RULES OF PLAY

PRE-GAME TOSS: A coin toss shall be made before the start of the first game of a match by the referee between the two (2) team captains.

PRE-GAME WARM-UP: Warm-up periods of three (3) minutes will be allotted each team, either on the playing court or at another designated site to be determined by the referee.  If both teams warm-up on the playing court at the same time, the referee will allow 6 minutes for the warm-up.  At the end of the warm-up period the referee shall sound the whistle to indicate play to begin.  Once line-ups are verified, no changes can be made.  Any corrections made by players due to error in preparing their line-up sheets shall be refused.

START OF GAME: The referee shall direct play to begin by calling the score to beckon the service to begin.

CHOICE OF COURT SIDE OR SERVICE: The referee shall toss a coin between the team captains for choice of side or service.  The winner of the coin toss shall choose to serve first or chose which side of the court his team shall play on during the first game of the match.  The loser of the coin toss chooses the remaining option.  The team not serving first the first game shall serve first in the second game.

CHOICE OF COURT SIDE OR SERVICE IN A DECIDING GAME: The referee shall toss a coin between the team captains for choice of side or service.  The winner of the coin toss shall choose to serve first or which side of the court his team shall pay on during the deciding game.  Both teams shall change sides after one team score's eight (8) points (in 15 point games) in the deciding game.  Service shall continue with the same server and all other team members shall resume the same positions they were in before the change of sides took place.

CHANGE OF PLAYING AREAS BETWEEN GAMES: Except for a deciding game, team players will change sides after each game of the match.

TIME BETWEEN GAMES:  The Changing playing areas and substitutions shall take place between games and should be made with a minimum of delay.  Two (2) minutes shall be allotted between the first and second game of a match.  Between the second and third games, five (5) minutes will be allotted.  No extra time shall be allotted for changing sides.

INTERRUPTIONS OF PLAY: Play shall stop immediately in the event of injury or an object thrown on the playing court that might endanger a player’s safety.  When an interruption occurs, the point shall be replayed.

MATCH INTERRUPTIONS: If a match cannot be finished due to insufficient time or equipment failure the following shall apply:
If the game can be resumed at a later time, any points scored before the interruption shall count and the teams shall              continue the game under the same conditions that existed before the interruption.
Any completed games of a match shall count.

OUT OF BOUNDS: The ball shall be called out-of-bounds whenever it hits the ceiling, back wall on the opponent’s side or two or more walls consecutively on a serve, volley or block.

BACK WALL IN PLAY OR IN BOUNDS: The back wall is playable only on the side of the team that is returning the serve or volley, provided a player on that team touches the ball first.

CEILING IN PLAY OR IN BOUNDS: The ceiling is in bounds only on the side of the team that is returning the serve or volley, provided a player on that team touches the ball first.

HITTING THE BALL OUT OF THE COURT AREA: Any time the ball is hit outside the court area into the spectator’s gallery or an adjacent court on the first or second hit or volley (legally), the ball shall be declared dead and the point replayed.  No loss of point or serve will be called.  However, if the ball is hit into the spectator’s gallery on the third hit or volley, a point or side-out will be called.  If the ball touches the opponent’s ceiling before leaving the court area, the ball will be called out of bounds and a side-out declared (loss of point or serve.)