Green Grass Volleyball — Official Rules

Version 1.1 · Effective July 2026

These rules govern all GGVB events. Each event also has a Format Sheet (2v2, 3v3, 4v4, 6v6) that lists what changes for that format. Where a Format Sheet conflicts with this document, the Format Sheet wins.

Items marked [DEFAULT] were not specified by the organizer and are reasonable defaults pending sign-off. Everything else is set policy.

§1 Scope, Authority, Definitions

1.1 Scope. These rules apply from the moment a player enters the venue until they leave it, in all Sections and all Divisions.

1.2 Authority. On-site final authority rests with GGVB Staff and Administrators. Their decision on any matter is final and binding. Referees have authority on their court from the start of warm-up to the end of the match.

1.3 Definitions.

1.4 Waiver & eligibility. Every player must have accepted the current GGVB liability waiver before competing. Minors require guardian acceptance. A player without a valid, current waiver on file is ineligible and may not take the court.

1.5 Knowledge of the rules. Not knowing a rule is never grounds for a protest or a replay. Captains are responsible for their team knowing these rules.

§2 Facilities & Equipment

2.1 Court dimensions.

• Short court (2v2, 3v3): 16m × 8m — 52'6" × 26'3"
• Big court (4v4, 6v6): 18m × 9m — 59' × 29'6"

2.2 Attack line. There is no 3m attack line at GGVB events. There is no back-row attack restriction in any format. (This may change at future premium events, which will be announced in advance.)

2.3 Net heights. GGVB uses Park & Sun Spectrum Classic net systems.

Grass sag is expected and is not protestable. Poles sink in soft or wet ground. GGVB will use leveling blocks under the poles for Men's and Women's Sections as they become available. Coed is played at the Men's setting without blocks — the resulting settled height is the official Coed height, and both teams play the same net.

Net height is measured and locked before the first serve of a match. If a team wants the net checked, they must ask before the coin toss. Once play starts, net height is not protestable for that match.

2.4 Ball. GGVB may provide the official match ball. Teams may substitute their own ball, but it must be an OFFICIAL AVP OPTX Grass (Pink) or Sand (Yellow) Ball. No replicas allowed. Ball air pressure must be acceptable to both team captains or the referee prior to the first serve.

2.5 Footwear.

• Allowed: bare feet, trail runners, turf shoes, indoor court shoes, running shoes.
• Banned: soccer cleats of any kind (molded or metal), any shoe with hard or sharp studs, spikes, or blades.
• A player wearing banned footwear may not play until they change. Time lost counts against the late-arrival clock (§9.4).

2.6 Player equipment. Clothing is part of the player — if it contacts the net, that's a net fault. Hats: a hat on your head that touches the net is a fault; a hat knocked off during play that touches the net is not.

§3 Structure of Play

3.1 Coin toss. Before warm-up, the referee conducts a coin toss (or rock-paper-scissors / odds-evens) with both captains. The winner chooses either serve/receive or side. For set 2, the loser of the first toss chooses. If a third set is required, a new coin toss is held.

3.2 Warm-up. 3 minutes at the net if the teams had another court available beforehand; 5 minutes if not. Staff may shorten warm-ups to keep schedule (see §9.6).

3.3 Scoring. All GGVB play is rally scoring — a point is awarded on every rally regardless of who served.

Win-by-2 exists only in the 6v6 final. Everything else is hard-capped.

Pool play is a single set in every format (the long-day exception in §9.9 aside). Best-of-three exists only in playoffs. Win-by-2 exists exactly once per event: the 6v6 final. Everything else — every pool match, every playoff round — is hard-capped.

A hard cap means 21–20 (or 25–24, or 15–14) is a win. There is no deuce in GGVB pool play, in any format. This is deliberate — GGVB runs on park permits with hard end times, and one runaway deuce set delays every court behind it. A best-of-three pool match in 6v6 takes ~52 minutes; six of them is a five-hour morning, which is why pool play is one set.

Your exact set length is assigned by the scheduling engine at pool generation and is printed on your pool sheet before the day starts. See §9.9.

3.4 Court switches.

• Sets to 25: switch when the combined score is a multiple of 8.
• Sets to 21: switch when the combined score is a multiple of 7.
• Sets to 18: switch when the combined score is a multiple of 6.
• Sets to 15: switch when the combined score is a multiple of 5.
• If a switch is missed, it happens as soon as the error is noticed. Score stands.

