MYA Volleyball Referee Handbook
1. Referee Qualifications and Expectations
1.1 Qualification
MYA Volleyball referee candidates should have the following qualifications:
- High school student in grades 9 to 12
- 2+ years of experience playing organized volleyball at the recreational, high school team and/or club volleyball level
- Strong knowledge of USA Volleyball rules and the special House rules followed by MYA Volleyball
- Ability and desire to enforce volleyball rules during league matches
1.2 Expectations
It should be stated upfront that serving as a referee is a paid position that has certain job requirements. Here are some key expectations of all MYA Volleyball referees:
- Learn and follow the rules – they are different rules for each league!!
- Be accountable for updating your availability in assignr.com
- Be responsible for accepting match assignments you can work
- Arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled match
- Setup and take-down volleyball nets as needed
- Focus on the match and never on your phone
- Document match results in the score books
- Stay in touch with the Head Referee
Here are two expectations that are worth drilling into deeper.
- MATCH ASSIGNMENTS - You are accountable for matches you’ve committed to referee. If your schedule changes, you must notify the Head Referee at least 48 hours in advance that you cannot make a scheduled match. If you do not, the Head Referee has no obligation to schedule you for any additional matches no matter your priority.
- CELL PHONES - You are permitted to check your phone between sets/games. However, you should never check your phone during a game (unless it’s an emergency). Referees looking at phones and not paying attention to the game is our #1 complaint from parents – yes, they are watching you. Reminder that this is a paid position and it’s your job to focus on the game. If you violate this expectation, the Head Referee has no obligation to schedule you for any additional matches no matter your priority.
2. Match Assignments and Paychecks
2.1 Demophere
During 2024, MYA Volleyball is utilizing the Demophere Referee Management application. It supports the input of referee availability, the assignment of matches, and the payment through electronic paychecks.
At the beginning of the season, registered referees will receive an email from Demosphere to setup as a referee. This includes direct deposit information for paychecks and availability to referee Saturday matches. A video will be made available in March to train referees on using the application.
2.2 Assignment Priority
MYA Volleyball has an established policy for prioritizing match assignments based on the following criteria:
- Priority #1: Head Referees and Lead Referees
- Priority #2: Referees who are also volunteer Head Coaches or Co-Coaches
- Priority #3: USA Volleyball certified referees – completing the online class is sufficient (note that there is a fee for becoming a USA Volleyball member)
- Priority #4: Returning referees in good standing
- Priority #5: All others in good standing
2.3 Hourly Pay Rate (2024)
Here is the hourly rate structure.
- $20/hr – first season of refereeing
- $22/hr – second season of refereeing
- $24/hr – third season of refereeing
- $26/hr – more than three seasons of refereeing
Refereeing matches with girls in the spring and then boys in the fall counts as two seasons.
2.4 Monthly Paychecks
Demosphere is used to generate electronic paychecks. Referees should ensure that the information in Demosphere is always current with matches worked. If there are discrepancies, contact the Head Referee or Referee Coordinator.
Paychecks are requested once a month during the fall and spring seasons.
- Spring Season
- March paycheck - deposited early April
- April paycheck - deposiited early May
- May/June paycheck - depositied mid-June
- Fall Seasons
- September/October paycheck - depositied early November
- November paycheck - deposited early December
3. Volleyball Rules
3.1 Rules and Interpretations
MYA Vollyeball Rules follow the official United States Volleyball (USAV) rulebook. Some variances are made for the House leagues to foster more equitable games and encourage learning.
From a rules interpretation perspective, Select and Travel matches should be called tight. Similar to HS or Club volleyball matches, foot faults, mishandled balls, and contact with the net are faults that result in points for the other team.
For House matches, mishandled balls are allowed except for obvious lifts and throws. Foot faults are allowed in 4th to 8th grade leagues but not in the 9th-12th grade league. Net and center line violations that may cause a dangerous situation are always considered a fault.
3.2 Basics of Calling a Volleyball Rally
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When the server is in position and ready to serve, blow your whistle while gestering for the player to serve (open hand moving in front of your chest)
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If a House match and the server misses his/her first serve in the rotation, blow the whistle again and signal a playover (two thumbs up). Return to the first step above.
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When the ball is dead, first blow the whistle to signal end of the point.
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Then gesture which side has earned the point by pointing your straightened arm to the appropriate side
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Then signal the call that resulted in the point. Here are the most common calls and appropriate gestures:
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If a ball is out of bounds, hold up both hands in front of your head with palms facing your body
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If a ball is down in the court, gesture straight arm down on appropriate side
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If a ball is deflected out of bounds, gesture your hands in a "T" pointing to the appropriate side
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If a ball is double-contacted, hold up your index and middle fingers in a "peace" sign
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If a ball is lifted, carried or thrown, hold out your hand with palm up and move your hand upwards
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If a player is in the net, gesture an open hand towards the net on the side of the violation
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If in a House match and a team has earned an extra point, first signal the point, then hold up your index and middle fingers in a "peace" sign
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If the last point of the set, complete the call for the point, then blow the whistle a extra long time again and signal end of game/set by crossing your arms across your chest.
