PentaSport Volleyball League – Rules

Updated December 15, 2025

•• Rules For Pentasport Volleyball League (Co-ed 6’s): To be eligible for playoffs, participants must play in at least 1 regular season games for their team. Team captains and their teams are expected to referee their own games accordingly and responsibly. Unlike Pentasport Multi-sport, there are no League Reps. If issues arise, team captains are expected to resolve it swiftly and fairly.••

A. GENERAL

A.1 Teams are advised to be at the courts 10 minutes before the round.

A.2 Teams are comprised of 6 players on the court, with a minimum of 2 players of each gender on the floor at all times. At minimum, a team must field at least 4 players (and field two ghost players). If only 1 player of either gender is present, the team must play with one less player and follow the ghost rule detailed below; if there are no players of either gender, the team will automatically forfeit the game.

A.3 Teams must act as if there were 6 players at all times. If a team cannot field 6 rostered players, the positions for the missing players shall be filled by “ghost”. Teams may have up to 2 ghost players. The ghost(s) must be assigned a position at the start of the game. Once a rostered player arrives, they may sub in for the ghost before the next serve. When a ghost arrives at service, the team with the serving ghost will receive a side-out, and the other team will receive 1 point along with the next serve. If the ghost is in the front row, the team must play with a maximum of two front-row players. 

• • Teams are permitted to use ONE substitute player from another team within their own tier.
    • This is limited to a maximum of two times throughout the entire regular season.
    • No substitute players are allowed during the playoffs.

A.4 Matches consist of 2 sets format, played to 25 points. All scoring is rally point, win by 2 points, capped at 27 points. In the event the final game is tied when time expires, one final point will be played to determine the winner of the set. Should each team win one set, points differential will be used to determine the winner of the game.

A.5 Each week, teams are scheduled to play for up to 90 minutes. Each team will play 2 other opponents allocating approximately 45 minutes for each round of games. Time is to be kept by each team.

A.6 Team captains and players are required to self-officiate and call their own fouls.

A.7 Net height is set to junior boy’s height.

B. GAME PLAY

B.1 Team captains will rock-paper-scissors or spin for serve prior to the game and for the 3rd set – with the winner choosing whether to begin with the serve of the ball or which side of the court to play on. The other team will select from the remaining option. 

B.2 Between sets, teams will alternate for first serve and side of the court.

B.3 Players must rotate positions as well as serve with each side-out. This includes rotating after the first serve.

B.4 Teams are only allowed to substitute one player at a time, with the exception of an injury.

B.5 Teams may choose to use one of two substitution methods:

• • Rotation-Based: Substitutions only allowed in the back middle position.
  • Position-Based: Players can be substituted for specific positions
    • When Player A is replaced by Player B:
      • Either Player A or B can be on court, but not both
      • They can only play in their designated position
      • Multiple substitutions between A and B are allowed within a set
      • No other player can substitute into this position

B.6 All balls must be hit cleanly — this means players may not scoop, hold, or carry the ball.

B.7 If a player blocks an attacking ball and the ball comes onto their own team’s side, the block does not count as a hit towards the three-hit limit. Blocks on an attacking ball may be a double hit, only for the player who makes the initial block.

B.8 A ball that lands on or touches the indicated sidelines of the court will be considered in play. A ball that lands outside the lines or into another court, or contacts any object not in the field of play (such as wall, ceiling, spectator, etc.), is considered out.

B.9 The ball can hit any part of the body.

B.10 When the ball crosses over the net, it must be between the sidelines and/or not touch the volleyball antennas. Otherwise, it will be considered out of play.

C. RE-TIERING

Re-tiering allows for fair and enjoyable competition while encouraging skill development. 

For seasons where there are multiple tiers:

C.1 Re-tiering may occur any time before week 4 of the regular season.

C.2 Any number of teams may be moved and depends on various circumstances, such as team performance record and overall skill level of players.

C.3 Implementation

1. 1. Teams will be notified of tier changes one week before implementation.
   2. All tier changes are final once announced.
   3. Affected tiers will have their regular season points reset.

D. RULES / INFRACTIONS

D.1 Players cannot touch the net with any part of the body while the ball is in play. If the ball is driven into the net with such force that it causes the net to contact an opposing player, no infraction will be called, and the ball will remain in play.

D.2 If a back-row player is in front of the attack line and plays the ball over the net, they must contact the ball below the height of the net.

D.3 A served ball may not be blocked or attacked directly back over the net.

D.4 Male players may not block a female player on an attacking hit, unless agreed upon by the Captains prior to the start of the match. This includes an attempted block — or as an act of intimidation — which is defined as a player jumping with one or both hands extended beyond the top of the volleyball net.

D.5 Players may not interfere with the other team or hinder play on the other side of the court, such as making contact under the net. For the safety of everyone, players are not allowed to have their full foot on the other side of the net. Any form of contact made under the net on the other side of the court results in an infraction and an automatic point for the opposing team.

D.6 When serving a ball, a player may not touch the lines or inside the court before making the last contact with the ball. When serving a ball, a player may not touch the lines or inside the court before making the last contact with the ball. However, leeway for one step into the court is provided for gyms where space between the wall and serving line is limited.

• • For games at VCS: The player serving must be visible to the opposing team while serving (i.e. the hallway/doorway should not be used for a run-up).

E. PLAYOFF RULES

E.1 Standings: If teams are tied in regular season points, the following tiebreakers will be used to determine final regular season standings:

1. 1. 1. Total wins
      2. Spirit points
      3. Head-to-head record
      4. Games For/Against differential

E.2 Playoff games will be played as a best of 3 or 5 sets format.

• • Best of 3 Sets Format: 
    • Sets played to 21 points (first two sets) and 11 points (final set)
    • Rally point scoring
    • Win by 2 points, with caps at 23 (first two sets) and 13 (final set)
    • Teams switch sides once a team reaches 6 points in the third set
    • Match ends when a team wins 2 sets or time expires
  • Best of 5 Sets Format: 
    • Sets played to 21 points (first four sets) and 11 points (final set)
    • Rally point scoring
    • Win by 2 points, with caps at 23 (first four sets) and 13 (final set)
    • Teams switch sides once a team reaches 6 points in the fifth set
    • Match ends when a team wins 3 sets or time expires

E.3 Time Expiry Rules

• • During Regular Sets
    • Team leading when time expires wins the set
    • If sets are tied, combined score of all sets determines the winner
  • Before Reaching Tiebreaker Set
    • Combined score from completed sets determines the winner
  • During Tiebreaker Set (3rd or 5th set)
    • At least one team must reach 5 points for the set to count
    • If neither team has 5 points, combined score of all sets determine the winner
  • Tied Combine Score
    • If combined score is tied when time expires  (i.e. when timer stops ringing), one final point decides the winner