In volleyball, the line is part of the court.

How to decide an in-or-out call

1. First ask whether the rally ended because the ball touched the floor, an antenna, an out-of-play object, or crossed the net illegally.
2. If the ball landed on the floor, judge the first floor contact, not where the ball rolled or bounced afterward.
3. If any part of the ball contacted a sideline or end line, the ball is in.
4. If the ball landed completely outside the boundary lines, check whether a player touched it before it went out.
5. If the ball crossed near the antenna, decide whether it passed through the legal crossing space before thinking about where it might have landed.

This page covers standard indoor volleyball

The explanations here follow standard six-player indoor volleyball. FIVB-style rules, national rules, school rules, professional leagues, youth competitions, beach volleyball, and recreational events may vary in procedure or facility ground rules.

The core idea is still stable: use the active court markings for that match, treat the boundary line as part of the court, and separate a landing call from a touch, antenna, or crossing-space fault.

A ball touching a boundary line is in

The sidelines and end lines are part of the playing court. That means a ball does not need to land mostly inside the court. If any part of the ball compresses onto or touches a boundary line, the ball is in.

This is the most common misunderstanding in volleyball. The outside edge of the painted line still belongs to the court. A ball beside the line is out; a ball on the line is in. For the markings themselves, see court dimensions and boundary lines.

A ball is out when it lands completely outside

If the ball's first floor contact is completely outside the sideline or end line, it is out unless another fault happened first. The referee and line judges are not deciding where the center of the ball was. They are judging whether the ball contacted the court area at all.

The free zone around the court is playable space for players, but it is not part of the court for landing decisions. A player may run outside the lines to save a ball that is still live. A ball that lands in that space without touching a boundary line is out.

Last touch can change who wins the rally

When a ball lands out, officials also ask whether a player touched it first. If an attacking ball lands out untouched, the attacking team has usually sent the ball out. If the ball touches a blocker or defender and then lands out, the touch can make that team responsible for the ball going out.

A block touch matters for in-and-out responsibility even when the block does not count as one of the team's three hits under standard indoor rules. That is why a tiny fingertip touch near the net can decide a rally that otherwise looks like a clean ball out.

The ball must cross inside the antennas

Not every out call depends on where the ball lands. A ball sent to the opponent must cross the net through the legal crossing space, which is between the antennas and above the net. A ball that touches an antenna is out.

A ball can also be out if it crosses the net partly or completely outside the crossing space, even if it might have landed in the opponent's court. The antenna works like a vertical boundary for the ball's path over the net.

Ceilings, walls, supports, and people can make the ball out

Under FIVB-style formal indoor rules, a ball is out if it touches an object outside the court, the ceiling, a person who is out of play, the posts, ropes, or net outside the side bands. The rally ends at that contact; officials do not wait to see where the ball would have landed.

Some recreational gyms or local events use special ground rules for low ceilings or overhead obstructions. Those local rules should be clarified before play. In a formal match, the competition rulebook and referee instructions control.

The same line logic applies on serves

A served ball that crosses legally and lands on a receiving-court boundary line is in. A served ball that lands completely outside the receiving court is out. A served ball that touches the net is not automatically out under modern standard indoor rules if it still crosses legally into the receiving court.

Service faults can still happen before any landing call: the wrong server, a foot fault, illegal contact, screening, or a ball crossing outside the legal space can end the rally first. Those details are covered in serving faults and let serves.

A ball outside the court can still be live

Out-of-court space is not automatically dead space. If the ball has not landed, touched an out-of-play object, or crossed illegally, a player may legally chase it in the free zone and return it within the team's allowed contacts.

There are also narrow recovery situations for balls that travel outside the crossing space toward the opponent's free zone. These depend on the path of the ball, the side of the court, and whether the team can return it legally. In ordinary play, the simpler rule is enough: a ball flying outside the court may still be live; a ball that lands outside is out.

Misunderstandings to avoid

• "Most of the ball was out" is not the test. Any contact with the boundary line makes the ball in.
• "The player was outside the court, so the ball is out" is wrong. Player position does not decide the landing call by itself.
• "It hit the net, so it is out" is too broad. A ball may touch the net and stay live if it crosses legally and no fault occurs.
• "A ball in the free zone is dead" is wrong while the ball is still airborne and playable. It becomes out when it lands or touches an out-of-play object.
• "A block touch does not matter because blocks do not count as hits" confuses two separate rules. A block touch can still decide which team sent the ball out.

What officials look for

Line judges are positioned to watch the lines they control. They signal balls in or out near those lines, touches on balls that go out, antenna contacts, illegal crossings near the antenna, and server foot faults when assigned. The first referee has final authority over the rally decision.

At levels with video review, in-or-out calls, touch calls, antenna contacts, and some crossing-space questions may be reviewable depending on the competition protocol. The review system does not create a new rule; it helps officials decide whether the original ruling matched what happened. For procedure, see challenge and replay rules.

Source material

• FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2025-2028
• FIVB Basic Rules
• FIVB Official Volleyball Rules hub
• NCAA Playing Rules
• NFHS Volleyball Rules