Aug. 21, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
The 2001, the NCAA instituted rally scoring in an effort to "increase the intensity of play throughout the match, broaden the appeal of women's collegiate volleyball and result in less variance in match time," according to NCAA.org. Seven years later, the national governing body has instituted another series of rules changes, including one major rule that affects scorekeeping.
In past seasons (prior to 2001), NCAA women's volleyball had been scored under the side-out format. Under the side-out format, only the serving team could score points. Matches were played the best three-out-of-five games and each game went to 15 points. The winner was required to win by two points.
In rally scoring, a point is scored on every serve. Even if a team is not serving, a point can be scored. Matches were still played to the best three-out-of-five, but were played to 30 points with the winner still required to win by two points.
Until now, that is. Volleyball "games" in a best-of-five format will no longer exist beginning this season. "Games" are now referred to as "sets," and the number of points required to win sets one through four is now 25, instead of 30. Rally scoring will still be utilized despite the shortage in single-set points. Notably, the number of points required to win the fifth set remains at 15.
After sampling the 2007 campaign, two of Illinois State's matches would have been affected had the new scoring system been implemented last season. The Aug. 28 four-game win over Northern Illinois (30-28, 26-30, 30-24, 31-29) would have been extended to a decisive fifth game in the new 25-point format; the Huskies held a 25-20 lead in game four before the Redbirds ended the frame on an 11-4 spurt to claim a 31-29 and seal the four-game road victory.
On Sept. 29 in Des Moines, Iowa, under the new scoring system, the Redbirds would have boarded the charter plane a little earlier and not been forced to sweat out a five-game win. Mallory Leggett's kill gave ISU what would have been a match-ending 25-23 win in game four, but the Bulldogs fought back to force a fifth game, winning the fourth stanza in extra points, 31-29.
According to the NCAA rule book, the intention of this rule change is to increase fan and player focus and fan excitement. Officials argued that there was a reduction in the intensity of many contests in the middle of a game that was played to 30 points.
There will also be a stricter limit on the amount of in-set substitutions allowed for coaches. The maximum number of substitutions for each team is 12 per set; when games were played to 30 points, coaches were allowed to sub up to 15 times in a single-game.
Other rules changes regarding the playing area, interference, coaches' position on the sidelines, communication with officials and protests, were also instituted. The 2008 NCAA rules book is posted on NCAA.org, and can be viewed as a PDF file.
