I appreciated reading the article in The NCAA News ("Setting the rules straight," November 6 issue) about a proposed NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee. As a coach, player, college official and a member of the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) rules committee, however, I am concerned about the NCAA taking over the writing of women's volleyball rules.

Outside of the Division I Women's Volleyball Committee and a handful of Division I coaches, particularly in the Pacific-10 Conference, I believe there is great concern about changing the way women's volleyball rules are established and administered.

I have great respect for Marcia Alterman, who currently serves as the NAGWS rules interpreter and executive director for the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials. Her comments certainly reflect the position of the organizations she represents, and undoubtedly, she and her organization will serve the needs of the NCAA if the rules for collegiate women's volleyball are eventually handled by an NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee. However, please realize that her organization is a service organization to the NCAA and its member institutions and this most likely limits her ability to comment on this situation without risking the vendor/organization relationship.

Currently under the NAGWS rules committee, each division of NCAA women's volleyball has equal representation. NCAA Divisions I, II and III each have two representatives on the committee, one each from their respective championship committees and one each representing their respective division from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. In addition, the National Junior College Athletic Association and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics have a representative, along with a voting member representing the states that use NAGWS rules for high schools. Also, the NAGWS rules committee has a variety of nonvoting members that include representatives from the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (official/scorekeeper) and USA Volleyball. It is a diverse group that represents not only the three divisions of the NCAA, but high schools, junior colleges and the NAIA. The group also solicits input from the other governing volleyball rules organizations.

Although I respect the position of those who have suggested the new NCAA rules committee, I must disagree with the proposed change. My disagreement comes from a number of issues.

First, as I outlined, there are a number of divisions and organizations represented on the current NAGWS rules committee. For the first time in years, the rules established by FIVB, USA Volleyball, the National Federation of State High School Associations and NAGWS (disregarding format of play) are for the most part consistent with each organization. This has not come easily. However, my belief is that we must continue along this path in order for our game to stay healthy and to prosper. Adding another rules committee will only hinder this process.

In addition, I have a great concern about the proposed composition of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee. As proposed, the committee would consist of five Division I representatives and two each from Divisions II and III. Unlike our current situation with the NAGWS rules committee, there would not be equal representation from each of the divisions. In other words, Divisions II and Division III volleyball could ultimately be forced to accept rules as decided by the five Division I representatives -- hardly equitable.

There's an old argument in rules-making that suggests it's necessary to determine two things before a rule is to be considered as something that's good for the sport, and they are whether the players like it and whether the fans like it. I can't believe that the Division I Women's Volleyball Committee can argue that the current NAGWS rules committee does not take that into consideration from all levels of the sport. The equitable makeup/representation of the committee speaks to that.

I certainly can understand that the Division I committee and a number of Division I coaches are concerned that under the current setup, quick and perhaps radical change would not come easily. However, I would contend that in any organization, we would not want one group to be able to make such a change unchallenged to its validity and perhaps to future health of the sport. Under the proposed NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee, the above most certainly could happen.

I believe that some of the motivation for pushing forth this proposal is derived from the fact that a number of Division I coaches and perhaps even the Division I Women's Volleyball Committee feel that the NAGWS rules committee is not conducive to making rule changes as they see fit. If this is in fact the motivation behind the change, I would argue this point. Having served on the NAGWS committee for four years, I feel we have made a number of changes that have been brought forward to the committee. Those that were not approved were denied in large part because either the Division I committee and/or Division I coaches could not come to an agreement on the exact changes they wished to make.

Furthermore, the NAGWS rules committee allows for each respective organization to make adjustments to the body of rules as it sees fit. For example, the NAIA uses the NAGWS rules book but allows for unlimited substitutions and a non-rally fifth game format. New York high schools make adjustments by adding additional jewelry rules and a non-rally fifth game. Division II women's volleyball uses a different pregame warm-up protocol than Divisions I and III.

These are only a few of the examples of modifications that various organizations have made to the basic foundation of the rules set forth by the NAGWS. The NAGWS committee has made a commitment to all it represents to be flexible in its structure and to allow for the subtle differences between each organization.

In a time when college women's volleyball should be making an effort to become more consistent with the rules of other countries and organizations, splintering and creating yet another rules organization will only hinder this process. After years of slowly drawing closer to international (FIVB) and college men's and girls' club (USA Volleyball), this proposed change would only help us take a step backward.

Not only would it allow for a rules committee charged with serving all three divisions of NCAA women's volleyball to be represented unequally, it also would add confusion to coaches, players, officials and maybe most importantly, fans.

The NAGWS and the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials have served each of our respective organizations and divisions admirably. They have educated and trained all of us professionally. Let's not make a change that on the surface may seem appropriate in order to satisfy a misled notion that the NAGWS is not equipped or willing to make change that is good for the NCAA and for women's volleyball at all levels.

Tim Cowie
Women's Volleyball Coach
New York University