SRSport Rules
Volleyball - Review procedure

Challenges and replays are separate decisions.

Video challenge rules let officials review specific rally actions when the competition has an approved replay system. They do not turn every judgment call into a debate, and they do not automatically mean the point is replayed. Most reviews either confirm the original ruling, change the point because a fault is shown, or leave the ruling in place because the video is inconclusive.

Quick ruling: first ask whether the match actually uses a challenge system. If it does, the referee checks whether the request is timely, whether the action is reviewable, and whether the video clearly proves a fault or correction. A replay is used only when the rules make replaying the rally the fairest result.
Core rule

What a volleyball challenge is

A challenge is a formal request to review a specific action using the video system approved for that competition. In major FIVB-style indoor events, teams normally request challenges at the end of the rally, including actions from the serve through the final contact. The challenge referee and video operator review the available angles, then advise the first referee, who announces the final decision.

The exact technology, number of challenges, and review menu can differ between FIVB, NCAA, high school, professional league, and local events. If a match has no official challenge system, the referees officiate live under the normal rules and teams do not gain an informal replay right.

Reviewable plays

What teams usually can challenge

  • Ball in or out: whether the ball touched the court on or outside a boundary line.
  • Block touch or last touch: whether a player contacted the ball before it went out or before the team used later contacts.
  • Net or antenna fault: whether a player or the ball illegally contacted the net or antenna.
  • Foot and line faults: service foot faults, attack-line faults, and center-line faults where the review system allows them.
  • Floor touch: whether a ball was kept alive by a legal save or had already touched the court.
Decision path

How officials handle the review

  1. The rally ends or the referee stops play under the code's procedure.
  2. The coach or authorized team member requests the challenge within the allowed time and identifies the suspected fault.
  3. The second referee or challenge official confirms the nature of the request and whether it fits the review menu.
  4. The video team checks the relevant camera angles and any approved supporting footage.
  5. The first referee applies the result: original decision confirmed, decision changed, ruling inconclusive, or replay ordered if the rules require it.
Challenge count

When a team keeps or loses a challenge

Under FIVB's current indoor video challenge regulations, a team has a limited number of challenges per set. A correct challenge is retained, an unsuccessful challenge is lost, and an inconclusive review does not cost the team a challenge. Other competitions may set different limits or use different replay procedures, so the match regulations control the final answer.

Replay point

When the rally is replayed

A replay point is not the normal result of a challenge. If the video clearly shows a fault that changes who should win the rally, the point is usually awarded to the correct team. A replay is used when the rules treat the rally as impossible to decide fairly from the normal fault sequence, such as certain referee interruptions, outside interference, equipment or system issues, or a situation the competition regulations specifically identify as a replay.

The key difference is this: a challenge asks whether the evidence proves a rule outcome. A replay means the rally is wiped out and played again because awarding the point either way would be unfair under the rulebook.

First fault

The earliest proven fault controls

Officials do not review a rally as a set of disconnected clips. If the review shows an earlier fault in the same sequence, that first fault can decide the point even if the team challenged a later action. For example, a team may challenge a block touch, but if the review sequence clearly shows a net fault by the attacking team before the touch question mattered, the earlier net fault controls.

Common confusion

What a challenge cannot do

  • It cannot create video review in a match where the competition has not authorized a challenge system.
  • It does not automatically review every possible fault in the rally unless the procedure allows that scope.
  • It does not turn inconclusive video into a changed call; the original decision usually stands.
  • It does not let a team challenge repeatedly during the same interruption unless the rules expressly allow both teams to challenge related actions.
  • It does not replace the first referee's authority to manage the final ruling.
Edge case

The whistle stops a playable ball

If an official's whistle interrupts a rally and prevents a team from making a genuine play, a replay can be the fair result. If the whistle did not affect the natural outcome because the ball was already out of play or the point was already decided, the rally is usually not replayed just because someone disagrees with the call.

Edge case

The video is unclear

Unclear video is not the same as proof that the original call was wrong. In most formal systems, an inconclusive review leaves the referee's decision in place. That is why camera angle, line visibility, player obstruction, and timing matter so much in challenge decisions.

Scope

Where rules can vary

This page describes the general logic of indoor volleyball challenge and replay procedure, with FIVB-style systems as the main reference point. NCAA, NFHS, pro leagues, youth tournaments, beach volleyball, and events with automated line technology may use different challenge limits, review categories, coach signals, or replay procedures. For a real match, the competition handbook and current rulebook decide the details.