2015-16
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
1. ILLEGAL ALIGNMENT / IMPROPER SERVICE /
INACCURATE LINEUP
SERVER:
Make a slow circular motion with arm and
hand outstretched on the side of the
violating team, palm down; then point
towards the player(s) involved.
Illegal Alignment – At the moment the ball is
contacted for the serve, there is:
•Overlapping by adjacent players other than
the server.
•Positioning of any player other than the
server outside the boundaries of the playing
area.
•An improper server.
•A libero replacement takes place after the
whistle/signal for serve.
•An illegal libero replacement in the set.
•Failure to submit an accurate lineup.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
2. LINE VIOLATION
Indicate the line where violation occurred by
extending arm and pointing toward the line
with the index finger.
•Server, at the moment of contact, steps on
the end line or the floor outside the lines
marking the width of the service area.
•A player, while the ball is in play, touches
the floor completely across the center line
without part of hand/hands or foot/feet
remaining on or above the center line or
•A player contacts the floor across the center
line with any part of the
body other than the hand/hands or foot/feet.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
3. ILLEGAL HIT
Slowly lift hand and forearm, palm up,
on the side where violation occurred.
•Ball visibly comes to rest, or involves
prolonged contact with the player.
•Server having more than one reserve or illegal service during one
team’s term of service.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
4. DELAY OF SERVICE
Raise hand on server’s side to
head height with fingers spread,
palm forward.
•A serve which is not contacted
within five seconds after the first
referee’s signal to serve.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
5. OVER-THE-NET
Pass forearm, palm down, over the
net. Originating from the side of the
net where the foul occurred.
•Interference with the opponents
effort to play the ball over the
opponents court.
• A player illegally contacts a ball
which is completely on the
opponent’s side of the net.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
6. NET FOUL or NET SERVE
Hand of outstretched arm on the side of the net on
which the fault occurred.
NOTE: The second referee is not required to touch the
net or signal net serve.
•Illegally touching net, net cables or net antenna.
•Interference with an opponent’s effort to play the ball
under or through the net.
•Served ball touches or passes under the net.
•Served ball hits a teammate.
•R1 and R2 signal number of offending player for net
foul and use informal hand signals for number.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
7. LEGAL BACK-ROW ATTACK
Arm on attacker’s side is extended, parallel
to the floor at chest level, palm down. Make
one slight horizontal sweeping motion.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
8. ILLEGAL ATTACK
Raise hand beside head and rotate forearm
forward and downward on the offending team’s
side.
•Receiving player attacks served ball which is
completely above the top of the net, and it
completely crosses the net or is contacted by an
opponent.
•A back row player returns a ball which is
completely above the top of the net while
positioned on or in front of the attack line or its
out-of-bounds extension or is in the air, having
left the floor on or in front of the attack line or its
out-of-bounds extension.
• Any player completes an attack set by the
libero using finger action while positioned on or
in front of the attack line, when contacting the
ball that is completely above the height of the
net.
•The libero completes an attack that is
completely above the height of the net from
anywhere on the court.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
9. ILLEGAL BLOCK/SCREENING
Raise both hands to head height,
palms forward.
•A back row player participates in a block.
•A player participates in a block of serve.
•In the judgment of the first referee, the
receiving player’s view of the contact of the
serve and/or the path of the served ball was
obstructed by the serving team.
•Libero blocks or attempts to block.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
10. BALL TOUCHED
Hand on the offending team’s side held
beside head, palm toward head, then
brush upward across fingertips one time
with the other hand, palm forward.
•Used to indicate a touch off a block or
team’s first, second, or third contact with
the ball landing out of bounds on that
team’s side of the net.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
11. FOUR HITS
Hand and arm nearest violating team raised,
showing four (4) fingers.
•Any time a team has more than three hits
before the ball is returned over the net.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
12. DOUBLE HIT
Hand and arm nearest violating team
raised, head high, showing two (2)
fingers.
•Illegal multiple or successive contacts.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
13. BALL LANDS INBOUNDS
Extended one arm with and open hand
palm forward toward the floor area
between the attack line and the net on
the offending team’s side.
•The ball lands on the court, the end line
or a side line, and no violation occurs.
•The ball passes completely under the
net (other than a serve) – DIFFERENT
FROM NCAA & USAV.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
14. OUT-OF-BOUNDS / ANTENNA VIOLATION
Raise both hands head high, fingers together,
palms toward face, elbows bent.
•The ball is ruled out of bounds after crossing
the net.
•A player or the ball that crosses the center
line extended or breaks the plane of a
nonplayable area beyond the legal reach of a
player.
•A blocked ball returns to hitter’s side and
lands out of bounds.
•The ball hits the net on or outside the
antenna, cables, net supports or referee’s
platform.
•The ball passes the net over or outside the
antenna.
•A ball contacts a vertical backboard or its
supports, and in the opinion of the first referee,
the ball would not have remained in play had
the backboard not been there.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
15. BEGIN SERVICE
Extend arm towards server at shoulder
height with hand perpendicular to floor, then
whistle to serve and move the extended
hand and arm in a sweeping motion to the
opposite shoulder.
•First referee MUST sound the whistle,
THEN give the visible signal for the serve.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
16. SUBSTITUTION
Two short whistles, rotate open hands at
shoulder height two times.
•Used by coach to request substitution.
