Sand Volleyball League Levels 2025
League Levels:
Advanced
For advanced players only. Players would be considered AA - BB players in Asheville. This is the best level of player at Highland. Advanced rules will be honored in ALL Advanced leagues and tournaments. Players should have a full understanding and mastery of the posted rules. Players should be well-practiced in clean touches, advanced serving and hand setting. Inexperienced players should NOT register for Advanced leagues or tournaments and may be asked to drop out for safety purposes.
Sand Volleyball Rules
Below rules apply to all Highland leagues. Rules will be posted during league play.
Rules in Bold Italics apply to Advanced and Intermediate/Advanced Leagues
Rosters & Tardiness
· Players must be present at the start of game to play. Unless approved by opponents, players cannot join mid-game
· The captain must notify Highland Sports Coordinator if team will not be present for a match, or forfeit through the LeagueLinq App
2v2
· Must have 2 players registered NO LATER THAN 3 days before the first scheduled match
· If co-ed league/tournament, must have one player of each gender on roster
Free Agents & Subs
· Free agents are listed in LeagueLinq and may be recruited by captains. If a team’s roster is not full 7 days prior to the first match, Highland will fill out teams with free agents
· Subs should be approved by opponents before game – rosters and contact information will be shared at the start of each season. If you cannot find an approved sub, plan to play down a player.
· Subs are NOT allowed for play-offs – no exceptions
League Match Play (tournament play may differ)
· Rock, paper, scissors or flip a coin to determine first server. The winner may choose to serve first or may select which side they play on first
· Loser of game serves first for the next game
· Each match consists of three games
2v2
· Game 1 and 2 are to 21, win by 2, cap at 25
· Game 3 is to 15, win by 2, cap at 21
General Rules of Play
Contact & Serve Receive
· Each team has a maximum of three contacts to return the ball
· A player may not contact the ball two consecutive times unless blocking or at serve return (so if the serve hits you in the face and then you bump it, that’s OK)
· You cannot block or attack (jump) a serve
· The ball must be contacted cleanly and not held (including lifted, pushed, caught, carried or thrown)
· The ball cannot roll or come to rest on any part of a player's body
In Advanced & Advanced/Intermediate Play Only
· For single-hand contact, ball must be cleanly hit with the heel or palm of the hand, or with straight and locked fingertips, with knuckle, or with the back of the hand. No open-hand tips
Net & Boundaries
· The ball may touch the net while crossing the net, including during the serve
· A ball driven into the net may be recovered within the limits of the three team contacts
· If a player goes under the net, it is not a fault unless it interferes with play
· It is a fault for a player or a player's clothing to touch any part of the net with the exception of incidental contact of the net by a player's hair OR if wind blows the net and causes the net to touch a player
· If the ball touches the outer boundary net, it is out of play
· If the ball goes into another court and a different game is occurring on that court, the ball is out of play
Blocking
2v2
· A block counts as one of team’s three touches
Setting / Open Hands
· A contact of the ball with two hands, using the fingers to direct the ball, is a set
· Ball cannot visibly come to rest during a set
In Advanced & Advanced/Intermediate Play Only
· If setting the ball over the net, shoulders must be square to your target. Accidental handsets over the net that are NOT square count as a fault
· You CANNOT open hand receive a serve, hands must be together
· Open hand receives on the first ball are ONLY allowed if it's a hard driven ball (no open hand receives on serves, bumps or pushes over)
· Sets must be clean with minimal spin and no holding – captains, please establish how strictly you will enforce this prior to each match
Rotating
· Serve order must rotate consistently
· All players present for the game must rotate into the game in the same order
· Players must rotate positions around the court, but can swap into new positions once the ball is in in play