ASI Intramural Sand Volleyball Rules

  1. The Game
    1. Start Time
      1. Game time is forfeit time. If the minimum number of players is not present at game time, the game will be forfeited. All players must check in with the ASI Intramural Sports supervisor or officials before the game with their PolyCard; non-students can check in with a valid photo ID. Please refer to the ASI Intramural Sports Handbook for the forfeit policy description.
    2. The Players
      1. 2×2 shall be played by two teams of two players. Two players are required at the start of
        game time to avoid a forfeit.

        1. If a team has one or fewer players at game time, that team will be assessed a forfeit fee.
      2. 4×4 shall be played by two teams of four players. Three players are required at the start of the game time to avoid a forfeit.
        1. If a team has two or fewer players at game time, that team will be assessed a forfeit fee.
      3. If at any time during the game a team has fewer than the minimum eligible players, the game is over.
    3. Manager Meeting
      1. Pre-Game Managers Meeting
        1.  Prior to the start of the game, a meeting between the two team managers and the official will take place at the official’s stand. They will discuss rules and regulations which the manager must relay back to the team.
        2. Team managers will play rock, paper, scissors to determine who gets to choose serve or side. The winner has two options: to serve or to receive and choose side. The other manager then has the next choice.
      2. Between Set Managers Meeting
        1. In between sets, a meeting between the team managers and the officials will take place. They will discuss the flow of the game and any changes to the style of officiating for the second set.
      3. Third Set Managers Meeting
        1. If a third set is required, captains will play rock, paper, scissors to determine choice of serve or receive and side.
    4. Team Spokesperson
      1. The team manager is the only person who may address the official and is the spokesperson for the team.
    5. The Court
      1. Games will take place at the outdoor sand volleyball courts at the Cal Poly Recreation Center.
      2. To ensure the safety of participants and staff, the maximum capacity for each team, including spectators, is 15 people. Only during playoffs may this number be exceeded at the discretion of the supervisor.
      3. ASI Recreational Sports staff reserves the right to stop a game if any team exceeds this capacity.
    6. Player Restrictions
      1. Participants may only play on one team per gender league (e.g., one Men’s or Women’s League and one Co-Rec League). If a gender league folds due to an insufficient number of teams or is not offered, the participant will be allowed to play on two co-rec teams in separate divisions. This is the only time a player may play in multiple divisions within a sport (e.g., Men’s D2 and Men’s D3, or Co-Rec D2 and Co-Rec D3).
      2. If an Interfraternity Council (IFC) Division is offered, men may play in either the IFC or Men’s Division, but not both. If a Panhellenic (PHA) League is offered, women may play in either the Panhellenic or Women’s Division, but not both.
      3. Club sport players are only allowed to play in Division 1 unless the highest division offered is Division 2. There may only be two club players on the court at a time, but there is no limit to the number of club players on a team.
      4. Intercollegiate athletes may not participate in a sport similar to their Cal Poly sport until a minimum of three academic quarters (not including summer) after they have been removed from that sport’s active roster. They are however, eligible to play an intramural sport dissimilar to the sport they play for Cal Poly.
  2. Equipment/Dress Code
    1. Uniform
      1. The home team wears white and the away team wears black.
      2. Players must check their schedules on IM Leagues to know which color shirt to wear. If there is any doubt, bring both colors.
      3. A player with blood anywhere on their uniform will be instructed to leave the game until the uniform has been changed or approved after an evaluation by an ASI Intramural Sports supervisor or an ASI facility supervisor.
    2. Dress Code
      1. Athletic attire must be worn at all times during play.
      2. Hats and sunglasses are allowed during play.
      3. Intramural officials can remove a player for improper dress code at their discretion.
    3. Jewelry
      1. Jewelry is not permitted; players must remove all jewelry before the start of a game.
  3. Co-Rec Rules
    1. All co-rec games must abide by the N+1 rule: There may only be a difference of one between the number of men and women players on the court at a time. A co-rec team which does not have at least one player of each gender ready at game time will forfeit the game.
      1. If an injury is to occur during the game and a team does not have the personnel to continue to abide by the N+1 rule, that team may continue to play with the players already on the field. They may not, however, bring in a player that would further imbalance the N+1 rule.
    2. The serving order and positions on the court at service shall be an alternation of men and women or vice-versa.
    3. When the ball is played three times by a team, both genders must come in contact with the ball.
    4. When only one male player is in the front row at service, one male back row player may be forward of the attack line for the purpose of blocking only.
    5. Co-Rec Dead Ball Exception
      1. The ball is called dead when service does not alternate between male and female players.
  4. Fouls and Penalties
    1. Spectators
      1.  Spectators who interfere with the court or play are subject to ejection from the Recreation Center.
      2. Teams are responsible for their spectators. Poor spectator behavior may cause a team to receive a “minus” behavior rating.
