Red River Athletics Conference

Volleyball Manual

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

II. Schedules

III. Regular Season Operating Code

A. Playing Format

B. Statistics

C. Participants

D. Match Protocol

E. Intermission

F. Three-Ball Retrieving System

G. Match Officials & Other Personnel

H. Athletic Trainers

I. Match Administration

J. RRAC Schedule Confirmation Letters

K. Official Volleyball

IV. Important Dates

A. 2010-2011 Sport Calendar

B. NAIA Volleyball Five-Year Calendar

V. Ratings, Raters, Reporting Results, and Statistics

A. Ratings

B. Raters

C. Timeline

D. Reporting Results

E. Statistics

F. Statistical Definitions

VI. Volleyball Awards

A. Player of the Week

B. All-Conference

1. Method of Selection

2. Voting Procedure

3. Announcements of Teams

C. Coach of the Year

D. Player of the Year

E. All-American

F. AVCA Recognition

VII. Conference Tournament/Post Season Play

A. Playing Format

B. Tournament Championship Committee

C. Tournament seeding tie-breaker

D. All-Tournament Team

VIII. Coaches Association

A. NAIA-Volleyball Coaches Association

B. Past Presidents

C. American Volleyball Coaches Association

IX. NAIA Policy Handbook

A. Sunday Play Policy

B. Playing Rules and Regulations

C. Playing Rules

D. Match Officials

E. Season Records

F. Official Ball (NAIA & RRAC)

X. Contacts

I. Introduction

The Red River Athletic Conference is entering its twelfth year as an affiliated conference of the NAIA, and this is the thirteenth year in which the conference has sponsored women's volleyball.

The RRAC will feature eight (8) institutions in 2010:

Bacone College (Okla.)
Huston-Tillotson University (Texas)

Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas)
Southwestern Assemblies of God Univ. (Texas)

Texas College
Texas Wesleyan University

Wiley College (Texas)
University of Texas-Brownsville

The Chair of the RRAC Volleyball coaches for the 2010-2011 is Ronnie Kaase, Huston-Tillotson University (Texas), Vice-Chair Todd Lowery, University of Texas at Brownsville and Secretary Mark Lee, Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas)

II. Schedules

The Conference Office will compile competition schedules for all Conference sports. The schedules are to be submitted annually for confirmation at the Conference Spring Meeting for Athletic Director. The approved schedules will serve as contracts between the competing conference teams.

As stated in the NAIA Official handbook, volleyball must have a minimum of sixteen (16) matches with four-year institutions and no more than twenty-eight (28) play dates within a 24 week period for their schedule to be considered complete.

Each member school must file with RRAC Volleyball Chair, Commissioner and Conference SID a complete season schedule by July 1, of each year for inclusion on the conference website and master schedule. Schedules may be submitted in Word or Excel format to rracsid@tx.rr.com and rckaase@htu.edu. The schedule should include date, time, location and opponent.

Changes in the season schedules may be made provided written notice is given to the Commissioner, current volleyball chair, and RRAC SID Darin David, at least two (2) days prior to the contest. In the event that there are postponements to matches, please notify Darin David of the conference office and current volleyball conference chair immediately.

III. Regular Season Operating Code

A. PLAYING FORMAT

The RRAC Conference schools will play a home and home schedule. If a date or time change needs to be made to the conference schedule, each school's Athletic Director and coach must agree to the change and notify the Commissioner for final approval. Then changes must be submitted to the RRAC SID and volleyball chair and the master schedule will be adjusted. The Conference Postseason Tournament shall determine the Conference champion and will be awarded the direct qualification bid to the NAIA National Tournament.

B. STATISTICS

The NAIA is requiring host team will provide statistics for both teams according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) statistical manual on AVCA, NAIA, RRAC, DAKSTATS or similar statistics forms. If an institution is unable to provide statistics for the visiting team, notification must be sent in writing to the visiting institution. If an institution competes but does not report results and player stats as outlined in the NAIA coaches manual for any 2 consecutive weeks or a total of 4 weeks, during the reporting period, then they will not be eligible for ratings for the remainder of the season.

C. PARTICIPANTS

The official volleyball roster consists of 16 players. The maximum travel party for post season play is 21.

D. MATCH PROTOCOL

The RRAC will follow the official NCAA guidelines governing match protocol as outline in the NCAA Volleyball Rule Book.

E. INTERMISSION

A 10-minute intermission may be allowed between sets two and three with 7-minutes allotted for promotional activities and 3-minutes for team warm-up. Notification of the intermission should be given to the visiting school prior to warm ups.

