Official Rules

Oklahoma Homeschool VB League Official Rules & Guidelines

Reason for League:

  1. To give glory to the Lord
  2. To provide a fun, competitive league for co-ed home school volleyball teams in the region.
  3. To encourage good sportsmanship
  4. To encourage Godly leadership.
  5. To encourage trust and selflessness.
  6. To encourage fellowship among the teams. We encourage complimenting opponents during matches. We do not encourage rivalries. Our purpose is to demonstrate to others that friendly competition exists while upholding Biblical conduct or at the very least good sportsmanship.
  7. We consider our league a developmental league.

Teams:

  1. Alternates can only come from a lower team. You are not allowed to move players down to play a lower team. Prior notification to the of use of an alternate is required to be given to the OHVL Director.
  2. Copper, Brass, and Iron teams are comprised of 6 players and must have at least 2 boys on the court at all times.
  3. Gold and Silver teams are comprised of 6 players and must have at least 2 girls on the court at all times (teams can have a 5-girl team but no more than 4 boys on the court at one time).
  4. Team must have at least 4 players present to begin a game and one of the 4 players must be opposite gender. *Note-if a team is going to play with LESS THAN 6 players, the following applies:
    • 5 Player Teams: will have a mandatory side-out where the “6th” player should be playing, i.e., Positions 1,2,3,4 and 5 are filled not until AFTER a side-out & point awarded to opposing team, will Position 1 be allowed to serve. *Note-the opposing team must rotate according with side-out/change of possession rules.
    • 4 Player Teams: will have a mandatory side-out where the “5th & 6th” player should be playing. I.e.- Positions 1,2,3,4 are filled not ‘til AFTER a side-out & points awarded to opposing team, will Position 1 be allowed to serve. *Note-the opposing team must rotate according with side-out/change of possession rules.
  5. Match is ruled a forfeit when the minimum number of players (4) is not present to begin the game within 10 minutes after scheduled start time.
  6. The suggested age range for league is 13 to 18 years of age. Players must be homeschooled (a vote was taken, and the majority voted to allow a very small private school called Premier to play in our league).
    • Exceptions:
      • Teams may need a younger player to form a team.
      • A player may turn 19 during his homeschooled 12th grade year. A second-year senior must be taking homeschool courses to be considered homeschooled. It is discouraged to have 2nd year seniors.
  7. 5-Serve Rule: Each player in the Iron and Brass is limited to five consecutive serves. If a player serves five times in a row, a sideout will occur for the opposing team, with no point awarded.
    • Iron: On the fifth serve attempt, players are permitted to serve overhand; however, for all other serves, underhand serving is required.
    • Brass: On the fifth serve attempt, players are permitted to jump serve; for all other serves, players can use either underhand or overhand techniques.
  8. Only players recorded on the Player Registration Form may participate in the matches.
  9. Coaches will decide which division their team should be placed in for pool play. Pool play scores and the League Directors will determine the final division a team will be placed in for the tournaments.
  10. Uniforms must have numbers on at least one side. If you are ordering new uniforms, you must get numbers on both sides.(Our intent is not to “exclude” but to establish guidelines. Club directors can contact the League Director if there are any questions. This is an invitational league. Clubs must have regularly scheduled practices in an established location open to all homeschooled students in their area.)
    Our intent is not to “exclude” but to establish guidelines. Club directors can contact the League Director if there are any questions. This is an invitational league. Clubs must have regularly scheduled practices in an established location open to all homeschooled students in their area.

Scoring:

  1. Pool play matches will only be two sets; score will start at 4-4.
  2. There is a cap to 27 points in pool play.
  3. Use a coin toss to determine server of this game.
  4. Tournament games will be best 2 out of 3, except for the Final Championship games, which will be best 3 out of 5.
  5. In tournament there is no cap on any of the sets.
  6. Team captains meet with official for a coin toss to determine first server.
  7. Warm-ups will be as follows: 4-4-2 each team gets four minutes to warm up and 2-minute combined serving

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Other Rules of Note (besides the NFHS Volleyball Official Rule Book):

  1. There is no requirement for male or female players to contact the ball regardless of the number of hits by a team. IF a team is obviously not allowing all players to contact the ball, (for example, if the 4 boys on the court are actively involved in every play but the girls are not being allowed to contact the ball) a warning will be given. All players must be actively involved in play. Two warnings will be given, after the second warning the game will be forfeited.
  2. A soccer kick will not be allowed as a legal hit. If the foot is in contact with the ground and the ball hits part of the foot or leg that is legal but if the foot comes off the ground and is in motion that is not a legal hit. Same for a “head bump” This in only legal when is not intentional.
  3. Net height: 7’4 1/4” for Silver, Copper, Brass and Iron Division, 7’11 5/8” for the Gold Division.
  4. If a club does not have any all-gender teams a player may play on an all-gender team from another club.
  5. Players who have once played in the league cannot play in the junior league. A player can play in junior league and then move up to league in the same year.

