Section 3: Playing Area
Court Dimensions
- Rectangular court, 16 m × 8 m (smaller than the 18 m × 9 m indoor court)
- No center line on the sand court — players may move freely under the net into the opponent's court space as long as they do not interfere with the opponent's play
- Sand surface: minimum 40 cm depth of clean, sifted sand free of stones, debris, and hazards
- Free zone of at least 3 m around the court perimeter
- Court boundaries marked by 5 cm-wide tape or rope, fastened to the sand at the corners and intermediate points
Net and Surrounding Area
- Net with antennas marking the legal crossing zone
- Posts secured to support the net at the correct height; padded for player safety
- Officiating stand on one side; secondary umpire station on the opposite side
- Score table and scoreboard positioned at the end of the court
Multi-Court Layout
NCAA dual-meet competitions are typically played on five adjacent courts simultaneously to support the 5-pair format. Each court has its own officiating crew and scoring table; the dual-meet result is determined by the count of pairs-matches won across the five courts.