Dates	Dance Activities
07/30	Registration Open
10/3	Registration Deadline (by 6:00 PM) + Registration Fee
10/11	Day 1: Eau Claire Hmong New Year (7:00 AM – 4:30 PM)
10/12	Day 2: Eau Claire Hmong New Year (7:00 AM – 4:30 PM)

EC Hmong New Year Tournament
Rules & Regulations

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1.0 Team & Player Requirements

1.1 Team Uniforms

• Shirtless play is NOT permitted.
  
• Barefoot is NOT allowed.
  
• Same color jerseys are NOT required.

1.2 Roster & Player Eligibility

• Teams may have up to 10 players on their roster.
  
• Single-Team Participation:

Each player must remain with the team they are officially registered on for the duration of the tournament. A player may not compete for more than one team. Any player who does so will be disqualified, and any team(s) that used that player will also be subject to disqualification.

• Court limits:
  
  • Maximum: 6 players on the court
    
  • Minimum: 4 players on the court
    
• Ethnicity rule:
  
  • Our aim of this event is to highlight Hmong players therefore:
    Minimum of 3 Hmong players must be on the court at all times.
    
  • Players of mixed descent (half or quarter Hmong) may count as Hmong
    
  • Proof of Hmong heritage will be required if called into question.
    
  • Teams that are found to be lacking the minimum requirement of Hmong players  will be disqualified.
    
  • Host will have the final say on all eligibility disputes.

1.3 Substitutions

• Standard subs: Allowed on right back and left front positions, only when your team has side-out.
  
• Injury subs:
  
  • May occur at any position.
    
  • Injured player cannot return for the rest of the game.
    
  • If all rostered players have played and another is injured, one additional substitution may be granted by the referee.

1.4 Rotations

• All players must rotate clockwise. Failure to do so will result in a penalty and the other team will gain the point and the serve.
  
• At the start of each rally players must stand in their line-up order before moving to their desired places. Players may not move until after the whistle is blown.
  
• The setter must rotate like all other positions.
  
• No libero position is allowed.
  
• A team that is found to be at fault in their rotation after several rallies have occurred will lose those points and then the opposing team will gain the serve and a point.
  

1.5 Game Format

• Saturday’s Game Format will be Pool Play and will be determined by how many teams/pools there are
  
• All Sunday Games in Tournament Play will be best-of-three: 21, 21, and 15, win by two with a 25 cap on all three games and the format will also be determined by how many teams there are.
  

1.6 Timeouts

• Each team is allowed 2 timeouts per set (30 seconds each).
  

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2.0 Playing Area

2.1 Court Setup

• Net dimensions: 18m length × 9m width
  
• Net heights:
  
  • Women’s: 7’4”
    
  • Men’s: 7’11”
    
• Court boundary: 60’ length × 30’ width
  
• Playing boundaries 66’ length x 36’ width (additional 6’ all around the court)
  

2.2 Back Row Attacks

• Back row players must jump from behind the 3-meter/10’ line.
  
• Back row players cannot tip, attack, or hit from the front row if their hand is above the plane of the net (does not matter if they were standing flat footed)
  

2.3 Simultaneous Contact

• A ball touched simultaneously by two players counts as one contact.
  
• Block touches do not count toward the three-hit limit.
  

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3.0 Scoring

3.1 Rally Points

• Rally scoring is used BOTH days.
  
• Game scores for Pool Play will be determined based on number of teams
  
• Teams switch sides at 8 points in the third set.
  

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4.0 Game Play Rules

4.1 Serving

• Serves may be underhand or overhand.
  
• Faults include:
  
  • Ball hitting the net
    
  • Foot fault on the serve
    
  • Serving before the referee’s whistle (1 warning, then loss of point)
    
• A serve cannot be set — doing so results in loss of point.
  

4.2 Center Line & Net Violations

• Touching the net, poles, or crossing the centerline results in a fault → point to opponent.
  

4.3 Setting Rules

• A set that crosses the net unintentionally without shoulders square to the net = dead ball, point to opponent.
  
• Setting violations include:
  
  • Carry: ball pulled into the body
    
  • Lift: ball caught under chin or prolonged contact
    
  • Double contact: referee’s discretion

4.4 Ball Handling

• Players may not lift (open hand under ball), carry, or double contact.
  
• Legal contact areas: bicep, forearm, hand
  
• Illegal contact: head, chest, feet, shoulders, etc.
  
• Ball must cross the net on the third touch (4th touch = fault).
  
• Directional blocking is allowed (meeting the ball at the plane of the net and jousting or using two hands to push it in one motion to a different direction)

4.5 Start of Play

• Minimum of 4 players must be on court before the whistle. If not → automatic side-out.
  
• Late teams: If a team is not present by 5 minutes after scheduled start, the opponent is awarded 2 points per minute starting at minute 6.
  
• Know and check what times and court your team is playing

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5.0 Enforcement & Miscellaneous

• If a situation arises not covered in this rulebook, Officials and Host will discuss and make a final ruling.
  
• Breaking Rules:
  
  • 1st offense: Warning
    
  • 2nd offense: Loss of deposit
    
  • 3rd offense: Disqualification