Volleyball Rules 2026: Scoring, Rotation and Common Faults

This page follows USA Volleyball's abridged indoor rule book, 2025 to 2027 edition, as of November 2026. It's based on the international federation's Rules of the Game from its 2024 World Congress, and it notes that the full official international rules are available from the FIVB and USA Volleyball. It covers indoor six-a-side only, not beach or sitting volleyball.

Court size, net height and the six on court

Item	What the rule book says
Playing court	18 x 9 m (59 ft x 29 ft 6 in)
Free zone around it	At least 2 m
Attack line	Rear edge 3 m (9 ft 10 in) from the centre line
Service zone	9 m wide, behind each end line
Net height, men	2.43 m (7 ft 11 5/8 in)
Net height, women	2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/8 in)

Junior and masters net heights change by age group, and the rule book has a table for those. There must always be six players per team in play. Each team can call a maximum of two time-outs and 15 substitutions per set under USA Volleyball's version, and can name zero, one or two Liberos per set.

A rally from serve to point

Before the match, a toss decides who starts. The winner chooses either to serve or receive, or which side of the court to take, and the loser gets the other choice.

1. The referee whistles for service. The server then has 8 seconds to hit the ball.
2. The server tosses or releases the ball once and hits it with one hand or any part of the arm. Only one toss is allowed.
3. At the moment of the hit, the server mustn't touch the court, end line included, or the floor outside the service zone. After the hit they can land wherever they like.
4. The receiving team gets up to three hits, plus any block, to return the ball over the net.
5. No player may hit the ball twice in a row, with exceptions for blocking and some first-hit contacts.
6. The rally ends when the ball lands, goes out or a fault is called, and somebody wins a point.

A team scores by landing the ball on the opponent's court, when the opponent commits a fault, or when the opponent gets a penalty. The ball can touch any part of the body, but it mustn't be caught or thrown. Two or three teammates touching it at the same moment counts as a single hit.

Sets to 25, deciders to 15: a worked example

Every set except the deciding one goes to the first team to 25 points with at least a two-point lead. At 24-24, play continues until someone is two clear, so a set can end 26-24, 27-25 and so on. A match is two sets out of three, or three out of five.

Here's the deciding set worked through for a best-of-three match:

1. The first two sets split 1-1, so a third set decides it.
2. That set goes to 15, not 25, still with a two-point lead.
3. If the teams are changing courts in the decider, they swap when the leading team reaches 8 points, say at 8-5.
4. If it gets to 14-14, play goes on until one team leads by two, for example 16-14.

Rally scoring is the bit that trips up people who learnt the old way: the receiving team doesn't have to win the serve back first. If the serving team wins a rally, it scores and serves again. If the receiving team wins, it scores and serves next.

Rotation: who serves next

The starting line-up fixes a rotation order that runs through the whole set. Front-row players stand in positions 4, 3 and 2 (left, centre and right), and back-row players in positions 5, 6 and 1. At the moment of the serve, each team has to be in that order; once the ball is hit, everyone can move anywhere on their court and the free zone.

When the receiving team wins the right to serve, its players rotate one position clockwise. The player in position 2 moves to position 1 and serves, the player in position 1 moves to position 6, and so on. Serving out of that order is a rotational fault.

Faults that cost a point

• Four hits. Touching the ball four times before sending it back. A block contact isn't counted, so after a block your team still gets three hits.
• Double contact. One player hitting the ball twice in succession.
• Catch. The ball is caught or thrown instead of rebounding from the hit.
• Touching the net. Contact with the net between the antennae while playing the ball is a fault.
• Crossing the centre line. A foot can touch the opponent's court as long as part of it stays on or above the centre line; a foot completely over is a fault.
• Blocking the serve. Not allowed, and only front-row players can complete a block.
• Serving faults. The serve goes out, touches a teammate, doesn't cross the net through the crossing space, or is made out of the rotation order.

Two odd cases are worth knowing. If two or more faults happen one after another, only the first counts. If opponents commit faults at the same time, it's a double fault and the rally is replayed.

My verdict: what I'd teach a new group

I'd start with three rules: rally scoring, three hits a side, and no catching. Those three are enough for a mixed group to play a fair game. Then I'd add rotation, because once people know who serves next, the arguments stop.

I'd skip Liberos, substitution counts and the finer points of screening for a casual game; they matter in leagues, not at a works sports day. If you're organising one, my list of team building activities that don't suck has more ideas, and the pickleball guide for beginners is a good next step for smaller groups who still want a net game.

Frequently asked questions

How many points is a volleyball set?

25 points with a two-point lead, except the deciding set, which goes to 15 with a two-point lead.

How many hits can a volleyball team have?

Three, in addition to a block. A block contact doesn't count as a team hit.

How many players are on a volleyball team?

Six on court at all times.

How long does the server have?

8 seconds after the first referee whistles for service.

When does a volleyball team rotate?

When the receiving team wins a rally and gains the right to serve, its players rotate one position clockwise and the player moving from position 2 to position 1 serves.