3.5 Intervals. Maximum 3 minutes between sets.

3.6 Timeouts. One timeout per team per set, 45 seconds. There are no technical timeouts at GGVB events. Referees are required to enforce the 45 seconds and restart play on time.

• A timeout may only be requested when the ball is out of play and before the whistle or service contact.
• Requesting a timeout you don't have, or during a rally, is rejected without sanction the first time and is a delay if repeated in the same set.

3.7 Delays. Prolonging a timeout after being told to resume, repeating an improper request, or otherwise stalling between rallies:

• First delay in a set → Delay Warning.
• Second and each subsequent delay in that set → Delay Penalty: loss of rally, point to the opponent.

§4 Playing the Ball

4.1 Team hits. Maximum 3 hits before the ball must cross the net. Contacts count whether intentional or not.

4.2 Block contact. This is the biggest difference between GGVB formats:

In every format, any player may make the first contact after a block, including the blocker.

4.3 Consecutive contacts. A player may not hit the ball twice in a row. Exceptions: defensive action on a hard-driven ball, consecutive contacts during a single blocking action, and the first-hit exception in 4.5.

4.4 Simultaneous contacts.

• Two teammates touching the ball at the same moment = two hits (except at the block).
• 2v2 collective block (both players block together): counts as one team contact (the first).
• Simultaneous contact (Joust) by two opponents over the net: ball stays in play, the receiving team gets a fresh 3 hits. If it goes out, it's the fault of the team on the other side. A resulting "held ball" is not a fault.

4.5 Characteristics of the hit.

• The ball may touch any part of the body. It must be hit, not caught or thrown.
• On a hard-driven ball in defensive action, the ball may be momentarily held or double-contacted, provided it is one action of playing the ball.
• On the first hit of the team, if not played overhand with fingers, the ball may contact several parts of the body consecutively in one action.

§4A THE SETTING STANDARD (read this one twice)

This is the rule GGVB is strictest about, and the one most arguments come from.

4A.1 Hand-setting is legal everywhere — including on serve receive. You may hand-set a serve. But it is judged to the same standard as any other set: it must come out clean.

4A.2 The chin rule (all Divisions, no exceptions). The ball may not drop below the chin at any point during the set. If the ball comes below your chin, it's a lift. This is a carry standard and it does not loosen by Division.

4A.3 The spin standard (varies by Division). A set is judged by how much the ball rotates coming out of the hands:

The tolerance is on the Division, not the format. B-division 2v2 and B-division 6v6 use the same standard.

4A.4 Setting over the net.

Conditions for Open, A, and B:

1. Your shoulders must be square to the direction you send the ball. A set that travels at an angle to your shoulder line is an attack-hit fault.
2. Zero rotation — no exceptions, no Division tolerance. A ball sent over the net from a hand-set that rotates even one full turn is a fault. This includes B, even though B gets 2 rotations of tolerance setting a teammate.

Why: an over-net hand-set is functionally an attack, and it's the single hardest call in the sport. Open/A/B get it at beach standard. C and Junior don't get it at all — if you're in C and the ball is going over the net off your hands, that's a point for the other team, no judgment call required. This is deliberate: it removes the worst argument in rec volleyball from the divisions least equipped to settle it.

If you want to send it over in C, hit it. If you want your Division's rotation tolerance, set your teammate.

4A.5 Open-hand tips are illegal in every format and every Division. You may not complete an attack-hit with an open-handed tip or dink directing the ball with the fingers. Use a knuckle, a cobra, a pokey, a roll shot, or an open-hand set that meets 4A.4. This is the rule most indoor players break on reflex — refs will call it.

4A.6 Who calls it. See §7.3. Short version: both teams may call a lift.

§5 Faults, Net Play, Service, Attack, Block

5.1 Playing faults.

• Four hits — the team contacts the ball four times before returning it.
• Held ball — the ball is caught/thrown rather than hit (see exceptions in 4.5).
• Double contact — a player hits twice in succession (see 4A.3 for the spin standard).
• Assisted hit — taking support from a teammate or an object to reach the ball. A teammate may hold you back to stop you committing a fault.

If two faults happen in a row, only the first counts. If both teams fault at the same moment, it's a double fault and the rally is replayed.