3.2 Minimum Players and Match Forfeits
Here are some rules on how many players are required for a match to be official:
- Teams normally play with 6 players on the court. A minimum of 5 players are required to start a set. If a 6th player arrives, that player may enter the current game immediately. When playing with 5 players, the team does not lose the serve when the 6th player “hole” goes to serve. The next player in the rotation simply serves.
- If a team has less than 5 players on the court after the warm-up period, the first game is declared a forfeit and recorded as 21-0 for the opponent. If a team cannot place 5 players on the court 10 minutes later, the entire match is declared a forfeit with each game recorded as 21-0 for the opponent.
- In a forfeit situation, the two teams are encouraged to split up available players and use the remaining match time to play for fun. The referees are available to officiate.
4. Pre-Match Activities
4.1 Net Setup and Breakdown
Lead Referees have primary responsibility for coordinating with the other referees to setup nets when matches begin in a facility and taking nets down and returning them to storage at the end of the day.
Below are videos on how to setup nets at each facility used for matches:
- McLean HS, Longfellow MS, and Kilmer MS - Spalding Aluminum Elite System
- Kent Gardens ES - Spalding Slider Multi-Sport System
- Madeira School - TBD
4.2 Backpack
Each Lead Referee is assigned a black MYA Volleyball backpack that contains key items for league matches. If a Lead Referee cannot attend, another referee will be asked to take ownership of the backpack
The backpack has the following contents:
- 2 scoreboards ("score flippers") with attached timers
- 2 scorebooks for reporting match results
- Multiple flat cones for ES service lines
- First aid kit
- Extra ice packs
- Extra whistles (electronic and blow)
- Extra pens
- A printed summary of league rules
5. Match Activities
5.1 Match Sequencing
Here are some basic logistics of how matches are sequenced. Each game/set is to 21 points and countdown timers are used to keep all matches on time.
Here is the sequencing of each match:
- As soon as the previous match ends, both teams walk on the court and immediately begin warm-ups
- Referees set the countdown timer to 10 minutes or 15 minutes (HSS/MSS) and begin the countdown
- During the 10 minute warm-up period:
- Both teams warm-up at the same time and never sit waiting for the other team to complete their warm-ups
- Both teams utilize the late 2 minutes of the warm-up period to practice services
- During the warm-up period, referees call a captains meeting and flip a coin to determine which team serves first. If a coin is not available, the captains use rock-paper-scissors
- The coin-flip winner has the choice of serving first or taking a specific side to receive serve
- During the warm-up period, referees fill out the scorebook for the next match entering in the team names, start time, referees and framework for reporting results
- After warm-up times expires, referees instruct both teams to line up on the court to start play -- there are no handshakes before matches begin.
- 60-minute matches target playing all 3 games/sets (not best 2 of 3) and 90-minute matches target all 5 games/sets (not best 3 of 5). Referees set the countdown clock to the number of minutes remaining to play the match before the scheduled end time.
- All games/sets are played to 21 points (win by 2) starting at 0-0
- There are 2-minute breaks between games
- Teams switch sides after each game/set.
- An extra coin-flip for the last game is not required
- Each team is permitted two (2) 30-second timeouts per game
- If the final game/set is not completed when the countdown clock expires, the referees will declare the team with the most points as the game winner -- win by 2 points is not required
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- If the final game is tied when time expires, the winner of the next point is the game winner
- After the last game of the match completes, both teams line up to shake hands under the net and walk off the court afterwards so the next match can begin
5.3 Managing Games/Sets, Points and Results
5.3.1 Referee Roles
Each match has a target of 2 referees. The "up" referee stands opposite the score table and calls the set/game. The "down" referee sits at the score table tracking points and recording match results. The "down" referee should also keep an eye on the near sideline and net to help the up referee.
If there is only one referee for a match, ask one of the coaches to recruit a parent/spectator to sit at the score table to flip the score.
5.3.2 Recording Points
Following rally scoring, a point is usually awarded with each serve. The exception is a service re-do in House and a playover. The "down" referee should flip the score for the team based on the ruling by the "up" referee.
5.3.3 House Service Limits
In House matches, the "up" referee must track how many consecutive service wins are earned by a server. The maximum is 3 for 4th to 8th grade house leagues and 5 for the 9th-12th grade house league. After the maximum is hit, the service returns to the other team which rotates the next server into position.
