According to USA Volleyball, 998 million people around the world play volleyball, making it the world's most played sport. Nearly a half-million of those players competed at the American high school level in 2009-2010. The highest levels of volleyball competition -- high school, collegiate and international -- utilize similar rules of play. Some slight changes in rules interpretations, as well as playing surface and equipment, are among the differences.
Playing Area
American high schools sometimes do not have vast resources for dedicated volleyball courts. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) requires for multipurpose gymnasiums six feet of unobstructed space around the court, which must be a flat and smooth surface. The National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) rules requires at least 6 feet, 6 inches of space, allowing for out of bounds areas to be recessed by one-half inch. USA Volleyball, which employs international rules, requires an unobstructed area around the court. Overhead, the NFHS recommends at least 23 feet of space floor and ceiling to allow balls hit at a high angle to move freely. Gymnasiums at older high schools may not have that clearance, which is why the NFHS does not require a specific overhead clearance and allows any balls that strike the ceiling to remain in play. The NCAA and international rule books have greater restrictions. For college, 25-foot ceilings are required for facilities built after 2006, while tournaments sponsored by national federations need a ceiling of at least 23 feet.
Team Regulations
Each team must designate a captain from among the players starting the set. Teams must select a new captain if that player leaves the court. International rules prohibit the libero -- a specialized defensive player -- from being the captain. International rules are the only ones to cap team rosters, limiting teams to 15 players and five coaches. All three levels require teams to dress in similarly colored uniforms, except for the libero who wears a contrasting color. Each level has different rules regarding where a player's number is placed. High school jersey numbers must appear on the upper right, no more than five inches below the shoulder seam, and on the center of the back. In college, the number must appear on the center of the back. If a number appears on the front, it must be centered or follow the same five-inch rule as high school. International uniform rules restrict jersey numbers to the center of the jersey's front.
Substitutions
Volleyball coaches substitute players based on their spot in the court rotation. Shorter backline players will often sub out before reaching frontline positions, which require greater height for blocking. Likewise, frontline players will change out to avoid playing a backline position that requires greater agility. Teams in high school are permitted 18 substitutions per set, while collegiate and international play caps substitutions at 12. Coaches or team captains can request substitutes to the referee, who initiates the process. Players can change in when the ball has gone dead, but teams can only make one request to substitute players per stoppage. College teams have unlimited substitution requests during a stoppage. This extends to timeouts, as well. In high school, players can switch in during a timeout while other levels restrict substitutions to the end of the break.
Scoring and Match Length
Volleyball matches governed by the NFHS, NCAA and international rules play using "rally scoring," where every ball that touches the court inbounds is scored. In high school and college, the winning team takes three of the match's five sets. Some states allow high schools to play a best two-out-of- three series. In traditional three-out-of-five matches, a set is won when the first team reaches at least 25 points with a minimum two-point margin of victory. If a fifth set is necessary, teams play until the first team scores at least 15 points with a two-point minimum margin. In two-out-of-three high school matches, all sets can play until 25. International rules accommodate the two-of-three and three-of-five formats, depending on rules set by the tournament organization.
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