5.2 Ball in / out.

• In: touches the ground of the court, including the lines.
• Out: lands completely outside the lines; touches an object or a person out of play; touches the ropes, posts, or antenna; crosses the vertical plane of the net fully or partly outside the posts on service or on the third hit; crosses the net more than once in a rally.

5.3 Ball at the net.

• The ball must cross within the crossing space (above the net, between the posts and their imaginary upward extension).
• The ball may touch the net while crossing. Let serves are legal in all GGVB formats and all Divisions. (GGVB differs from AVP Grass here, which bans the let serve in Quads and Sixes. We allow it everywhere — one less call.)
• A ball driven into the net may be recovered within the team's 3 hits. If the ball rips or downs the net, the rally is replayed.
• A ball that crosses the plane outside the crossing space into the opponent's free zone may be played back — but it must return outside the crossing space on the same side.

5.4 Player at the net.

• Contact with the net during the action of playing the ball is a fault. Incidental hair contact is never a fault.
• You may penetrate the opponent's space, court, or free zone provided you do not interfere with their play.
• A blocker may touch the ball beyond the net after the opponent's attack-hit.
• You may follow through past the net after your own attack-hit, provided contact was made in your own space.
• After you've hit the ball, you may touch the post or rope, provided it doesn't interfere.
• If the ball is driven into the net and the net touches an opponent, no fault.

5.5 Service.

• The server may move freely anywhere between the sidelines behind the end line.
• At the moment of the hit (or takeoff for a jump serve) the server may not touch the end line or the ground outside the sideline. The foot may not go under the line. After the hit, you may land inside the court.
• If the line moves because of grass or turf pushed by the server, that's not a fault.
• Up to 3 service attempts. If you don't like your toss, you may pass on it — but you must let the ball drop to the ground. Do not catch it. The referee calls a replay and you serve again. You get a maximum of 3 attempts; the third must be served. Passing on it a third time is a service fault — automatic point to the other team.
• The ball must be hit with one hand or any part of the arm.
• Screening: teammates may not block the opponents' view of the server or the ball's path. On request, a player must move sideways, bend over, or duck.
• Service faults after the hit: the ball touches a teammate, fails to cross the plane, or goes out.
• Serve reception is never treated as a hard-driven ball — the first-ball-defense exception does not apply. A serve may be double-contacted with the hands only if not played with finger action; if you play it with fingers, it must be clean to your Division standard (§4A).

5.6 Service order. Fixed in every GGVB format. See each Format Sheet. If a player is found serving out of order, the order is corrected immediately with no loss of points. Repeatedly abusing this is unsportsmanlike conduct.

5.7 Attack-hit. Every action directing the ball at the opponent except a serve or a block. Completed the moment the ball fully crosses the plane or is touched by a blocker.

Attack-hit faults:

• Hitting the ball inside the opponent's playing space.
• Hitting the ball out.
• An open-handed tip or dink (§4A.5).
• Attacking the opponent's serve when the ball is entirely above the top of the net.
• An overhand pass whose trajectory is not perpendicular to the shoulder line, except when setting a teammate (§4A.4).

5.8 Block.

• What counts as a block. An action near the net to intercept the ball where your arms or hands are up at or above your collarbone, and either your feet are off the ground or you are reaching higher than the net. If that's true, it's a block.
• Hands and arms may go beyond the net provided they don't interfere. You may not touch the ball beyond the net until the opponent has executed the attack-hit.
• Consecutive contacts by one or more blockers in one action are legal.
• Blocking faults: touching the ball in the opponent's space before or simultaneously with their attack-hit; blocking a serve; sending the ball out off the block.

§6 Ground Rules (the grass-specific stuff)

6.1 Chasing into another court.

• You may chase a ball into an adjacent court only if that court is not in use.
• If the adjacent court is in use, the ball is out the moment it enters it. Do not chase. This is a safety rule and staff will enforce it hard.

6.2 Trees and overhead obstructions. If the ball hits a tree or overhanging branch, the ball is out — including if it deflects back over onto the other side.

6.3 Interference — mandatory replay. If a person or animal enters your court during a live rally, a replay is called. No discretion. Stop the rally.

