Substitutions, time-outs and scoring

Substitutions

A substitution is when a player on court is replaced by a player from the bench, through the official procedure: the coach asks, the scorer records it. Libero replacements are separate and do not count (see the libero guide).

The FIVB limits (rules 15.1 and 15.6):

• Six substitutions per team per set. Several players can be substituted at the same time; each one counts.
• A starter (a player in the starting line-up of that set) may leave the game, and come back, only once each per set, and only to their previous position in the line-up.
• A substitute may enter only once per set, in place of a starter, and can be replaced only by that same starter.

So each pairing is fixed for the set: if substitute B comes on for starter A, the only way back for A is to replace B, and once A is back, neither of them can go off again in that set (except for an exceptional substitution).

Exceptional substitution (rule 15.7): if an injured player cannot be substituted legally, any player not on court at that moment (apart from the libero and their replacement player) can come on. It does not count towards the six, but the injured player may not return in that match.

Many recreational and youth leagues allow more substitutions or free substitution. Check your league.

Time-outs

• Two time-outs per team per set (rule 15.1), each lasting 30 seconds (rule 15.4).
• Only the coach (or the game captain if there is no coach) can ask, while the ball is out of play and before the whistle for the serve.
• Some competitions, especially at top level, add technical time-outs or use different time-out rules. At club level, two 30-second time-outs is the norm.

Scoring

Volleyball uses rally scoring: every rally gives a point to someone, whichever team served.

• To win a set: be first to 25 points with at least a 2-point lead. At 24–24, play continues until one team leads by two, for example 26–24 or 31–29 (rule 6.2).
• To win the match: win three sets. The match is best of five.
• The fifth (deciding) set is played to 15 points, also with a 2-point lead. Teams change sides when one team reaches 8 points.
• Teams change sides after each set. Before the deciding set there is a new coin toss for serve and sides.

Many leagues play best of three, or a fixed number of sets, or a shorter third set. Again, league rules decide.

The serve

The serve rules are in rule 12:

• The server must hit the ball within 8 seconds of the first referee’s whistle.
• The ball must be tossed or released and hit with one hand or any part of the arm. Only one toss is allowed. Dribbling or moving the ball in your hands beforehand is fine; tossing it up and letting it drop counts as your one toss, so it is a fault.
• At the moment of the hit (or take-off for a jump serve), the server must be in the service zone: behind the end line, between the extensions of the sidelines. The server may not touch the court, including the end line. They may land inside the court after the hit.
• A serve made before the whistle is cancelled and repeated.
• The ball may touch the net on the serve, as long as it goes over between the antennae.

Rotational fault versus positional fault

These two are easily confused.

Under FIVB rules for 2025–2028, only the receiving team can commit a positional fault; the serving team may stand anywhere in its court. Many leagues still apply the older rule to both teams. Read more in the overlap guide.

If a serving fault and a positional fault happen at the same moment, the server’s fault counts (for example, a foot fault on the serve). If the serve goes wrong after it has been hit, for example into the net, the positional fault counts (rule 7.5).

Keep track of it all

The match tracker counts substitutions, time-outs and the score, and shows who should serve next, so you spot a rotational fault before the referee does.