Policies and What to Expect at a Hang 10 Volleyball Tournament

So you are thinking about playing in a Hang 10 Volleyball tournament and want to know what to expect? Well, you have come to the right place! At Hang 10 Volleyball, we believe in providing our players with as much information as possible so that our players know what to expect and how to properly prepare to compete at their best and have a great time doing it!

Below, you will find information that will be applicable to every single tournament that we run at Hang 10 Volleyball. We look forward to seeing you this summer and if you have any questions just email us at hang10volleyball@gmail.com.

- The Hang 10 Volleyball Team

_ _ _ _

Registration:

Online registration will be done through AVP America.


Signing Up EarlySigning up early helps us a TREMENDOUS amount.  Given this, we like to reward our players who sign up early.  From time-to-time, we will give swag or other prizes to the team that signs up first.  In addition, all teams that sign up by midnight the Monday before the tournament will be entered into a drawing to win swag and other prizes.  Signing up has a lot of advantages for you too! 


Time Commitment:

You should anticipate being at our tournament all day, from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. (think positively that you are going to win).  In general, pool play finishes between 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and playoffs start shortly thereafter.  If we are taking wildcards to playoffs, please check in with the tournament director before leaving.  Many times teams leave and they actually have made the playoffs.  You should check in with the tournament director and the tournament director only as he/she has the official call on playoff format.


Payment:

We will no longer accept cash or checks and all payments must be made via PayPal or Venmo in advance.  All payments must be made by 12:00 p.m. on the Friday before the tournament If you and your partner have not both paid in full by 12:00 p.m. on the Friday before the tournament, you will not be included in the pools and will be dropped from the tournament.  You have two options for paying:


Venmo: @Matt-Lenora

PayPal (Friends and Family Only): Mgleno@gmail.com (Matt Lenora)


Check-In:

We will no longer be doing check-in during the mornings of the tournaments.  We will have a players' meeting at 8:45 a.m., which we expect you to be present at.  Thereafter, we expect all first sets of the day to start at approximately 9:20 a.m.  If you are not ready to play at the time indicated by the tournament director you will forfeit your first set.  You will then have 15 minutes to be ready to play otherwise you will forfeit your second set as well. 


If you want to show up at 9:10 a.m. to play at 9:20 a.m. that's your choice.

Tournament Site: 

Hank Anderson Park Multipurpose Field #1 in Carrboro, NC (unless otherwise indicated on the event page for that tournament).


Dogs:

Unfortunately, we can no longer allow dogs at our tournaments.  There will be NO EXCEPTIONS to this.  You will be required to remove the dog, you will forfeit any games you miss and you will not receive a refund.  Please help us out and leave your dog at home.  We hate it as much as you do, but our hand has been forced on this policy. 


Ball of Choice:

We use the Wilson Optx ball


Divisions:
Open, AA and A divisions. There must be at least 4 teams for a division to run. The tournament directors may combine divisions as necessary (however, we will make every effort to split out divisions for playoffs if divisions are combined for numbers reasons). In addition, the tournament directors reserve the right to move any team to another division for purposes of promoting fair play and/or to make the tournament run more efficiently.

 

Entry Fee:

Open: $80 per team  ($40 per player). 

AA and A: $70 per team ($35 per player). 


Prizes:
Open: Cash payouts which scale based on the number of registrations.  This means the more signups we have in Open, the bigger the payout.  

AA and A: Cash payouts and/or prizes. Prizes are those that you actually want such as new Wilson balls, chairs, sports wagons, Yetis, canopies, coolers, etc.]


If there are only 4 teams in a division, only first place will paid out. If there are 5 or more teams in a division, then first and second will be paid. 


Which Division to Play In:

Open: This is for very experienced and elite players. You will often find former college volleyball players in Open. You can expect high velocity jump serves, hand setting and consistent blocking. Helmets are encouraged.

 

AA: This is for players that have very good knowledge and understanding of doubles volleyball. Players in AA are comfortable with doubles play and strategy. You can expect a very consistent level of play. This is the division that consistently hosts the most players in our tournaments.

 

A: This is for players who are newer to/still learning doubles volleyball but still have a good understanding of volleyball generally. Players in A are still learning doubles play and strategy, but exhibit good basic volleyball skills. 

 

If you have any questions, just message us on our page Hang 10 Volleyball or e-mail at hang10volleyball@gmail.com and we can help give you some guidance. Contacting us BEFORE registering goes a long ways.