6.4 Interference — the 3-second rule. If someone steps into your court, or a ball rolls across a corner, and it does not interfere with the play and there is no risk of a player stepping on it and rolling an ankle, then:

• Both teams must call the replay within 3 seconds of the action.
• If both do, it's a replay.
• If they don't, the rally continues and no replay is granted for that point. You cannot lose the rally and then ask for the replay.

6.5 Safety overrides everything. Any player, referee, or staff member may stop a rally at any time for a genuine safety hazard. That rally is replayed. Abusing this to stop a rally you're losing is unsportsmanlike conduct (§8).

§7 Officiating, Self-Officiating & Protests

7.1 Model — teams referee teams. GGVB does not employ paid officials. Every team is assigned referee duty as a condition of competing. Your ref assignments are on your pool sheet next to your match times.

• One rostered player from the assigned team serves as referee for that match. That person keeps score, runs the clock, enforces switches and timeouts, and rules on disputes under §7.3.
• Refereeing your assignment is mandatory. Failing to show for ref duty is penalized under §9.5.
• The referee is not expected to make in/out or lift calls — the players do that (§7.2). The referee's job is score, clock, pace, and settling disputes.
• Staff and Admins are the escalation path. A referee who is out of their depth should call Staff rather than guess.

7.2 Who calls what.

7.3 Disputes — the 10-second rule.

1. When the two teams disagree on a call, they have 10 seconds to reach agreement.
2. If they agree, that's the call. Play on.
3. If they do not agree within 10 seconds, it's a replay. Referee whistles it dead.

7.4 The Gentleman's Rule. If one team says "replay" and the other team says "no, that's your point" — the point is awarded. The team giving the point wins the argument. Take the point and move on.

Exception: game point. At game point, a gifted point is not accepted. The rally is replayed instead. Nobody wins a GGVB match on a point their opponent handed them out of politeness.

7.5 Protests.

Protestable:

• Interpretation or misapplication of a rule.
• A scoring error.
• Playing conditions.

Never protestable: any judgment call. In/out, lift, net touch, and the like are not protestable, ever.

Procedure:

1. A captain declares a protest to the referee. The referee suspends play.
2. The referee confirms with both captains exactly what is being protested. Once stated, the issue cannot change.
3. Staff/Admin comes to the court, speaks to the referee first, then each captain separately.
4. Staff/Admin's ruling is final and binding. Play resumes immediately.

§8 Conduct & Sanctions

8.1 Categories.

8.2 Sanction ladder.

8.3 Team format after Disqualification (player returns next set):

8.4 Team format after Expulsion (player is done for the event):

8.5 Misconduct before or between sets is sanctioned on the same scale and applied in the following set.

8.6 Event definition. An "event" is the competition you're currently playing. If you are expelled from Saturday Triples, you may still play Sunday Coed Doubles if it's a separately registered event — unless Staff rules otherwise under §8.7.

8.7 Staff override. Staff and Admins may eject any person from the venue, void any registration, and bar a player from future GGVB events for conduct they judge detrimental to the org, its players, or its relationship with the park.

§9 Tournament Operations

9.1 Divisions & sandbagging.

• You may play up. You may never play down.
• Staff have the unconditional right to reseed teams, move teams between Divisions (in or out), or remove a team from the event at any time, at their discretion. This is not protestable.
• Entry fees are not refunded for a sandbagging DQ.

9.2 Rosters & substitutions.

• The roster locks at check-in. You may not add a player to your roster mid-day, for any reason.
• Open Division: no substitutions, except for injury. If an injured player is subbed out, that player may not play again for the remainder of that match.
• A Division and below: see 9.3.

9.3 Injury.

• 5-minute recovery time, once per match, every Division. The clock starts when assistance reaches the court, or immediately if the player declines assistance.
• If a serious injury occurs during a live rally, the referee stops play immediately and the rally is replayed.
• If the player can't continue and the team has no rostered sub (A Division and below): the team plays without that player for the remainder of the set. The player may return for subsequent sets if fit.

9.4 Late arrival & no-show. Match times are earliest start times. If your court has no start time or is delayed, your match begins 10 minutes after the previous match ends. Arrive 30 minutes before your first scheduled match.

• For each full minute a team is late, the referee awards the opponent 2 points in the current set.
• 10 minutes late → forfeit the first set.
• 20 minutes late → forfeit the match.
• Forfeit a match, then arrive late to your next → removed from the tournament.
• Forfeit score: 0–25 in 6v6; 0–21 in 4v4, 3v3, and 2v2.

