Tournament directors and staff, head referees and tournament referees

The following points of emphasis and rules clarifications should be applied consistently at all national-level USAV events, including National Qualifiers and Bid Tournaments, the US Open Championships, and the Boys’ and Girl’s JOVCs.

Libero Jerseys: The Libero uniform requirements will be diligently enforced (See USAV 19.2a, DCR page 56). There must be a contrast (such as dark vs. light) or a clear distinction between the color(s) of the Libero jersey and the predominant color(s) of the team’s regular jerseys. Please review 2008-09 USAV Rule Interpretation Bulletin #1 for specific interpretations, including jersey examples. If a team has doubt whether the Libero jersey meets these requirements, the team should be prepared to have a replacement Libero jersey available to avoid the exclusion of a Libero from the match.

Coaches’ Location: USAV 5.2.3.4 and USAV 5.3.1 will apply at all events. A rules interpretation bulletin with additional examples will be distributed soon. In brief, the coach(es) must be at least 1.75 meters (5’ 10”) from the court while the ball is in play. For competitions conducted on portable court surfaces, if the playing surface has only two meters of free zone from the front of the bench to the sideline, this effectively limits the coach(es) to the area immediately in front of, or next to, the bench while the ball is in play. It is not required for the coach(es) to be seated. Substitutes must remain seated on the team bench or must be located in the warm-up area, not closer to the court than the front of the team’s bench.

Coaches’ & Participants’ Conduct: Rules regarding the coaches’ and other participants’ conduct and bench decorum will be strictly enforced. Coaches must accept the referees’ judgment decisions without dispute (Rule 20.1.2). Only the (head) coach may request substitutions, time-outs and line-up checks, or may request through the game captain a rule clarification. While it is the first referee’s duty to prevent teams from approaching the sanctioning level, unsporting behavior must be sanctioned accordingly. Verbal warnings are not required prior to assessing a conduct penalty.

Ball Handling Guidelines: The USAV/FIVB Ball Handling Guidelines will be utilized at all USAV competitions. These guidelines can be downloaded from the USAV website by clicking on the above link.

Referee Status: Each head referee or tournament director is obligated to contact the appropriate regional referee chairperson for each referee hired for national-level events. This is to verify current USAV membership, appropriate “good standing” within each referee’s respective region, and to confirm that each referee is duly certified and has met USAV conduct and professionalism requirements.