Player Requirements:

  1. No gum chewing during play
  2. Tennis shoes required* no outside shoes on the court.
  3. Kneepads suggested
  4. Shorts: All shorts must have at least a 5-inch inseam (without stretching it!) No spandex shorts, leggings, or skintight shorts, unless they are worn under loose shorts that meet the 5-inch rule.
  5. The athlete may not roll down the waistband of shorts.
  6. NO skin rule: The athlete raises his/her arms above their head and jumps. NO SKIN should show.
  7. No sleeveless uniforms

Chain of Command:

  1. Team captain is the only one allowed to approach a First Referee with a question or concern during a match. The Referee may offer an explanation to the team captain when necessary.
  2. The team captain and/or Coach may submit a protest to a ruling to the First Referee and/or Tournament Director during the match. The ruling of the Tournament Director is final.
  3. The head coach is permitted to speak with the down ref regarding timeouts, substitutions, and to create clarity to a situation.
  4. Coaches may bring their questions or concerns directly to the Tournament Director if it does not directly concern an ongoing match.
  5. Spectators/parents should bring their questions or concerns about matters involving players, teams or rulings directly to their team coach. Each team coach is responsible to handle concerns or involve the Tournament Director. Spectators/parents should not be in the playing area during a match unless they have been authorized to act in a coaching capacity.

Officials:

  1. The following Officials will be used during league: First Referee, Second Referee, Line Judges and Scorekeepers,
  2. Each category has designated duties outlined in the NFHS Rulebook.
  3. First Referees will be the head coach of the ref team.
  4. Second Referees, line judges and scorekeepers are called the “Line Judging Team” and are composed of 5 players. Parents/spectators should only be part of this team when players are not available. We want to encourage players to take ownership and responsibility for their league.
  5. Coaches are responsible for giving players written descriptions of their duties & how to perform them.
  6. Players are responsible for being informed and carrying out their duties with accuracy and fairness.
  7. Whenever possible, teams will not be assigned to officiate over their own club to provide an atmosphere of fairness.
  8. The Tournament Director may be consulted and be the final authority on any issue.

Scorekeepers and Libero trackers:

  1. May not be distracted or approached by anyone other than the First or Second Referee or Tournament Director during a match.
  2. The designated scorekeeper and libero tracker will be the only persons sitting at the scorekeeping table.

Facility Housekeeping and Parking:

  1. Coaches: You are responsible for clearing your bench for the next teams. Make sure players have collected trash and personal belongings on the benches as well as bleachers before leaving the court following every match.
  2. Players: Remove your water bottles, trash & personal belongings before leaving the playing area
  3. Spectators: Please help us keep the bleachers clear of trash. Make sure you have all your personal belongings before you leave the gym.
  4. The last teams of the day will be responsible for helping pick up all the trash from the team benches and the bleachers.
  5. Report any spills or messes to gym office asap. As well as bathroom issues or supply shortages.
  6. Please report any misconduct to League Director. Do not act on your own. If you see something wrong, please allow the coaches and the League Director to settle any problems in the gym.

REMINDER: We are guests of the Premier Sports Complex. Inappropriate behavior of players or guests may result in losing our privilege to use their facilities.

Misconduct:

Inappropriate conduct by a player or coach toward officials or other players is classified in four categories according to the degree of the offense.

Categories:

  1. Minor misconduct offenses are not subject to sanctions. It is the First Referee’s duty to prevent the teams from approaching the sanctioning level by issuing a verbal or hand signal warning to the team through the game captain. This warning is not a penalty and has no immediate consequences. It should not be recorded on the score sheet
  2. Rude conduct: Acting contrary to good manners, moral principles and/or expressing contempt
  3. Offensive conduct: Defamatory or insulting words or gestures. Please inform all students and parents that curse words will not be allowed. Substitution “curse” words are not acceptable.
  4. Aggression: physical attack or intended aggression

Sanctions:

Depending on the degree of the conduct and the judgment of the First Referee (and/or Tournament Director), the sanctions to be applied and recorded on the score sheet are:

  1. Penalty: For rude conduct by a player or coach, the team is penalized with the loss of a rally. The sanction is recorded on the score sheet with game score and the uniform number of the player or name of the coach involved. A side-out & point awarded to opposing team.
  2. Expulsion: Extremely offensive conduct or repeated rude conduct is sanctioned by expulsion. The player or coach must leave the playing area, bench, and warm-up area for the remainder of the game. The sanction is recorded on the score sheet with the game score and the uniform number of the player or name of the coach involved. No additional penalty (loss of rally) will be charged. If an expelled player continues to engage in misconduct, he/she is subject to further individual sanction, and their team may be penalized additional points as well
  3. Disqualification: For repeated offensive conduct (expulsion) or for aggression, the player or coach must leave the playing area, bench, warm-up area and spectator area for the remainder of the match or remainder of league (determined at the discretion of the Tournament Director), if the player or coach does NOT comply, additional points maybe awarded and/or forfeiture of match as well. The sanction is recorded on the score sheet with the game score and uniform number of the team member or name of the coach involved

Sanction Scale:

The repetition of misconduct by the same player in the same game is sanctioned progressively as shown in the Misconduct Sanction Scale:

  1. A penalty for rude conduct does not require a previous sanction
  2. Expulsion due to offensive conduct does not require a previous sanction.
  3. Disqualification due to aggression does not require a previous sanction.
  4. The Tournament Director makes final decision on sanctions.

Misconduct Before and Between Games:

Any misconduct occurring before or between games is sanctioned according to the Sanction Rules; sanctions apply at the beginning of the following game.

Sanction Cards:

Warning: Verbal or hand signal only
Penalty: Yellow card (a side-out & point awarded to opposing team)
Expulsion: Red card (a side-out & point awarded to opposing team)
Disqualification: Yellow card + red card jointly (a side-out & point awarded to opposing team)

Misconduct of Spectators:

The First Referee or the Tournament Director may handle any misconduct by spectators by giving a verbal warning. A second offense will result in the spectator being asked to leave the area for the remainder of the match. A third offense will result in the spectator being asked to leave the gym for the remainder of league. No team penalty will be charged. We encourage good sportsmanship by all spectators.

I Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.