F. THREE-BALL RETREIVING SYSTEM

It is strongly encouraged that the three-ball retrieving system shall be utilized whenever possible but is not mandatory for conference matches. There should be three volleyball at the score table which are verified by the match officials.

G. MATCH OFFICIALS & OTHER PERSONNEL

The host institution shall provide certified PAVO R1/R2 officials, two (2) line judges, a scorekeeper with assistant, a public address announcer and other game personnel. All working personnel shall wear the RRAC Polo provided by the Conference office.

H. ATHLETIC TRAINERS

Host teams will be responsible for providing services of a certified athletic trainer for first aid assistance to visiting teams. The athletic trainer should be available at least 90 minutes prior to the designated match time.

I. GAME ADMINISTRATION

Game administration and crowd control procedure shall be followed by each university to assure security and sportsmanlike treatment of all officials and participants. Each institution shall be responsible for their game administration duties per the institutions rules and regulations.

J. RRAC SCHEDULE CONFIRMATION LETTERS

It is strongly recommended by the NAIA that within each conference, each coach should send to all RRAC coaches and other opponents a copy of their upcoming schedule prior to July 1. This serves a double check of dates and starting times.

K. OFFICIAL RRAC VOLLEYBALL

The official volleyball sponsor of the RRAC is Molten. The contract expires May 31, 2013. The official game ball is the IV58L-3 Super Touch red/white/blue premium leather volleyball. All terms and conditions are listed in the Molten-RRAC contract below.

IV. IMPORTANT DATES

A. 2010-2011 Volleyball Sport Calendar

August 16 Preseason national rating - available by 5pm (CST) at www.naia.org

Have you joined AVCA? Join online at www.avca.org or call 719-576-7777

All weekly statistical reports must be submitted online via the Dakstats/Websync feature. See

Section VI.E.-Statistics in this manual for additional information.

September 7 First weekly nominations for NAIA Volleyball Weekly National Honors. Conference/

independent nominations are due to the NAIA National Office by 5pm (CST) Mondays, ending

November 9.

September 6 Weekly ratings begin for volleyball - available after 5pm (CST) at www.naia.org, ending

November 10. (September 6, 13, 20, 27 October 4, 11, 18, 25, November 1, 8, 14)

November 2 DEADLINE for potential national championship opening-round host institutions to submit bids

to NAIA national office.

November 6 RECEIPT DEADLINE for submitting Buffalo Funds Five Star Champions of Character Team

Award to NAIA National Office.

RECEIPT DEADLINE for submitting official postseason team roster (Appendix E) to NAIA

national office.

RECEIPT DEADLINE for submitting Daktronics-NAIA Volleyball Scholar-Athlete Nomination

Form (Appendix H) to Christy Clawson, Scholar-Athlete Coordinator, Texas Wesleyan

University, Department of Athletics, 1201 Wesleyan Street, Ft. Worth, TX 76105-1536

November 10 DEADLINE for conference/A.I.I. volleyball chairs to submit participating teams and brackets

for conference/A.I.I. playoffs to national office.

RELEASE of final rating.

November 11 RECEIPT DEADLINE for submitting potential qualifiers' official postseason roster (Appendix

E) and team photo to Sioux City Convention Center, ATTN Corey Westra, 801 4th St., Sioux

City, IA 51101. Also fax roster to national office (816-595-8200).

November 13 DEADLINE for completion of conference/A.I.I./unaffiliated tournaments. Enter tournament

results on NAIA Scoreboard at www.naia.org.

November 14 RELEASE of national championship field and opening-round matchups.

November 17 DEADLINE for national office to receive All Conference/A.I.I./Unaffiliated group selections

from the conference/independent commissioners.

November 19 POSTING of All-Conference/Independent volleyball teams at www.naia.org by 5 p.m. (CST).

November 21 30th ANNUAL NAIA VOLLEYBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Opening Round

November 23 DEADLINE for national office to receive AVCA-NAIA All Region Team selections from the

AVCA-NAIA committee chairs.

November 30-December 4 31st ANNUAL NAIA VOLLEYBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Final Site, Tyson Events

Center, Sioux City, IA.

December 4 RELEASE of Daktronics-NAIA Volleyball Scholar-Athletes at www.naia.org.

December 5 RELEASE of NAIA National Tournament Coach of the Year, All-Tournament Teams,

Tournament MVP by NAIA Department of Sports Information.

December 7 RELEASE of NAIA Volleyball All-America teams and Player of the Year by the NAIA

Department of Sports Information.

NAIA National Office • NAIA Volleyball Coaches Manual / July-09 - Page 6 of 23 • www.naia.org

December 7 RELEASE of the Tachikara-NAIA-AVCA National Volleyball Coach of the Year and National

Player of the Year by the AVCA.

