Current NIRSA (National Intramural Recreational Sport Association) shall govern all intramural rules used for Wallyball at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Intramural Sports reserves the right to make changes or additions to the rules or policies at anytime.

Wallyball is a team game that is played with a round inflated ball in an area where a net is placed between 2 or more walls. Play is started by one team hitting the ball "off the wall" or directly over the net to the opposing teams' floor area. The opposing team attempts to prevent this by hitting the ball off the side or back wall and volleying it back over the net. The ball is out of bounds whenever it touches the ceiling, hits the back wall, or hits two or more walls on the serve or volley. The back wall is in play only on teams' side that's returning the serve or volley. Points are scored when the team’s side that's returning the serve or volley fails to return it in a manner allowed by the rules. The team first scoring 15 points, provided there is a two point advantage.

Facility

Wallyball will be played in the Campus Recreation Center.

Equipment

  1. Sneakers must be worn.
  2. Athletic shorts/pants must be worn. No belts, belt loops, exposed drawstrings or zippers are allowed.
  3. No leg or knee braces made of hard, unyielding material is allowed.
  4. No jewelry is allowed. Including earrings, rings, necklaces, watches and bracelets of any kind.
  5. No head wear with a hard surface or exposed knot may be worn. This includes baseball hats, bandannas, do-rags, and stocking caps.

Players and Game Timing

  1. Teams should consist of 4 players, minimum of 4 to start.
  2. A match shall consist of the best of three games. First two games to 25. If necessary, a third game to 15.
    • In the first two games:
      • If the leading team does not have a two-point advantage, play shall continue until one team has a two-point advantage, unless a team reaches the 28-point cap.
    • The third game will determine the winner based on the first team to reach 15-points.
      • If the leading team does not have a two-point advantage, play shall continue until one team has a two-point advantage, unless a team reaches the 18-point cap.
  3. Rally scoring
    • Every side out/ loss of rally results in a point: results in a point for the opponent.
  4. Time-Outs
    • One 30-second time-out per game. Time-outs do not carry over.
  5. Substitutions
    • Substitutions must be made before a serve. All substitutes must stay outside the court until a substitution opportunity is available.

Playing Regulations

Wallyball is self-officiated. Players are responsible for making their own calls.

Start of the Game

  1. Each game will begin with a coin toss between opposing captains. The winner chooses to either start with the ball or pick a side.
  2. The team not serving first shall start serving the second game.
  3. Teams shall change playing areas at the end of each game.

Inbound/Out-of-bound

  1. The back wall is in play only on the team's side that's returning the serve or volley providing a player on that team touches it first.
  2. The ball is out of bounds whenever it hits the ceiling, hits the back wall on a serve or a volley, hits two or more walls on a serve or volley.
  3. Anytime the ball is hit out of the court area the ball is dead and the point shall be replayed. There is no loss of point or serve. If the ball touches the ceiling before leaving the court area, the ball is out of bounds and side out is declared. (Loss of point or serve).

The Serve

  1. When the serving team commits a foul, the ball shall be given to their opponents, who shall rotate one position clockwise.
  2. The service area is three feet from each end of the court.
  3. The right player of the serving team shall be the first server of the game. Thereafter, the player rotating from the right forward to the right back shall be the server.
    • A player shall not serve out of turn. An out-of-turn service may be called by opponents' captains. The points made on this service shall be canceled and the side-out service is called, there shall be no loss of point. In either case players of the team in error shall return to their proper positions before another service by either team.
  4. The server shall serve from the within the serving area and shall not touch the lines bounding this area on the floor outside this area at the instant the ball is contacted when hit for the serve. A part of the server's body may be in the air over or beyond these lines.
  5. The ball is dead if it:
    • Touches the floor of the serving area, a teammate of the server, the net
    • Passes through or under the net
    • Lands out of bounds.
  6. It is illegal for the players of the serving team to place their arms forming a screen with which to hide the server’s action, jump, or form groups of two more players for such a purpose.

Playing the Ball

  1. A team shall not set or play the ball more than three times. The ball must clear the net on the third set or that team loses the point or the serve. Contacting the wall does not count as a set or play.
  2. The ball can be hit with any part of the body above the waist.
  3. Contacting two or more walls is only permitted on the team's side, after the player touches the ball.. The ball shall not cross the net after contacting two or more walls. If it does it is considered a side-out or loss of point.
  4. Simultaneous contacts of the ball with two or more parts of a player's body are allowed and are considered as one play.
  5. Simultaneous contacts of the ball by more than one player on the same team are allowed and are considered as one play. Players participating in such a play may participate in the next play.

Net Play

  1. A player shall not contact any part of the net while the ball is in play. When the ball is driven into the net so that it causes the net to contact an opposing player or players, this is not a foul if they did not actually contact the net by their own motion.
  2. A ball (other than when served) may touch the net within or on the side when crossing to enter the opponent's playing area.
  3. In returning the ball a player may follow through over the net, providing he first contacts the ball on is own side of the net. Player(s) in the act of blocking may reach across the net but may not contact the ball there until opponent has hit the ball to return it.
  4. A player may touch the center line but not the floor on the opposite side of the center line while the ball is in play. Any part of a players body may be in the air below the net and beyond the center line if he does not interfere with the opponents play by touching the ball or an opponent. A player may reach under the net to retrieve a ball that is in play by his team.
  5. When a player participates in blocking and makes only one attempt to play the ball during the block, he/she may make successive contacts of the ball during such a play. Player(s) participating in this play may participate in the next play; however, this second hit shall count as the second of three hits allowed by a team.
  6. Blocking can only be done by the front line. A player may not move up to assist. No more than 2 players may block a serve, spike, or volley.