One of my local colleges has one of these. The only one that I know of locally really. In its deployed position, there are vertical poles from the ceiling holding the net and the ref platform/cage and there are also diagonal support beams (on one side of the court only) going up to the ceiling as well.
The question is - how should this be played?
It is clear that if a ball contacts vertical part of the support at the net plane - the ball is out.
How about the diagonal beams? Some time back they were marked/taped at 15 feet, presumably to be considered and played as an overhead obstruction. (Instead, nowadays they are played as judgement replay regardless of the height).
However the NCAA rules specifically addresses net support like so:
Quote:
16.2.2 Ball “Out”
The ball is “out” when:
…
16.2.2.4 It contacts an antenna, the net outside an antenna, the net post, the
referee’s stand, or any supporting apparatus for the net or net post
|
The diagonal beams surely fit being “
any supporting apparatus for the net or net post”. But it feels very wrong to play them unconditional “out”. Even more so regardless of the height.