    2. Zero Tolerance Policy
      1. Alcohol and drugs are not allowed at ASI Intramural Sports games. If a player or fan is under the influence, they will be ejected immediately and disciplinary action may follow. If an ASI Intramural Sports supervisor feels that there is a threat to participant safety or suspects that a team might be under the influence, they are required to stop the game immediately. If there is no proof of substance use, the game will be rescheduled for another time.
  5. Sand Volleyball Rules
    1. Game Length
      1. A team must win two out of three games, each to twenty-one points by rally scoring, to win a match.
    2. Scoring
      1. A game is won when a team scores 21 points and has a two-point advantage. The first two games will be capped at 25 points. If a third game is necessary, it will consist of rally scoring to 15 points, capped at 19 points.
    3. Substitutions
      1. Substitution of players may be made when the ball is dead or when recognized by the official.
      2. Players may not advance in the serving rotation via substitution.
      3. Players must substitute out for one rotation before substituting into the game in a position behind their previous position in the rotation.
      4. Abnormal substitutions are allowed in case of injury.
    4. Out of Bounds
      1. A volleyball court is 30 feet wide and 60 feet long; each side of the net is 30 feet by 30 feet. A 2-inch line borders the court to serve as the out-of-bounds line. Any ball that touches the line during play is still considered “in” the court. Everything else is considered out of bounds.
    5. Timeouts
      1. Each team is allowed two, thirty-second time-outs per game.
    6. Court Switches
      1. In sets one and two, teams switch side after every seven points.
      2. In set three, teams switch side after every five points.
    7. The Service
      1. A service is considered a fault when:
        1. The server is touching the service line before the ball is contacted.
        2. The served ball crosses under the net; the ball touches or crosses over the antenna.
        3. The ball touches a player on the server’s team.
        4. The ball lands outside the opponents’ playing area.
      2. The server may serve anywhere behind the back line. It is legal for the ball to touch the net then go over on a service.
    8. Change of Service
      1. The team which receives the ball for service shall rotate one position clockwise before serving.
      2. Co-rec teams must alternate between male and female serves; if there are only five players, two players of the same gender may serve consecutively.
    9. Screening
      1. At the moment of service, no members of the serving team may have any part of their hand(s) above the height of the head or move their hands side to side for the purpose of screening the server’s view.
    10. Dead Ball
      1. A live ball becomes dead when:
        1. The ball touches an antenna or the net outside the antenna.
        2. The ball does not cross the net completely upon service or third contact.
        3. The ball hits the sand.
        4. The ball contacts any of the surroundings that are not part of the outlined playing environment.
        5. A player commits a serving error.
        6. The same player contacts the ball twice.
        7. The ball is hit four times before going over the net.
        8. A player makes contact with the live part of the net.
        9. A player interferes with the opponent’s play of the ball.
        10. A double hit is called; a lift is called.
        11. An illegal back row attack is called.
        12. A player and/or ball crosses into another court.
    11. The Net
      1. A player’s body may partially or completely pass under the net and pass into the opposing team’s court. A fault is committed when the player interferes with the opponent’s play on the ball.
        1. An interference results in a side-out point in favor of the hindered team.
    12. Replay
      1. When a ball from another court comes onto a court in progress, play is stopped, no point is awarded, and the call is a replay.
    13. Contact
      1. Each team is allowed a maximum of three successive contacts of the ball in order to return the ball over the net onto the opponent’s side; a block is not considered a contact.
      2. The ball may be hit with any part of the body.
      3. When contacting the ball with one hand, the ball must be hit:
        1. With the heel or palm of the hand (roll shot).
        2. With locked fingertips.
        3. With knurled fingers.
        4. With the back of the hand.
    14. Illegal Contact
      1. A player may have successive contact with the ball on a team’s first contact without the use of the fingers to redirect the ball.
      2. On a hard-driven ball, contact with the fingers is permitted and considered a set.
      3. A double hit occurs when two successive contacts are made by the same player. To the discretion of the official, a set is considered a double when the ball is not simultaneously contacted with both hands, made evident by excessive rotation of the ball after contact.
      4. Redirection of the ball with the fingers or prolonged palm contact in a non-athletic play is considered a lift.
    15. Successive Contacts
      1. Players may have successive contacts with the ball during a block and during a single attempt to make the first team hit of a hard driven ball coming from the opponents.
      2. Any other player committing successive contacts with the ball will be called for a double hit.
    16. Blocking
      1. Any player on the court may participate in a block.
      2. Any player participating in a block shall have the right to make the next contact, such contact counts as the first of three hits allowed for the team.
    17. Rotation
      1. Teams with four players will follow a 2×2 rotation.