RULING SITUATIONS 

COURT AREA AND EQUIPMENT:
Situation: The referee and visiting coed doubles teams arrive at the match site and discover a sagging net that is less than eight (8) feet above the floor.
Ruling: The match shall be conducted.
Comment: Every effort should be made by the host team or Tournament Director to make the sagging net legal, but neither the visiting team nor the referee may cancel the match.
Situation: Team A, on their second play, hits the ball between the side wall and the edge of the net.
Ruling: Replay is called.
Comment: On the first or second hit, a replay is called bythe referee, on the third hit a sideout or point is awarded to Team B 

POINT:
Situation: Team A has just received their ninth (9) point and with the next service, Team A loses and a side-out is call.  Team B receives one point and their score is frozen giving Team B twelve (12) points.  Team B loses service and side-out is called.  Team A receives one point and their score is now frozen giving Team A ten (10) points.  Team A loses service and side-out is called.  Team B does not receive a point for side-out.
Ruling: Team A and Team B can only score points during side-outs before their scores are frozen, after which points must be earned by winning the service.

GAME POINT:
Situation: Team A has just served their fifteenth (15) point with the score resulting in Team A fifteen (15), Team B fourteen (14).
Ruling: Team A must score one more point to be declared winner of the game..
Comment: Play shall continue until one team has a two (2) point advantage and a minimum of fifteen (15) points.

TIME-OUTS:
Situation: During a volley a player from Team A:
a.     Loses a contact lens.
b.     Breaks a knee brace.
c.     Hits a ball that shatters a light fixture over either Teams side.
Ruling: In (a), (b) and (c) the referee will call for time-out to make repairs.  This would not be charged to either team.  After repairs and corrections are made the referee shall declare a replay.
Comment: At all times the player's safety is the primary importance.

NUMBER OF TIME-OUTS:
Situation: Team A calls it's second time-out and after twenty (20) seconds Team A terminates the time-out period before the sixty (60) second time-out had expired.  Team B decides not to resume play until the entire sixty (60) second time-out has expired.
Ruling: Illegal.  Team B must return to play after Team A terminates it’s time-out.
Comment: If Team B did not return to play immediately after Team A terminated it’s time-out.  The Team B would be at fault and the referee could penalize Team B with rule “3.10 DELAYING THE GAME”.

FAILURE TO RETURN TO GAME AFTER TIME-OUT EXPIRES:
Situation: Team B calls it's first time-out and after the sixty second time out expired the referee charged Team B with and additional sixty (60) second Time-out.
Ruling: The referee should call a delay of game on Team B.  Team B did not return to the game immediately after the signal ending the first time-out, therefore Team B was sanctioned with a delay of game.
Comment: If Team B was calling it’s second time-out and did not return to the game immediately after the signal ending the second time-out, Team B would be penalized with a side-out, if Team B was in position of serve  Team A would receive a point if it was in position of serve.

CONSECUTIVE TIME-OUTS:
Situation: Team A requires a two (2) minute time-out to go over a defensive move..
Ruling: Legal.  Team A is then charged with two (2) time-out periods.
Comment: If Team A was already charged with a time-out during that game, then point or side-out is awarded Team B for delay of game by Team A.

INJURY TIME-OUTS:
Situation: A player on Team B injures her ankle, the referee interrupts play.  Team B’s player is ready to play:
a.) Within five (5) minutes.
b.) After five (5) minutes.
Ruling: Both (a) and (b) are legal.  (a) No time-out is charged; (b) a time-out is charged Team B.
Comment: If the coach realizes the player will not be able to play within the five (5) minute time allotment, he must substitute to avoid the charged time-out.

RULES OF PLAY:
Situation: Team A discovers an error in their service order after the line-ups have been verified by the referee but before the start of the games.
Ruling: Illegal.  No changes can be made once the line-ups are officially verified.

CHOICE OF COURT SIDE OR SERVICE IN A DECIDING GAME:
Situation: Team A and Team B split, and each has one win, the referee calls the captains for the coin toss to decide choice.  Team A wins the toss and takes the choice of side, giving Team B the first service.
Ruling: Legal.  All deciding games in a match, must be have a coin toss to decide which team will choose side or service.
Comment: In the case a coin is unavailable any fair deciding method acceptable by the Tournament/League Director or the two play team captains may be substituted.

INTERRUPTIONS IN PLAY :
Situation: A substitute player from Team A accidentally drops a knee pad down onto the playing court from the viewing area above, during a very important play.
Ruling: Replay.
Comment: Play shall stop immediately, object removed from the court, therefore, no apparent danger to players.

TIME BETWEEN GAMES AND DELAYING THE GAME:
Situation: Following the first game, Team A returns to the floor and is ready to play after 30 seconds has elapsed.  Team B is not in position to play until:
a)  One (1) minute has expired.
b)  Two (2) minutes have expired.
c)  Two (2) minutes and five seconds have expired.
Ruling: Both (a) and (b) are legal, but (c) is unnecessary and a delay of game by Team B.
Comment: If both teams are ready, the referee may begin play before two (2) minutes have elapsed between games.  In situation 3, a time-out is assessed Team B with only one time-out remaining during that game.