December 16-20 AVCA Annual Convention, Tampa, FL.

December 18 NAIA-VCA Annual Business Meeting during AVCA convention.

June 30, 2010 RECEIPT DEADLINE for Scholar Team nomination form. Send to NAIA National Office, Attn:NAIA Scholar-Team Award.

B. NAIA Volleyball Four-Year Calendar

2010

November 13 Conference/Independent Championship Deadline

November 20 National Championship Opening Round

Nov. 30-Dec. 4 National Championship Final Site

2011

November 12 Conference/Independent Championship Deadline

November 19 National Championship Opening Round

Nov. 29 - Dec. 3 National Championship Final Site

2012

November 10 Conference/Independent Championship Deadline

November 17 National Championship Opening Round

Nov. 27 - Dec. 1 National Championship Final Site

2013

November 16 Conference/Independent Championship Deadline

November 23 National Championship Opening Round

December 3 - 7 National Championship Final Site

III. Ratings, Raters, Reporting Results, and Statistics ** Wait on NAIA

A. RATINGS

Conference Ratings:

Weekly ratings will be posted on line by 5:00 pm CST on Mondays. Ratings include games played Monday thru Sunday. The 2010 conference rating dates are:

August 15

September 5, 12, 19, 26

October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

November 7, 14

Note that the final rating will take place BEFORE the deadline for postseason qualifying tournaments. If you have a problem turning in results please contact Ronnie Kaase, Huston-Tillotson University immediately. Note that DakStats should be updated within 24 hours of the completion of a match.

In order to be eligible for ratings and honors, all contest results must be reported to the NAIA scoreboard at http://www.naiasports.org/admin/ within 24 hours of completion. Institutions failing to report results any three weeks during the season will not be eligible for the national statistical reports or ratings for the remainder of the season

B. RATERS

Conference Raters

Conference raters are selected by the conference coaches. The RRAC will have three (3) elected conference raters for conference ratings and one of the three will be the NAIA National Rater. Criteria for appointment include:

1. Attendance at the Conference Championships

2. Consistent exposure to teams in several regions

3. Willingness to serve

4. Support of the conference volleyball sport chair

Rater Performance

1. Raters will be removed and replaced should they fail to vote and/or be absent on a rater call two or more times throughout the volleyball season.

2. Conference rater ballots will be posted on the NAIA web as a means of general review.

3. Individual rater ballots and voting patterns will be reviewed weekly by the rater oversight committee at the National level.

RRAC Conference Raters

1. Ronnie Kaase (National Rater) (HT)

2. Hank Moore (SAGU)

3. Christy Clawson (TWU)

National Rater:

Raters are selected by their respective conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions. A detailed description of raters' responsibilities can be found in Appendix C, the Volleyball Ratings Manual. It is recommended that raters:

1. Attend at the National Championships

2. Have consistent exposure to teams in several conferences

3. Have a willingness to serve

4. Have the support of the conference/independent volleyball sport chair

C. TIME LINE

Conference:

1. Ratings week - 12:01 am Monday through 11:59 pm Sunday. All games played during the designated week are to be included in rating.
2. Conference results are to be reported within 24 hours of the completion of the match via RRAC SIDHELP and DakStats web sync.
3. Conference reports due to NAIA office by noon (CST) on Monday.

National:

1. Ratings week for all sports defined as 12:01 a.m. Monday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday. All contests during the designated week are to be included in that week's rating.

2. Weekly conference/independent rating reports are due to NAIA office on Mondays by noon CST.

3. National Rating Ballot due to NAIA office no later than 10 a.m. CST on Tuesdays.

4. Oversight reviews National Ratings Grid from 10 a.m. to noon CST on Tuesdays.

5. Raters are available from noon to 2 p.m. CST on Tuesdays for rationale requests.

6. National Ratings released no later than 5 p.m. CST on Tuesdays.

D. REPORTING RESULTS

Conference:

Each RRAC volleyball program is required to report scores within 24 hours of the match, whether home or away. A penalty and/or fine will incur if statistics are not reported. Each coach is required to use RRAC SIDHELP website http://www.redriverconference.com/admin/ to report all RRAC volleyball match results.

Scores will be updated on the conference website at http://www.redriverconference.com/ by 10 p.m. and midnight each night. If you have a legitimate FORFEIT, the correct procedure will be to notify the RRAC Commissioner within 24 hours of the scheduled time of the match. The commissioner will then notify the NAIA office for confirmation of the final results. The NAIA will award the correct teams with a win and a loss. Please do not wait to report this action.

