SPIKEFEST TOURNAMENT
RULES 2026
Tournament Format
1.1 Base Structure
All divisions compete in a 4v4 format.
1.2 Mixed Social Division Rule
Teams must have at least one female player on the court at all times.
If a team only has one female player and is using rolling substitutions, that female player must remain on court at all times while the other players rotate around her.
Match Format & Scoring
2.1 Scoring Format
Matches are best of 3 games. The first two games are played to 21 points (no cap), and the third (deciding) game is played to 15 points (no cap). Every game must be won by a margin of at least 2 points.
2.2 Scoring Method
All games use rally scoring — a point is scored on every serve, regardless of which team served.
2.3 Side Changes
Teams switch sides of the court after every 7 points in games played to 21 or more, and after every 5 points in games played to 15.
2.4 Time Outs
Each team is allowed two 30-second timeouts per game.
2.5 Forfeit Rule
A 10-minute grace period applies. If a team is not ready to play within 10 minutes of the scheduled start time, the match is forfeited to the opposing team.
Gameplay Rules
3.1 Footwear
Players may play barefoot or in shoes. Cleats and spikes of any kind are not permitted.
3.2 Center Line
Players may not make full-foot contact across the center line into the opponent's court.
3.3 Tips
Open-hand tips are not permitted.
3.4 Double Contact
Players may double-contact any first ball over the net (including serves), provided the ball is not held or caught.
3.5 Let Serves
Let serves — serves that touch the net but still land in bounds — are legal and play continues.
3.6 Blocking
A block does not count as one of a team's three allowed hits.
3.7 Setting Over the Net
When a ball is set directly into the opponent's court, the setter's shoulders must be "squared up" (perpendicular) to the line of flight of the ball.
These rules apply across all SpikeFest 2026 divisions unless otherwise stated for a specific division.
Source: SAS SpikeFest Tournament Rules (Harbour Volleyball x SAS), updated for 2026.