 

Sandbagging:

Absolutely NO SANDBAGGING. You play at the highest division of either player. For example, a team consisting of an Open player and an A player will play Open. This will be strictly enforced and the tournament directors determination of the appropriate division of a player and/or team is final (we do our due diligence and track players results in our tournaments and other tournaments).  If you want to request to move down to a lower division, message us on our page Hang 10 Volleyball or e-mail us BEFORE SIGNING UP at hang10volleyball@gmail.com and we will consider requests on a case-by-case basis.  There are times that we move teams to different divisions for efficiency of the tournament and we also reserve the right to make exceptions to this general rule on a case-by-case basis, but you should expect to play at the highest level of either player. 

 

Division winners MUST play in the next highest division for subsequent tournaments. For example, a team winning AA must play in Open subsequent tournaments. This applies to a player individually, so even if you play with a person other than the person you won that division with, you MUST play the next highest division. It is not fun for anyone for the same team to constantly win the same division all summer long. Get out there and challenge yourself!

 

If a division winning team or individual (a) wins 2 or fewer game in pool play in the next tournament after moving up a division or (b) such team or individual does not make it to playoffs for the next two tournaments, then that team or individual can request to play in the previous division. Decisions will be made by the tournament director on a case-by-case basis and MUST BE REQUESTED BEFORE SIGNING UP.  The tournament directors reserve the right to waive this rule for any reason in the tournament directors' sole discretion, including, but not limited, ensuring an efficient tournament.  

 

The sandbagging rule rolls over from year-to-year. Basically, the division you played in last year is the division you should be playing in this year (unless, of course, you want to play in a higher division). If you won a division in tournament last season and did not qualify to request a move down, you MUST move up to the next division or continue to play in the higher division, as applicable. If there is a reason that you believe you should move down a division, please message us and we will consider requests on a case-by-case basis. Remember, this rule applies on an individual basis. We tracked everyone's record in pool play last year, so do us a favor and just sign up for the right division.  The tournament directors reserve the right to waive this rule for any reason in the tournament directors' sole discretion, including, but not limited, ensuring an efficient tournament.


As clarification, if you make playoffs as the third team off of your net or as a wildcard when we have utilized those formats, that DOES NOT count as making playoffs per the sandbagging rules.  In other words, for the sandbagging rule to reset you must make playoffs by being one of the top two teams off of your net.


In the event that we believe you are sandbagging on purpose or made no effort to inquire on which division that you should be playing in and are clearly playing in the a lower division (such that is is clear you are sandbagging), then we reserve the right to either (a) drop you from the tournament without refund, (b) not permit you to make playoffs, or (c) in the event that you win the division that you are sandbagging in, not pay you any prize or a greatly reduce the prize for winning. 


Sandbagging is the number one complaint at any tournament.  We believe we are the hardest working organization to ensure that everyone has a fun and competitive day, so help us continue that mentality by just signing up in the right division (and, when in doubt, just message or email us).  And yes, we will do research on you, ask other players and tournament directors on whether you are a known sandbagger.  If you are unsure of what division to play in, just shoot us an email or a message and we will be happy to discuss it. 


RulesWe use USAV outdoor 2s volleyball rules for all our tournaments.  You can read our rules on our Rules PageA brief overview:


-Women's height net

-Girls hit front row 

-Guys hit behind the 10 foot line

-If a guy hits in front of the 10 foot line, a portion of the ball must be below the plane of the net when he makes contact

-Guys are not allowed to block

-Let Service Rule

-Block counts as a touch

-There is NO courtesy rule (seriously, just stop it)

-Other USAV 2s standard outdoor rules

-Absolutely no local rules such as 2.78912 rotations of a handset is always a double

-You must be square to the target (shoulders are what is judged for purposes of being square) when attacking with open hands (i.e., an intentional set over); however, an open handed set intended to set your partner does not have to be square (which has always been the rule, but never properly enforced at the amateur level).  In other words, if you got to hand set your partner and it drifts over it is not a fault regardless if your shoulders are not square to the target or not.  The ref should judge whether the set over was intentional or not. 


Below are some additional clarifications on our rules. 


Let Service Rule:

The LET SERVICE RULE will be implemented in all of our tournaments. As a reminder, this is in principle similar to tennis service: if the serve hits the net in any way and lands in bounds (i.e., in the court or on the line), the server will be permitted to re-serve. If on the second service the serve again hits the net in any way (even if the re-serve lands in bounds) or is served out, it is a fault and the receiving team is rewarded a point and the ball (i.e., a side out in rally scoring). Of course, if the serve hits the net and goes out of bounds that is a fault. 


