Volleyball Code of Conduct
As Of: 8/18/2016
I. OVERVIEW
A. Administrative Authority
Administrative authority shall be the Sports Committee and overseen by the athletic administrator appointed as liaison to the Sports Committee and the Association Executive. Any resolution passed by the sport committee must be approved by the Athletic Administrators Committee before it is enacted and included as part of the conference handbook.
B. Committee Membership
All Landmark members that sponsor women’s volleyball at the varsity level shall be represented on the committee. Unless otherwise specified by an institution’s athletics director, an institution’s head coach shall serve as the representative.
C. Duties of Committee
The committee will meet at least once annually, either in-person or via conference call, to discuss sport-specific manners, review the code of conduct, and recommend changes to the athletic administrators as necessary.
D. Sport Chair
The chair shall be appointed by the committee and serve a two-year term.
· Volleyball Chair: John Kuuipo Tom, Susquehanna (December 2014 – November 2016)
· Volleyball Vice Chair: Shelley Bauder, Moravian
· Administrative Liaison: George Bright, Moravian
E. Duties of Chair
The duties of the chair are as follows:
1. Organize meetings of the committee, at least once annually and additionally as necessary; compile and distribute the agenda for all meetings; supervise the meeting; record attendance and minutes
2. Provide the Commissioner and the Athletics Administrator Liaison with a written report outlining all discussion, action, and voting which occurred during the meeting
3. Within one week after the meeting, distribute a copy of the minutes to the members of the committee, the designated liaison, and the conference office. The Commissioner will distribute the minutes to delegates of the Athletics Administrators Committee for consideration and vote, as necessary
4. Communicate and explain voting items to the designated sport liaison
II. SPORTSMANSHIP/ETHICAL CONDUCT
Sportsmanship and the proper treatment of all individuals are core beliefs of the Landmark Conference and its members. Students, staff, and all other members of an institution should adhere to the fundamental values of respect, fairness, civility, honesty, and responsibility. Coaches should conduct themselves in ways that promote the character development of participants to enhance the integrity of higher education, and to promote civility in society, student-athletes, coaches, and other participants associated with athletics programs and events.
III. ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS
Unless otherwise specified in the Code of Conduct, or the Landmark Bylaws, all institutions shall conduct their programs according to the guidelines outlined in the most recent edition of the NCAA Division III manual.
IV. SPORT-SPECIFIC REGULATIONS
A. Rules
Matches shall be conducted per the specifications outlined in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball rulebook.
B. Scheduling
The conference schedule shall be developed by the conference office and approved by the Athletics Administrators Committee. The conference schedule shall be conducted over three Saturdays (the sixth, fifth, and third Saturdays prior to the Landmark Championship).
1. Conference Priority
Conference contests shall take priority over non-conference contests.
2. Match Times
Saturday match times shall be 11:00 a.m., 1:30, 4:00, and 6:30 p.m., or 30 minutes following the completion of the previous match, whichever is later. The host institution shall play in the first and final match of the day. A single mid-week match shall begin at 7:00 p.m.
Match times may be altered by competing teams as long as the athletics directors of both institutions mutually agree.
3. Postponed Match
If a match is postponed (due to inclement weather, etc.), the athletics directors of the competing teams must mutually agree on a make-up date, with the host institution informing the conference office of the rescheduled date and time.
4. Altering Conference Schedule
Institutions are free to alter the approved conference schedule as long as the athletics directors of the teams scheduled to compete at the same site on the same day mutually agree. All changes to the conference schedule must be reported to the conference office by the host institution.
The final match of the regular season cannot be moved without approval from the conference office.
5. End of Season
The regular season schedule shall be completed by the Saturday prior to the start of the conference championship.
C. Contest Management
1. Pre-Match Protocol
It is the responsibility of the host institution to inform the visiting team and all game officials of the pre-match protocol.
