8th Grade Volleyball Rules

Volleyball is a game in which players use their hands and forearms to pass a ball over a
high net to an opponent. The word volley means to strike a ball before it hits the
ground thus the purpose of the game is to keep the ball from hitting the ground.
Court Terminology:
Sideline:
the parallel lines on each side of the court
Backline:
the line at the back of the court; where the serve occurs
Centerline: the line under the net at the center of the court
Player Terminology:
Block:
a defensive play; an attempt to keep the ball from going over the net
Bump:
an offensive play; a pass using the forearms
Positions:
3 players at the front of the court (near the net), 3 players at the back of
the court (near the backline); the server is the player at the back-right
corner
Rotation:
teams rotate clockwise one position when serving after a side-out
Set:
an offensive play; an overhead pass made with 2 hands
Serve:
an offensive play; a one-handed hit from behind the backline; a ball that
hits the net and goes over is good
Side-out:
when a foul is committed; 1 point goes to the opposing team and they get
to serve
Spike/Attack: an offensive play; a downward hit into the opponents court
Touch:
a player who makes contact with the ball
Volley:keeping the ball in play for an extended period of time
Win:
the first team to 25 points and be ahead by 2 points
Fouls:
Double Hit:

an offensive foul; when a player makes contact with the ball two times in
succession
Penalty: side-out
Excessive Hits: an offensive foul; when the team makes more than 3 touches on the ball
before sending it to the opponents court
Penalty: side-out
Illegal contact: when a player touches the net or goes over the center line
Penalty: side-out
Illegal formation: failure to rotate after gaining possession
Penalty: side-out
Out of Bounds: when the ball travels outside of the boundary lines
Penalty: side-out

Sideline

Net/Centerline
X

Backline

O
O

Back row

O
O
O

Serve line

Server

X
X

Front row

Team Sportsmanship
Play Hard
*Best effort
*Team player

Play Safe
*Use equipment properly
*Aware of others

Play Fair
*Honest
*Respectful