Most everyone is familiar with volleyball, a popular indoor or outdoor sport featuring two teams hitting a ball over a tall net in an effort to score points. While similar in name and spirit, wallyball places a unique twist on traditional volleyball, making it a thrilling sport all its own. The two games have many distinct differences.
Court
The most obvious difference between volleyball and wallyball is the playing court. A standard volleyball court measures 60 by 30 feet, while a regulation wallyball court measures only 40 by 20 feet. Wallyball games typically compete on a racquetball court, with the net stretched from wall to wall across the court's midpoint. In both sports, the top of the net measures roughly 8 feet high for men's competition and about 7 feet 4 for women's.
Ball
A regulation wallyball must weigh between 9 and 10 oz. and measure between 25 and 27 inches in circumference. While roughly the same size as a standard volleyball, a wallyball possesses more of a latex outer surface, making it similar in texture to a racquetball.
Players
An official indoor volleyball game features six players on each team. Because of the smaller court surface, wallyball teams consist of fewer players. Depending on individual league rules, wallyball teams might have two, three or four players per team.
Scoring
Volleyball can utilize service scoring, in which only the serving team earns points, or rally scoring, in which a point is earned after every rally regardless of service. Wallyball uses a combination of both scoring systems. Wallyball games begin in rally scoring and continue that way until one team reaches the freeze point, which is 3 points shy of the predetermined winning score. Once a team reaches the freeze point, only the serving team can earn points.
Out of Bounds
In volleyball, any ball landing beyond the court's designated boundaries qualifies as out of bounds and ends the rally. Despite competing on an enclosed court, wallyball also has rules governing out of bounds. According to wallyball's standard regulations, any serve, volley or block that strikes the ceiling while going over the net or strikes the opponent's back wall is considered out of bounds and ends the rally. Rules also state that any ball that strikes two consecutive walls is out of bounds.
Considerations
Wallyball's out of bounds rules in respect to the ceiling and the back wall only govern offensive shots. A team may hit the ball off its own ceiling or its own back wall in an effort to retain possession or pass to a teammate. A player may even intentionally strike the ball off his own back wall to drive it over the net, provided the ball doesn't contact a side wall and violate the two-wall stipulation.
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