The competition facility must be ready at least one hour prior to the start of the match. The NCAA warm-up protocol shall be used. The National Anthem shall be played prior to at least one competition per day.
2. Officials
The host institution is responsible for securing two qualified officials for all regular season matches. Officials must be rated by either PAVO and/or USAV.
The host institution must secure two trained line judges for all matches. Student line judges are acceptable. The host institution is responsible for training line judges.
3. Equipment
Molten is the official game ball for all matches. The host institution is responsible for providing warm-up and game balls, with a minimum of 24 balls per court for on-court warm-ups.
4. Three-Ball System
The host institution is encouraged to employ a three-ball system with two ball-chasers for all conference matches.
5. Team Bench
At least ten chairs shall be provided on each team’s bench. Reserve players that wish to stand must do so beyond the last bench chair.
6. Scoreboard
If no scoreboard is available for a court, then the host institution shall provide visible scorecards. The scorecards shall be placed opposite the benches. The host institution shall secure one trained scorekeeper and one trained libero tracker for each match it hosts.
7. Statistics
The host institution shall provide a completed NCAA box score to both competing teams at a point in time following the end of a match, but before submission of the official box score to the NCAA.
D. Scouting/Film Exchange
It is impermissible for teams to share scouting information regarding conference teams with non-conference teams.
E. Incomplete Season
In the event that a team or teams are unable to complete their conference schedule, the conference office, in consultation with the athletics directors, if necessary, shall determine the qualifying teams and seeding for the conference championship. Options for determining seeding and selection include, but are not limited to: winning percentage in conference contests, treating all matches played against teams that did not complete their season as non-conference matches, treating any matches that are unable to be played as forfeits for the responsible team, and other actions, as discovered.
V. CHAMPIONSHIP REGULATIONS
A. Qualification
The top four teams in the conference standings following the completion of the regular season shall qualify for the Landmark championship. Standings shall be sorted by conference winning percentage.
B. Tie-Breaking Procedure
In the event two (or more) teams tie in the conference standings, the following procedure shall be used to determine seeding for the championship:
1. Head-to-head record amongst all tied teams in contests that count toward the conference standings
2. Comparison of tied teams’ records against remaining teams in conference standings in descending order (starting at No. 1)
3. Comparison of percentage of games won amongst tied teams
4. Comparison of percentage of points won amongst tied teams
5. Away winning percentage in conference matches (only if all tied teams played the same number of away matches)
6. Head-to-head record amongst all tied teams in all contests (only if all tied teams played one another in the same amount of contests)
7. Head-to-head record against common non-conference opponents at same site
8. Head-to-head record against common non-conference opponents at different site
9. Coin flip (or similar random action)
Application of Tie-Breaking Procedure
In a tie of more than two teams, tie-breakers shall be applied in descending order until a team or a group of teams have gained an advantage and the initial tie has been broken. Teams shall be seeded accordingly based upon where they rank within the group of tied teams. If a sub-group (or groups) of tied teams are created by applying tie-breaking criteria to the original group, the tie-breaking process begins anew for the sub-group (or groups) until all teams can be seeded.
In a tie of more than two teams, when a random action is used to break the tie, the tie-breaking process shall begin anew starting with the first criteria (head-to-head) once one team has gained the advantage.
In the event of multiple ties in the standings, the ties will be broken in descending order, unless a lower seeded tie can be broken by using the first criteria (head-to-head). When comparing tied teams against positions lower in the standings which are also tied, those “lower tied positions” shall be considered as a “single position” for purposes of comparison, unless those “lower tied positions” were broken through head-to-head comparison.
If two or more groups of teams are tied, the seeding for one group of tied teams, even if determined by a random action, shall be considered for tie-breaking purposes for any remaining groups.
C. Format
The championship shall be conducted during the week that precedes the NCAA tournament selection date. The team that wins the championship shall receive the conference’s automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament.
