Explained: All rules of Prime Volleyball League 2023

The tournament returns for its second season after a successful inaugural campaign.

The Prime Volleyball League 2023 is about to commence on the 4th February 2023, with some of the best national and international players of Volleyball on display, with live coverage on the Sony Ten Network in India.

A total of eight teams are in the second year of the event. Debutants Mumbai Meteors will compete alongside the other seven contenders for the Pro Volleyball League championship title of 2023. These are the teams competing below, with Kolkata Thunderbolts being the defending champions from last year.

The teams participating in the Prime Volleyball League include:

Ahmedabad Defenders, Bengaluru Torpedoes, Calicut Heroes, Chennai Blitz, Hyderabad Black Hawks, Kochi Blue Spikers, Kolkata Thunderbolts, Mumbai Meteors etc.

The tournament will be played across three different venues this year. The first leg of the tournament will begin in Bengaluru from 4th February onwards till 12th February, at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium. The action will then shift to Hyderabad and the final leg will be in Kochi, on the 5th of March, 2023.

Here are all the rules to be aware of ahead of the season opener.

• There are five sets of 15 points each.
• The first team to win three sets wins the match.
• A total of six players on one team, three on the front row and three on the back row.
• The volleyball court is divided into two sides by a net that's 7 ft, 11 and ½ inches (2.43m) off the ground.
• Teams earn points every time the ball hits the opponent's court or bounces out-of-bounds off an opponent. They also get to retain the chance to serve after winning the point.
• The front half of the court is where the attacking happens, the backcourt is used for defence. 
• You cannot block or attack serves from the frontcourt.
• Each team can have three touches (not including any blocks at the net) of the ball before it has to cross the net. 
• Any part of the body can be used to keep the ball in play, as long as you don't catch, hold or throw it.
• The ball may be off the net during a volley and on a serve.

• One player cannot touch the ball twice consecutively (not including any blocks at the net). No one gets to touch the net while the ball is in play.
• Each team will play the other seven teams in a single round-robin format during the league stages with the top four going through to the semi-finals of the volleyball league.
• In the round-robin league phase, every match will consist of five sets. 
• A 5-0 win earns the team three points, while any other win brings in two points. 
• If there is a tie in points, the total number of sets won will determine the team’s position.
• The super point offers the team calling a chance to double their points. However, if that team loses the rally, the opponent wins two points.
• To use a Super Point, a team must call before it reaches 11 points in the set.
• Super Serve is when a team aces the serve with the ball landing on the opponent’s court without anyone touching it, earning the serving team two points.
• The semi-finals and final will be in Kochi with the 4th - 5th of March,2023. being the key dates.