The National Federation of State High School Associations has approved seven rules changes for high school volleyball, including a major adjustment that will allow teams to designate up to two libero players during each set.
The change to Rule 6-4-2 permits multiple liberos to be used by a team, though only one libero can be in the game at a time. Prior to each set, a team may designate zero, one or two liberos on the lineup sheet.
“We have seen rapid growth in high school volleyball participation over the last several years, which has resulted in more highly skilled student-athletes and larger rosters,” said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the Volleyball Rules Committee. “Providing an opportunity for one more student-athlete to participate aligns with the mission of education-based athletics.”
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The rules changes were recommended by the NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee at its annual meeting Jan. 11-13 and approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
Additional changes address how a libero can be replaced due to injury or disqualification when two liberos have been designated. If a libero is injured, a team may replace the injured player with the player they replace on the court or the second libero, and may also re-designate a new libero. If a libero is disqualified and two liberos have been designated, the disqualified player may be replaced by the player they replace on the court or the second libero, though the team must continue to play with one libero.
The libero’s uniform was addressed with added Rule 4-2-1i(3) to note that the libero’s uniform bottom may be any color while adhering to all other uniform rules.
The rules committee also addressed actions by non-playing teammates. Rule 12-2-8b was added to assess when a non-playing teammate enters the court while the ball is in play as illegal alignment and penalized with a loss of point/rally. A coach or team attendant entering the court while the ball is in play is still considered unsporting conduct, and a non-playing teammate may receive a conduct violation if they engage in disconcerting acts or disrespectful actions.
Rule 12-2-8m was added to prohibit the use of props in bench celebrations by non-playing teammates to promote good sportsmanship while preventing disruptions.
Other changes include adjusting the second warning between sets to two minutes, 30 seconds instead of two minutes, 45 seconds to improve pace of play; prohibiting players on the serving team from raising their hands above their heads during service until the ball has passed beyond the net; and prohibiting players from wearing any audio or video devices during matches, aligning volleyball rules with other NFHS rules codes.
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