Semifinals
The semifinal round shall take place on the Wednesday prior to NCAA tournament selections. The higher-seeded team shall host. If a higher-seeded team is unable to host, then the lower-seeded team shall be afforded the opportunity to host. Match time is 7:00 p.m.
Championship
The final round shall take place on the Saturday prior to NCAA tournament selections. The higher-seeded team shall host. If a higher-seeded team is unable to host, then the lower-seeded team shall be afforded the opportunity to host. Match time is at the discretion of the host institution, and must be scheduled between 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
D. Contest Management
1. Pre-Match Protocol
It is the responsibility of the host institution to inform the visiting team and all game officials of the pre-match protocol.
2. Officials
Unless otherwise specified in this section, the conference office shall be in charge of assigning officials for all championship matches. The host institution is responsible for the payment of all officials during the championship.
For semifinal matches, two officials, two line judges, and one scorekeeper, all of whom must be certified, shall be used. The host institution shall be responsible for securing the scorekeeper and assistant scorekeeper; the assistant scorekeeper is not required to be certified.
For the championship match, two officials, two line judges, and two scorekeepers, all of whom must be certified, shall be used.
The host institution is responsible for providing game management officials (site director, PA Announcer, ball persons, etc.) for all matches it hosts. Game management personnel are to be neutral in the performance of their duties.
3. Facility & Equipment
The facility shall be ready at least one hour prior to the start of the match. The host institution is responsible for providing game balls and warm-up balls.
4. Three-Ball System
The three-ball system with two ball-chasers shall be used for all rounds of the championship.
5. Uniforms
The higher-seeded team shall wear lighter-colored uniforms, while the lower-seeded team shall wear darker-colored uniforms. Uniform changes shall take place out of the view of spectators.
For the semifinals and championship, teams should have multiple sets of uniforms with them.
6. Post-Championship Match Protocol
Following the completion of the championship, the two teams shall line up and exchange handshakes. After shaking hands, teams shall line up in front of their bench area for a brief awards ceremony.
When announced, the captains from the championship team shall step forward and accept the championship award. After the award has been distributed, the runner-up team may depart the facility. Following the departure of the runner-up team, the championship team shall gather for an official team photo.
E. Awards
The champion shall receive a trophy. A championship MVP shall be named following the completion of the final, as determined by the host institution’s sports information director or their designate. Individuals from the championship team shall receive a prize. No other awards or recognition shall be given.
F. Incomplete Championship
Every effort shall be made to conduct the championship as scheduled. Prior to any match being postponed or rescheduled, the host institution Athletics Director shall work with the conference office and the visiting team’s Athletics Director to determine the best course of action. Should it become necessary (due to unplayable conditions, inclement weather, etc.), a higher-seeded team may be advanced to the next round in order to complete the championship. If all attempts to complete the championship have failed, then the highest remaining seed shall receive the conference’s AQ to the NCAA tournament.
VI. ANNUAL AWARDS
The conference office shall manage the annual awards program. All teams are required to vote for conference honors. Teams cannot vote for their own nominees.
A. All-Landmark Teams
Two All-Landmark teams shall be named following the completion of the regular season, with each team consisting of eight individuals. Each team shall have the following representatives: three outside hitters, two middle hitters, one setter, one libero/DS, and one at-large.
B. Individual Awards
The following individual honors shall be voted on by the coaches and recognized by the conference:
1. Player of the Year
2. Specialist of the Year
3. Rookie of the Year; nominees for ROTY must be in their first year of intercollegiate competition
4. Coaching Staff of the Year
C. All-Sportsmanship Team
The All-Sportsmanship Team recognizes student-athletes who epitomize the ideals of sportsmanship. Student-athletes selected to the All-Sportsmanship team demonstrate fair play, graciousness in victory and respectfulness in defeat. They are ambassadors for the team, both on and off the field, and galvanize their teammates toward their goals. These student-athletes exhibit respect for themselves, teammates, coaches, opponents, officials, spectators, and the greater campus community.