CEILING IN PLAY OR IN BOUNDS:
Situation: On their third hit, Team B sends the ball into the spectators' gallery..
Ruling: Point or side-out will be called.
Situation: On their second play, Team B hits the ceiling during a volley to the opponent before leaving the court area.
Ruling: Point or side-out will be called.
Comment: The ball hitting the ceiling during a volley to the opponent is out-of-bounds.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS:
Situation: In  four (4) person coed play, due to an injury, a team is forced to play with one (1) woman and two (2) men.  During a play, the two (2) men with two (2) hits send the ball across the net.
Ruling: Illegal.  Even though the team is forced to play with one (1) woman, the four (4) person coed rules still pertain.

IN FOUR PERSON PLAY:
Situation: Team A is serving.  The player on Team A makes the first play, a teammate sets the ball and the server spikes the ball over the net to the floor.
Ruling: Illegal.  The server cannot block or spike the ball.

REFEREE AND HIS DUTIES:
Situation: After Team A scores a point, it is brought to the attention of the referee, by the captain of Team B, that during a rally a player from Team A touched the net during an attempted block.
Ruling: Even though it is illegal the foul was not seen by the referee, so no penalty shall be assessed.  The point stands.
Situation: The referee notices the captain of Team B requests to have the serving order checked several times during the game.
Ruling: Legal.  It is the captain’s right to check serving order.
Comment: The referee may refuse on the basis he/she thinks Team B is doing this to interfere with the momentum of Team A, or Team B’s using this as an additional time-out to plan game strategy.

PRELIMINARY SERVICE ACTION :
Situation: The server is acknowledged with the score from the referee.  The server, bounces the ball two (2) times and then lightly the server tosses the ball in the air to serve.
Ruling: Legal, as long as the server executes the serve within five (5) seconds..
Situation: The server is acknowledged with the score from the referee.  The server tosses the ball and decides it is not a good toss.  The server catches the ball, bounces it two (2) times and tosses the ball the second time prior to the serve.
Ruling: Illegal, the moment the ball is caught after the first toss, there is a service fault and point or side-out is called.
Comment: After the ball is tossed, the next contact is the service action.

PLAYER CONTACT WITH THE NET :
Situation: In an attempt to block the ball, a player's shoulder on Team B hits the net.  The net was pushed into the player from Team B by a shot from Team A.
Ruling: Legal.  The net contact with the player’s body was due to the ball driven with such force that it caused the net to touch the player.

REACHING OVER THE NET :
Situation: A player on Team A reaches over the net to execute a block.
Ruling: Legal.
Comment: Players attempting a block may reach across the net but shall not contact the ball until an opponent strikes the ball in an attempt to send it back into the opponent's court.

BALL CROSSING THE VERTICAL PLANE OF THE NET :
Situation: Team A’s second play has caused the ball to have passed partially under the net, when it is interfered with unintentionally by Team B.  Team A is attempting to play the ball a third time.
Ruling: Illegal, net foul if  is called, interference on Team B.

BALL DIRECTLY ABOVE THE VERTICAL PLANE OF THE NET :
Situation: On Team B’s second hit a player sets the ball directly above the net allowing Team A’s player to spike the ball to the floor.
Ruling: Legal.  A ball directly above the vertical plane of the net may be played by either team.

SUCCESSIVE CONTACT WITH THE BALL BY A PLAYER :
Situation: A player on Team A saves a spiked ball so it deflects off her hand to her biceps and shoulder..
Ruling: Legal.  Successive contact is permitted when recovering a hard driven spike..
Situation: A player on Team A spikes the ball.  it is deflected by a player on Team B and saved by another player on Team B who allows the ball to deflect from hand to shoulder..
Ruling: Illegal, double hit is called.
Comment: Multiple contacts by the player in an attempt to save the spike is permitted only if it is the first play for the player’s team.

SIMULTANEOUS CONTACT WITH THE BALL BY BLOCKER :
Situation: A player blocks a ball, then hits it again to their teammate, who sets it back to another teammate, who then spikes the ball.
Ruling: Legal.  The play was executed with three (3) hits.

DOUBLE FAULT :
Situation: A player on Team A spikes the ball, but at the instant the ball hits the floor on Team B’s side of the court, the spiker contacts the net.
Ruling: Double fault.  The referee shall call a replay.
Comment: Team B’s failure to return the ball is a foul, as is the net foul by the player,  Because they occur at the same instant, the proper call is double fault.

DURING PLAY FAULTS :
Situation: A player on Team B sets the serve with an open hand finger set to a teammate who then spikes the ball across the net.
Ruling: Illegal. A player cannot receive the serve with an open hand finger set to set the serve.

COED PLAY:
Situation: In the first game of a coed match, Team A loses a female player due to an injury.  There is no substitution..
Ruling: Team A is permitted to finish the match, but must still abide by the rules governing coed play.