You cannot block a volleyball serve.

What the rule means

A served ball must be received as a normal playing contact, not blocked. If a player close to the net reaches above the net to intercept the opponent's serve as a block, the receiving team commits a fault and the serving team wins the rally.

This is true even if the ball would have crossed legally, landed in the court, or been easy for a front-row player to stop. The served ball is treated differently from an opponent's attack hit because the rally has just started and the receiving team is not allowed to block that first ball.

When a serve has been blocked

The key sign is a blocking action near the net: a player reaches higher than the top of the net to intercept the serve coming from the opponent. The player does not have to slam the ball straight down. A soft stuff, a deflection off extended hands, or a controlled redirection can still be a block if the action meets the blocking rule.

Officials look at the player's position, hand height, timing, and whether the contact was made as an interception at the net rather than as a normal receive. If the player is simply passing the ball from a receiving posture, that is not a block just because the ball is difficult or close to the net.

What the receiving team may do

• Pass or dig the serve: forearm passing, overhead receiving, and other legal first contacts are allowed.
• Use any legal first-contact technique: the serve can be handled with a normal volleyball contact, subject to ball-handling rules.
• Let the serve go out: if the served ball lands out without touching the receiving team, it is a service fault.
• Play a net serve: if the serve touches the net and crosses legally, it remains live under modern standard indoor rules.

Blocking a serve versus attacking a serve

Blocking the serve and attacking the serve are related but separate restrictions. A block is an interception at the net by a player reaching above the top of the net. An attack hit is any action, other than a serve or block, that sends the ball toward the opponent.

In standard indoor volleyball, a player also may not complete an attack hit on an opponent's serve when the ball is in the front zone and entirely above the top of the net. That means a front-row player cannot stand near the net and spike a high serve straight back. If the contact is a legal receive instead of a completed attack or block, play continues.

How officials judge the play

1. Confirm the ball was an opponent's serve, not a later free ball or attack.
2. Check whether the receiving player was close to the net and reaching higher than the top of the net.
3. Decide whether the contact was a block, an attack hit, or a normal receive.
4. If it was a block of the serve, call the fault immediately.
5. If it was not a block, apply the normal service, contact, crossing-space, and attack-hit rules.

Practical situations

If a short serve floats just over the net and a front-row receiver jumps with hands above the net to stuff it back, that is a blocking fault. The same result can apply if the player merely deflects the serve downward with a blocking motion instead of cleanly attacking it.

If a receiver stands a few steps off the net and overhead-passes the serve to a teammate, that is normally legal. If the serve clips the net and drops short, a receiver may still move forward and play it with a legal contact, but not with a block at the net.

Misunderstandings about blocking the serve

• "Only back-row players receive serves": front-row players may receive, but they still cannot block the serve.
• "If the ball is over the net, it can be blocked": not on service. The no-block rule applies specifically to the opponent's serve.
• "A tiny touch is not a block": a slight contact can still be a completed block if the player was making a blocking action.
• "A net serve can be blocked because it hit the net first": no. A serve that touches the net and crosses legally is still a serve and may not be blocked.
• "Blocking the serve is the same as a bad pass": it is a fault by rule, not just a poor receiving technique.

What happens after the fault

If the receiving team blocks the serve, the rally ends and the serving team scores a point under rally scoring. The server normally continues serving because the serving team won the rally.

If another service fault happened first, such as a foot fault or the serve crossing outside the legal space, officials apply the first fault in the sequence. If the serve was legal and the receiving team then blocked it, the blocking-the-serve fault decides the rally.

Where rules can vary

This page describes standard six-player indoor volleyball. FIVB-style rules, NCAA, NFHS, professional leagues, youth competitions, beach volleyball, sitting volleyball, and recreational leagues can differ in wording or referee mechanics. The practical indoor rule is consistent: do not block the opponent's serve.

Source material

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