Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Faults (Cause Loss of Rally)
- Ball lands out of bounds (outside the court boundary; the boundary line counts as in)
- Four contacts by the same pair (block contact counts in beach)
- Catch or throw — extended contact with the ball (not a clean hit)
- Hand-setting violation (per the beach-specific standard above)
- Net touch by a player or player's clothing
- Crossing under the net and interfering with the opponent's play
- Ball does not pass through the legal crossing zone (between the antennas)
- Server foot fault or service-zone violation
- Receiving player completely catches the serve
Misconduct Sanctions
FIVB misconduct sanctions apply, with NCAA-specific publications elaborating on dual-meet bench discipline:
- Warning (verbal; not recorded)
- Penalty (yellow card; loss of rally + point to opposing pair)
- Expulsion (red card; player removed for remainder of the set; replacement allowed in beach is limited — typically the match continues with one player or is forfeited per the Modifications)
- Disqualification (yellow + red shown together; player and any required additional sanctions per the NCAA Sportsmanship and Bench Conduct guidance)
Coaching
Coaching from the bench is permitted in NCAA beach volleyball within the team area; coaches may not enter the court during a rally or interfere with the officials' line of sight. The NCAA Modifications document specifies bench-conduct expectations.
Challenge / Video Review
NCAA Beach Volleyball does not currently use video review in the same manner as indoor volleyball or some FIVB events. Officiating decisions are final on the court; appeals are limited to the lineup-form challenge process described in Section 4.