5.3.4 Tracking Results
After each game/set, the "down" referee records the final score in the scorebook emphasizing which team won. After the match is completed, the "down"referee also indicates which team had the most wins and therefore won the match.
5.3.5 Reporting Match Results
After the match, one of the referees texts a picture of the complete scorebook sheet to the Head Referee. This information will be uploaded to the MYA Volleyball website for tracking league standings.
5.2 Disrespectful Participants
MYA Volleyball has a zero tolerance for players, coaches or spectators questioning referee calls and disrespecting referees. Unfortunately, it does happen in the heat of a matches, especially during playoffs. Here are the recommendations:
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Stay calm
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Stay true to your decision. Work with the other referee to confirm a ruling or score.
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If questions persist, explain the situation to the coach and ask that he/she talk with the individual (if other than the coach)
- If the situation gets out of hand, do the following:
- Locate the Lead Referee in the facility and have him/her talk with the individual
- Call the MYA Volleyball Director (Chuck Pruitt 571-830-0141). He'll want to talk with you to understand the situation and to the individual
- At no point will a Lead Referee, Head Referee or Director overrule a judgment call.
6. Special Events
6.1 Froyo Challenge
To celebrate how all players have improved their volleyball skills this season, MYA Volleyball runs the popular "Froyo Challenge" on the last day of the regular season.
What is the Froyo Challenge? It’s pretty simple. In each House and Select league, the team that records the most multi-touches following the rules outlined below wins a gift certificate for FROZEN YOGURT or related frozen treats.
Gift certificates will be given to the top four teams in each league:
- 1stPlace - $100 gift certificate
- 2ndPlace - $90 gift certificate
- 3rd Place - $80 gift certificate
- 4rd Place - $75 gift certificate (not Select)
This should be a great incentive for teams to work on their three touches during practices and at matches. In past seasons, the teams that won the challenge were not always the same teams that had the best end-of-season records.
Here’s how the Froyo Challenge will be measured in each league:
- 4th and 5th Grade House Leagues: Teams earn “Froyo Points” with a combination of 2 or 3 consecutive touches on one side that goes over the net and leads to an immediate win where the opponent does not legally return the ball over the net into play. A two-touch combination earns a team 2 Froyo Points and a three-touch combination earns 3 Froyo Points.
- 6th Grade House League: One Froyo Point is earned with each extra point scored by the team following the 3-touch extra point rule for ES matches: "At the discretion of the referee, an extra point is awarded to a team that executes a multi-touch combination that leads to an immediate win where the opponent does not legally return the ball over the net into play. For 6th Grade House, any three legal touches earns the extra point. The opportunity to earn an extra point on a multi-touch combination is nullified if the opposing team legally returns the ball over the net and into play.”
- 7th and 8th Grade House Leagues One Froyo Point is earned with each extra point scored by the team following the 3-touch extra point rule for MS matches: "At the discretion of the referee, an extra point is awarded to a team that executes a three-touch combination that leads to an immediate win where the opponent does not legally return the ball over the net into play. For the 7th and 8th Grade House leagues, three-touches earns the extra point. However, the third touch must involve an arm swing above the shoulder and can be executed by a front-row or back-row player. Rolls and tips/dinks are counted as hits, while forearm passes/bumps and two arm hand sets are not. The opportunity to earn an extra point on a multi-touch combination is nullified if the opposing team legally returns the ball over the net and into play.”
- MS Select, HS Select and 9th-12th Grade House Leagues: Teams earn Froyo Points for by recording "Spike Kills". So, what's a Spike Kill? For the purpose of the Froyo Challenge, a spike (also called a "hit" or "attack") must involve an arm swing above the shoulder and can be executed by a front-row or back-row player. Rolls and dinks are counted as spikes, while forearm passes ("bumps") and two arm hand sets are not. The spike can happen on the second or third touch on the side. A Spike Kill is when the opponent fails to control the ball after the spike and cannot legally return it into play. Note that the Spike Kill only counts if the opposing team cannot control the ball – if they dig the spike and have a controlled 2nd and/or 3rd touch but fail to play the ball back over the net legally; it does not count as a Spike Kill.
Referees record Froyo Points throughout the match on poster boards setup in each gym. Coaches may assist in identifying Froyo Points, but referees have the final say in what is officially recorded.
6.2 Playoffs
Playoff matches are refereed the same exact way as regular season matches. There are a few procedural differences:
- In addition to recording match results in the scorebook, referees must also update the playoff bracket taped to the wall in a prominent location in the gym. The bracket helps track which teams are playing each other and on which court.
- The first round of playoff matches have a define start time. Afterwards, each match starts as soon as both teams are ready to play. Referees should keep playoff moving forward and start the next playoff match as soon as possible.