ceiling suspended net system

[IK13]

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:

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.

[bob jenkins]

NCAA: Out

NFHS: Judgement. If a player could have made a play, replay; otherwise out ( like a vertical backboard)

[Lcubed48]

Always listen to Bob!
I worked a high school tourney on Saturday in a big sports center that had that set up. It was played as dead ball judgment, and it never came into play once all day long.

[IK13]

Here's a picture from the internet...


The NFHS rule for playing the diagonal supports is far more appropriate than NCAA for two reasons:

1. Calling an unconditional "out" when the ball is high and away from the net and over playable area just does not make sense.
2. It is unreasonably unfair to the team that will have more sets played on that side (you guessed it - the visitors).

IMO NCAA should either adopt the HS rule or play the diagonal supports as overhead obstructions.

Coincidentally, just got today the "Women's volleyball Call for Proposals" email. Time to fill up that form...

[FMadera]

Originally Posted by IK13

Here's a picture from the internet...


The NFHS rule for playing the diagonal supports is far more appropriate than NCAA for two reasons:

1. Calling an unconditional "out" when the ball is high and away from the net and over playable area just does not make sense.
2. It is unreasonably unfair to the team that will have more sets played on that side (you guessed it - the visitors).

IMO NCAA should either adopt the HS rule or play the diagonal supports as overhead obstructions.

Coincidentally, just got today the "Women's volleyball Call for Proposals" email. Time to fill up that form...

NCAA teams will only have more sets played on the "bad" side if the match goes 3-0. All other scenarios, teams will play on both sides for approximately half the match.

[IK13]

Originally Posted by FMadera

NCAA teams will only have more sets played on the "bad" side if the match goes 3-0. All other scenarios, teams will play on both sides for approximately half the match.

True. Then again - 3:0 is a very common score. Perhaps the most common. A look at that team's (the one with the ceiling net system) 2024 season shows:

• 16 matches ended in 3 sets - 67%
• 6 matches ended in 4 sets - 25%
• 2 matches ended in 5 sets - 8%

And according to Google...

Out of the 63 matches played in the 2024 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament, the most common result was a 3-0 sweep. The breakdown of match outcomes was:
3-0 sweeps: 36 out of 63 matches (57.1%).
3-1 matches: 18 out of 63 matches (28.6%).
3-2 matches: 9 out of 63 matches (14.3%).

In any case - what's your opinion on the current NCAA rule?