Two years after implementing the libero position, the NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee has endorsed a proposal allowing the libero to serve during one designated rotation.

During its annual meeting January 27-30 in Key West, Florida, the committee voted that the libero would still be designated before the game, but coaches can designate the libero-as-server rotation at any time during the game.

"Allowing the libero to serve is going to add another dimension to this exciting position," said Debbie Hendricks, head coach at Metropolitan State college of Denver and chair of the rules committee. "Reasons for restricting the libero from serving at other levels did not seem as relevant to the women's collegiate game, therefore the committee found it to be a good change. Members also felt it was important to listen to the voice of the coaches, who, according to our survey, were in strong support of allowing the libero to serve."

Forty percent of survey respondents indicated they allowed the libero to serve during the spring experimentation period, and an overwhelming 70 percent of survey respondents supported the proposal as a permanent measure. The original intent of the libero position was to create a defensive ball-handling specialist. Supporters of the proposal say that by allowing the libero to serve, a team will be able to put its best six players on the court for a bigger percentage of the game.

Under the new playing-rules approval process, all major rules changes the Women's Volleyball Rules Committee made during its January meeting must be reviewed by the division championships committees. As a result of this process, which does not end until after the May print deadline for the rules book, all rules changes will have an implementation date< of 2005. Only editorial changes will be made in the 2004 NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules book. (See the article elsewhere on this page for more information.)

Other actions

In addition to the discussion about the libero position, the committee proposed several procedural changes that streamline interaction and diffuse disputes among coaches, players and officials.

"Volleyball referees walk a fine line between acting as a facilitator while maintaining an equitable and consistent tempo in the game," said Marcia Alterman, secretary-rules editor for the committee. "While referees still will interact with coaches on unusual or difficult non-judgment decisions, discussions on common judgment issues will be curtailed in an effort to maintain flow."

Also, in a move that reduces coaches' responsibility for the legality of the opponent's team uniforms, the committee voted to prevent players in illegal uniforms from entering the game. Coaches will no longer be involved with the opponent's uniform specifications.

The committee also made the following rules clarifications:

The group voted that hair is not considered a body part and if a ball clearly contacts only a player's hair, it is not considered to have been touched.

Regarding the libero uniforms, the committee is working to clarify the language and will meet on a future conference call to make any changes.

In other business, the committee reviewed the scoring format and decided not to implement 25-point games. Data from the past two years indicate match times are, on average, one hour and 35 minutes, a length the committee feels is legitimate for fans, players and others involved with the sport. Internationally, games played to 25 points sometimes are completed in less than an hour. With the Athens Olympics this summer, the committee decided to wait and see what happens internationally before altering the scoring format.

Data collection will continue to be a priority for the committee, especially considering the rules change with the libero serving, and further review of the scoring format. The study will be continued for match lengths and the number of substitutions used per game for 2004. In the past, selected conferences have been asked to participate. For the upcoming year, the committee is considering other methods of data collection.

Other highlights

Women's Volleyball Rules Committee
January 27-30/Key West, Florida

Voted to allow players to wear insulin pumps.

Made changes to better accommodate the media, while considering student-athlete safety.

Allowed more flexibility for conferences to have the event management staff take responsibility for the pre-match countdown clock, allowing the referees to leave the court when they do not have actual on-court duties.

Noted that the 2004 rules survey will be conducted online in the fall. The call for proposals will again be mailed October 1 for a January 15 return date. The proposals still will require the signatures of at least two coaches from different institutions in order to be considered by the committee.

Noted that a memo outlining all rules proposals will be mailed to coaches in late February. After the rules changes have gone through the governance process, another memo will be mailed outlining the rules changes that will be made, effective 2005. A copy of the 2005 NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules will be sent to each head volleyball coach and will be available for sale from the NCAA after June 1.