motion is okay for players that cannot break the plane of the net. Players must contact the ball above their head with 2 hands.
- The ball is successfully attacked at the net (arm’s length distance from the net). The ball must be contacted above the player’s head, with one hand. Grades 7-8 must jump.
- At the referee's discretion, it is evident that one hit was the only feasible play due to exceptional circumstances.

Service Run Rule:

No point is awarded when the ball changes sides due to the service run rule. This rule exists to help keep matches fun and exciting for both players and spectators. There is no catch-up rule.
Maximum consecutive serves per player:
- Grades 2-4: 3 serves
- Grades 5-6 and 7-8: 5 serves
- High School: No maximum

Libero:

Since the recreation philosophy is to encourage equal play and learning opportunities for everyone, the use of a libero and other specialized positions are not allowed in grades 2-4 and 5-6. Specialized positions may be used in grades 7-8 and high school, but all players must be allowed to try any specialized position they wish to try, and players must still receive equal playing time.
Liberos should bring a different shirt or jersey to wear for identification.
Liberos may not hand set any ball while their feet are positioned on, or in front of, the 10’ line.
The libero may not break the plane of the net to attack any ball. Liberos may not participate in any blocking action.

Serving:

All coaches are required to move players back as far as they can and still maintain success. Referees may move a player back.
This includes overhand servers who are stepping into the court for execution.
Each server has 5 seconds to complete the serve after the 1st referee blows the whistle and motions for serve.
Servers are allowed 2 total tosses for each overhand serve. They must contact the second toss, or a side out will be called.
Each division must stay behind their appropriate service line. A good rule of thumb is that if a server is serving beyond the middle of the opposing team’s defense, then the player should move back.

Foot Faults:

Foot faults will be called in the high school division only. Teams should be given a warning first, and then they will be called for the foot fault.
All other divisions should abide by their modified service lines. No foot faults will be called, but players and coaches should be notified of the foot fault and correct it for the next serve.
When a jump serve is executed, the player must take off from behind the serving boundary. The ball may be contacted inside the boundaries of the playing area.
If there is not the USAV recommended space of 6’6 ¾” space behind the service line, players may foot fault.

Re-Serve:

A re-serve shall be called when the server releases the ball for service and then catches it or drops it to the floor. The referee shall cancel the serve and direct a second and last attempt at the serve.
One re-toss is allowed for each service attempt.

Backrow Attack:

The official shall call a violation when any backrow player jumps and breaks the plane of the net while attempting to send any ball over the net, if that player was in the front zone.
Backrow players (except for the libero) may jump from behind the 10’ line and land in the front zone without a violation.

Jewelry:

Jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets and dangling earrings are not allowed.
- Exceptions: small earrings that can be covered with tape or bandage, religious medallions taped to the chest, and medical alert bracelets.
- Hair clips, bobby pins and headbands less than 2” in width are allowed.