•Used by a referee to recognize a
request for substitution.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
17. AUTORIZATION TO ENTER
Extend the arm (palm forward) on the
substitution side, and make a forward
motion waist high toward the respective
court.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
18. POINT
Indicate point by extending the arm in
the direction of the team that will serve
next, palm perpendicular to the floor.
•A point is awarded when the opponent
violates a rule.
•Unnecessary Delay awarded and team
has used its two time-outs.
•Red card.
•Request for a third time-out.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
19. REPLAY/RE-SERVE
With fisted hands, thumbs up, and held head
high in front of body.
•Serving again without awarding point or
rotation of service.
•When a replay occurs because of a double foul
during a live ball, each team’s foul shall be
signaled prior to the replay signal.
•Serving unintentionally before first referee’s
whistle/signal to serve.
•Interference in the first referee’s judgment.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
20. ILLEGAL SUBSTITUTION
Hold arm nearest offending team head high,
open hand, fingers together, elbow bent,
making two circles with the arm before pointing
toward the court of the offending team followed
by penalty signal.
•Used to indicate illegal substitution.
FOLLOWED BY SIGNAL 22.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
21a. TEAM TIME-OUT
Place the palm of a hand horizontally over a
vertical hand on the side requesting the
time-out, forming a “T”, then:
•For team time-out - indicate court of team
being charged.
Used by a coach to request time-out.
Used by referees to indicate a team is
charged with a time-out.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
21b. OFFICIAL TIME-OUT
Place the palm of a hand horizontally over a
vertical hand on the side requesting the timeout, forming a “T”, then:
•For Official time-out - tap top of shoulders
with hands.
Used by referees to indicate a referee’s
time-out or an injury time-out.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
22. UNNECESSARY DELAY
Cover the wrist (with Yellow/Red card) with
open hand, palm facing referee.
Unnecessary delay now consist of an
administrative yellow card warning for the
first delay an administrative red card for
subsequent delay(s) in the same set,
resulting in a loss of rally point. Cards do
not carry over from set to set.
**The head coach is not required to remain
seated for an administrative card issued for
an unnecessary delay. The assessment of
administrative cards is different than the
assessment of penalty cards issued for
unsporting conduct.**
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
23. END OF SET
Arms crossed in front of chest, hands open
followed by a sweeping motion outward,
releasing teams to team benches.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
24. CHANGE OF COURTS
Raise forearms and swing right arm in
front of the body and the left arm in back
of the body with hands open.
•Used after non-deciding sets to direct
teams to change courts (or after the coin
toss prior to the final set if a change of
courts is required).
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
Signals
Rule 5-2-1b
Clarification in Rule 5-2-1b and the Officials Manual
that there is no need for the first referee to mirror
the second referee’s signal for the violation if the
fault is whistled by the second referee.
Eagle Point Volleyball Officials Association
Court Protocol
Rule 5-3-4d
RULE CHANGE
PlayPic®
CALL CAPTAINS
PlayPic®
DIRECT CAPTAINS
TO TABLE
PlayPic®
RELEASE TEAMS
TO BENCHES
Prior to the deciding set, the first referee signals the
captains to meet with the second referee in front of the
officials’ table for the coin toss.
© REFEREE ENTERPISES INC. 2012
Court Protocol
Rule 5-3-4d
RULE CHANGE
PlayPic®
PlayPic®
PlayPic®
Second referee conducts the coin toss in front of the
officials’ table, then signals to the first referee which team is
serving and if teams need to change benches.
© REFEREE ENTERPISES INC. 2012
INFORMAL OFFICIALS’ SIGNALS:
As mentioned in the prematch section of the manual, informal hand signals
used to enhance the match may be used for communication by the second referee (R2) to
the first referee (R1). Such additional signals might be:
1. Set/Match Point: Place the index finger flat against the shoulder closest to the team
that has set point (R1 nods head to acknowledge seeing the R2’s signal.)
2. Four Hits: Discreetly give four-hit signal in front of chest.
3. Identifying Possible Back-Row Player Violation: Discreetly show back-row
attacker or back-row blocker signal in front of chest.
4. Position of Setter Prior to Serve: Second referee uses discreet signal with his/her
hand on each leg, midsection or chest to identify position (front row or back row) of
each team’s setter. Use of and type of signal may be decided in prematch
discussion between the referees. Examples are:
• 2 fingers = back-row setter
• 1 finger = front row setter
• Little finger = back-row setter
• Thumb = front row setter
• Discreet back row attack signal in middle of chest
These are not used on every rally, only when needed for improved
communication.
INFORMAL OFFICIALS’ SIGNALS, continued
5. Illegal Hit:: The second referee is to assist the first referee in calling illegal hits by
use of discreet signals in front of the chest. Only when the second referee is
certain the first referee’s view of the play is blocked does the second referee blow
the whistle to call a ball handling violation.
6. Ready to Play: The second referee signals ready to play to the first referee after an
R2 interruption (injury, substitution, time-out or scorekeeping clarification) by
extending the arm, open hand perpendicular to the floor with the outside hand on
the receiving team's side. The R2 should be in position on the receiving team's
side, whistle in mouth, when the Ready to Play signal is given.
7. Net Foul/Center Line Violations: Second referee signals violation, then signals
number to first referee with right hand as base hand –
 Nos. 0-9: right or right/left combination;
 No. 10: right hand closed fist;
 Nos. 11-19: right fist then digits successively;
 Nos. 20 or more: first digit with right hand and second digit with right or both
hands if necessary.
Both R2, then R1 signal offender’s number, then both signal “point”.