World Volleyball Changes Its Rules: A Point for Every Rally, Sets to 25, the Fifth Set to 15

HANOI – The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has finalised a new scoring system for indoor volleyball, described as the biggest change to the sport since the modern rulebook was introduced. Under the new format, every completed rally awards a point to the winning team, regardless of which side served. EVERY RALLY COUNTS Previously volleyball used side-out scoring: only the serving team could score, while a defending team that won a rally merely regained the serve. The old system produced matches that could last for hours and reduced their appeal for television. Under rally scoring, every rally is scored, so a weak serve or a mismatch at the net costs a point immediately instead of merely stalling momentum. SETS TO 25, DECIDING SET TO 15 A match is played as best of five, with the first team to win three sets taking the match. The first four sets end when a team reaches 25 points; the fifth set is played to 15. In every set the winner must lead by at least two points, and the rules set no ceiling, meaning a set can continue indefinitely if the teams stay level. Shortening the fifth set to 15 points is seen as a way to compress playing time and increase unpredictability in the decisive phase. FIGURES FROM TRIAL MATCHES Aggregated statistics from roughly 700 matches played under the new system show that sets reaching 24-24 or beyond account for only about 8-9 per cent of all sets. The average set score is around 25-17, an average margin of eight points. In best-of-three play the median number of sets played is two, meaning 2-0 sweeps dominate. In best-of-five play the median is four sets, indicating that a 3-1 result is the most common outcome, while matches that go to a fifth set are the least likely scenario. ROTATION AND THE LIBERO ROLE Rally scoring makes rotation strategy far more consequential than it was under side-out rules. A rotation fault – a player out of position at the moment of serve – concedes a point and the serve immediately, forcing teams to drill positional discipline. The FIVB introduced the libero as a tool to manage rotation pressure: the libero may replace back-row players freely without counting as a substitution, but may not serve, block or attack a ball that is entirely above the top of the net. The standard position template places the setter in positions 2/1, the two outside hitters in 4/2, the two middle blockers in 3/6 and the opposite in 2/1. The familiar faults remain: exceeding three touches, net contact, a back-row attack from inside the three-metre line, and crossing the centre line. BEACH VOLLEYBALL FOLLOWS THE SAME PATH Beach volleyball has been adjusted along similar lines, with 21-point sets and a 15-point deciding set. The parallel structure makes both branches of the sport easier for spectators to follow.