9.5 Late referees. If a team assigned to referee is late, their team is penalized 2 points per minute, up to a maximum of 10 points, applied to their next match. Refereeing your assigned match is a condition of competing.

9.6 Weather.

• 30-30 lightning rule: on thunder or a strike, play stops and the venue is cleared for 30 minutes. The clock resets on each subsequent thunder or strike.
• Staff decide whether and when play resumes. That decision is final.
• If weather prevents the tournament from being completed, all entrants are fully refunded.
• If two teams reach the final and cannot play it: they may (a) play it once weather clears, or (b) share 1st place and split the prize. The teams choose together; if they can't agree, Staff decide.
• No team may claim a title for a tournament that was not completed.

9.7 Pool standings & tiebreakers.

Pools are ranked by SET RECORD, not match record — sets won minus sets lost. This is the same in every format and works whether your pool matches are one set or two.

2v2 / 3v3 / 4v4 tiebreakers, in order:

1. Set record (sets won − sets lost)
2. Head-to-head — the set record between the tied teams only
3. Point differential (points scored − points allowed, capped at ±10 per set)
4. Seed

6v6 tiebreakers, in order:

1. Set record
2. Head-to-head — the set record between the tied teams only
3. Set ratio (sets won ÷ sets lost). A team that has lost no sets ranks above a team that has lost any — there is no division by zero.
4. Point ratio (points scored ÷ points allowed)
5. Seed

Three or more teams tied: apply head-to-head as a mini-table among only the tied teams. If that separates some but not all, the separated teams take their places and the still-tied teams restart the procedure from step 2.

The ±10 point-differential cap exists so that beating a struggling team 21–3 counts the same as beating them 21–11. Running up the score earns you nothing at GGVB.

9.8 Accelerated play. Staff may shorten warm-ups, shorten sets, or change format at any time to finish the day. Changes are announced at the courts and repeated by the referee at the start of warm-up.

9.9 Set configuration. The number of sets and the points per set is assigned by the scheduling engine when pools are generated, based on team count, court count, and remaining daylight. It is printed on the pool sheet and does not change mid-pool. Possible configurations:

2v2 / 3v3 / 4v4:

6v6:

Staff may downgrade a running event to the next faster config under §9.8. Sets already played are kept — set record carries over, which is exactly why GGVB ranks by sets.

§10 Section Rules

10.1 Men's. Net at Men's setting. No additional restrictions.

10.2 Women's. Net at Women's setting. No additional restrictions.

10.3 Coed. Net at the Men's setting, without leveling blocks.

• The female contact rule: if a team makes more than one contact, at least one of those contacts must be by a female player. One contact and over is always legal. Two or three contacts with no female touch = fault, point to the opponent.
• There is no courtesy serve rule at GGVB. Serve wherever you want.

10.4 Reverse Coed. Net at the Women's setting.

• Male players may not attack the ball from above the height of the net. This applies regardless of whether the player jumped — if a tall player can reach over the net standing, they still may not contact the ball above net height on an attack. Contact must be made at or below the top of the net.
• Male players may not block. At all. A male player who contacts the ball in a blocking action commits a fault, point to the opponent.
• The male contact rule: if a team makes more than one contact, at least one of those contacts must be by a male player.

Reverse Coed in one line: men are backcourt. No attacking above the net, no blocking. Set, dig, serve, and hit from below the tape.

10.5 Any. Open Section. No gender restrictions, no contact rules. Net at Men's setting, no leveling blocks (same as Coed).

§11 Division Rules

11.1 Open. Beach-clean setting (less than 1 full rotation). No subs except injury (§9.2).

11.2 A. Beach-clean setting (less than 1 full rotation). Subs per §9.3.

11.3 B. Up to 2 rotations tolerated on a set. Subs per §9.3.

11.4 C. Up to 3 rotations tolerated on a set. Subs per §9.3.

11.5 Junior. Up to 3 rotations tolerated on a set.

Junior eligibility: age 16 or under, unless the player is over 5'11" tall. A player over 5'11" is not eligible for the Junior Division regardless of age.

11.6 Playing up. Any player or team may enter a Division above their level. No player or team may enter below it. Staff enforce this under §9.1.

Green Grass Volleyball · Rules v1.1 · Questions: see the Contact page.