Pool Play Rule:

Teams must play all of their pool play games even if the outcome is not changed by playing all of the games.  In other words, teams are not permitted to forfeit in order to play less games and have more rest time than teams in other pools.  The only time a team is allowed to forfeit is due to legitimate injury (do not try to do a soccer flop and then suddenly be good to go for playoffs; you will not be permitted to move on).  The result of not playing all of your pool play games or faking an injury is that your team will forfeit playoffs and the next best team (record-wise) from your net will go to playoffs instead.  


Injuries Rule:

If a player is injured and can no longer continue and that team has played less than half of the sets in pool play, that team will be permitted to find a replacement player for the remainder of the tournament and be permitted to make playoffs.  We will use our reasonable best efforts to rearrange the play schedule to allow a replacement player to arrive to the tournament, but the injured team will likely have to play back-to-backs or otherwise have a non-favorable schedule.  The match that was in progress when the player was injured will resume with the score when the injury occurred if there is time to do so (as determined in the sole discretion of the tournament directors).  If there is not time to resume the set when the injury occurred, the team with the injury will forfeit that set, but retain their points as of the point the injury occurred in that set with the other team receiving the maximum points. 


As an example of the above policy, if a team is ahead 9-7 when one its players is injured in the first set of the first match, the injured team will be permitted to source a replacement player AND can make playoffs.  We will attempt to rearrange the schedule to allow the replacement player to arrive.  If time allows, that first set will resume with the team that had an injured player leading 9-7.  If time does not allow, the other team (non-injured team) will win the set with a score of 18 or 21 to 9 (for a 5 team pool and 4 team pool, respectively). 


If a team has an injury and has played half or more than half of the sets in pool play, that team will be permitted to seek a replacement player, but WILL NOT be allowed to make playoffs, unless all teams in that division agree to allow that team to make playoffs. 


This policy has been in place and applied during all Hang 10 tournaments.  All of our players paid to play volleyball, and that is what we want to accommodate for our players.  No one likes an injury, but let's all keep in mind that these tournaments are for fun and no one is making a living playing in these tournaments (except for maybe Justin Burgess because he never loses). 


Parents:

We love it when your friends and family attend our tournaments to cheer you on.  We do not love it when your friends or family approach the tournament staff to complain/question policies.  If you are over 18, we expect you act like an adult, and, in turn, we will treat you like an adult.  This means that YOU should be the one communicating with tournament staff about any questions or complaints.  Hang 10 Volleyball is NOT little league.  Please be an adult and act like an adult and DO NOT send your parents to complain about something.  


If you are incapable of acting like an adult and insist on sending your parents to talk to the Hang 10 tournament staff, we will be forced to assume that you are incapable of making decisions for yourself and will ask you to not return to any of our future tournaments.  Please keep in mind we do not profit from these tournaments and we are doing this because we love volleyball and want to serve the volleyball community as a whole.  Part of life is growing up and doing things without your parents.  We know it's tough, but you will be better for it. 


Language:

Please, please, please refrain from using profane language, and certainly do not scream it at the top of your lungs.  Henry Anderson Park is just that: a park.  There are always a lot of children around and we do not want the police being called because someone cannot control his/her emotions at the tournament.  We have to apply for a special permit and go before the city council to get it approved. If the city is getting reports that our players are screaming obscenities and generally not setting a good example for the towns youth, we will not be permitted moving forward. Please do not ruin it for everyone.

 

Equipment:

We use Park & Sun Sports nets and antennas and short-court lines by Volleyball USA.  Each court will also have a new Wilson AVP Game Volleyball assigned to it. Please do not take our court balls home with you! 


Failing to Show Up:
If you cannot make the tournament, please let us know as soon as possible.  It is really tough when we have to make a lot of adjustments last minute the morning of the tournament as we are trying to get started.  We spend a lot of time thinking through pools, formats, setting up, etc., so please be courteous of our time and effort.  If you do not let us know by 8:00 p.m. the night before the tournament that you will not be playing, you will be required to pay the entry fee for the tournament you missed, the entry fee for the division you want to sign up for and a $25 late cancellation fee before you will be permitted to play in any future tournament ($85 in A/AA and $95 in Open).  YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY THIS IN ADVANCE AND THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS.   


Questions or Need a Partner?:

Message us on our page Hang 10 Volleyball or send us an e-mail at hang10volleyball@gmail.com and we will do our best to find someone for you to play with!