Section 4: Players & Officials
Team Composition
- 6 players on court per team
- Roster: typically 12-18 players for NCAA D1; one or two designated liberos
- Libero: defensive specialist who wears a contrasting jersey, plays only in the back row, and may replace any back-row player without counting against the substitution limit
Substitutions
- Up to 15 substitutions per set (NCAA framework — broader than FIVB's 6); substituted players may re-enter
- Libero replacements (libero in for back-row player) do not count against the 15 substitutions
Officials
- First referee (R1, on the elevated stand)
- Second referee (R2, opposite the R1)
- Two or four line judges
- Scorer + assistant scorer at the score table
Video Challenge Framework
NCAA Women's Volleyball uses a coaches' challenge / video review framework allowing review of: ball in/out (touch), antenna contact, foot fault on serve, net touch, ball-handling judgments at the 1st referee's discretion. Each team is allowed a defined number of challenges per match per the published Rules Book and conference adoption.