The RRAC office will contact the school's athletic director for institutions that miss one result report. If the school misses a second report date, the school president will be notified. A third failed report could result in the volleyball coach's suspension for one game. If a school continues to be a habitual violator by not report weekly results, then the team will be subject to suspension from the RRAC Conference tournament. This is in addition to the NAIA penalties listed in the NAIA Volleyball Coaches Manual which states after 2 consecutive missed report dates or 4 weeks of missed reporting dates the team will not be eligible for rating for the remainder of the season.

National:

Mandated beginning in 2006, all contest results must be reported to the NAIA Scoreboard within 24 hours of completion in order to be eligible for team and/or individual weekly ratings and honors. Scores must be reported via the DakStats Web-sync feature or through the NAIA Scoreboard. To enter through the NAIA Scoreboard, visit www.naiasports.org/admin and log in with your user name and password.

First time users:
1. To register to use the NAIA Scoreboard, go to www.naiasports.org/admin

2. Click on the "Don't Have a Password? Register on the Now link.

3. Enter your school e-mail address (only school email addresses are accepted) with a chosen password.

4. The NAIA National Office receives an email notification of your registration request.

5. Your registration will be approved within 1 business day.

If you have an active account with SID Help, you do not have to re-register. Your username/password is already in the system. Reporting team scores on the NAIA website provides greater team exposure to media, coaches, potential student-athletes and fans.

E. STATISTICS
CONFERENCE:

During each week of the 2010season, RRAC coaches and/or SIDs are REQUIRED to upload or web sync team and individual statistics for their team. This should be done upon completion of each match played or within the 24 hour window set by the NAIA. A link will be established between the RRAC website and the conference stat information page on the NAIA DakStats website. The NAIA has made the move for all volleyball schools to use Daktronics. You may use other stats programs, but you must up-load/transfer them to DakStats. If a school does not send in their statistics then their players will not be eligible for weekly honors or national honors.

The RRAC office will contact the school's athletic director for institutions that miss one statistical report. If the school misses a second report date, the school president will be notified. A third failed report could result in the volleyball coach's suspension for one game. This is in addition to the NAIA penalties listed in the NAIA Volleyball Coaches Manual.

Statistics will be review by the RRAC Conference Raters each Sunday noon CST in preparation for their weekly conference call Sunday's 5 pm CST.

Following are the stat report dates for 2010:

August 29

September 5, 12, 19, 26

October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

November 7

National:

The official NAIA statistics summary (clarification, definition, calculation) is provided as Appendix M in this manual. Additional statistical information is available from:

AVCA Statistical Manual

1227 Lake Plaza Drive, Suite B

Colorado Springs, CO 80906

(719) 576-7777

The intent of the AVCA Statisticians Manual is to assist volleyball statisticians and sports information directors with a more consistent and efficient method of using statistics in volleyball. It is vital that sport records maintain a certain level of integrity and accuracy. The NAIA urges the official statistician for every sport to become familiar and have a working knowledge of the statistical manual.

NOTE: The NAIA statistics include serve reception attempts and serve attempts while AVCA statistics do not.

An in-season, weekly national statistical report is produced utilizing DakStats for the sports of soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, baseball and softball. Starting in 2007, men's and women's soccer and volleyball use DakStats in-season statistical reporting. To be eligible for the statistical report, a student-athlete must play in 75 percent of team games played. Only statistics from games against varsity teams from upper-level, degree-granting institutions in the United States and Canada should be submitted.

Categories are determined on a sport-by-sport basis by the NAIA Sports Information Department.

It is strongly recommended that the host institution be responsible for both team's official statistics. The home team must notify opposing team at least 72 hours prior to contest if official stats will not be provided. The opposing team can file an appeal if they feel an error was made in the official stats up to 72 hours after the conclusion of the contest. The appeal must be filed with the home team up to 72 hours after the contest and both teams must change the stats. With the weekly use of DakStats and the Web-sync feature, there is a $75 per sport fee for volleyball, which currently uses the system for weekly reporting.

F. Statistical Definitions

KILLS -- Any attack that lands for a point
Also, award a KILL when:
...a free ball crosses the net and lands on the floor
...a set, intentional or not, crosses the net and lands on the floor
...an attack is blocked out of bounds or in the net
...when an opposing blocker is in the net, or has a centerline violation
…a dig attempt that crosses the net and lands on the floor for a point the attacking team
…an attack followed immediately by an official's called blocking error (see block error)
ATTACK ATTEMPT -- Any overhead contact of the ball designed to score
ATTACK ERROR -- Any overhead contact of the ball that...
...is hit out of bounds
...is hit into the net leading to a four-hit violation
...hits the antenna
...is blocked down by the opposition on the same side of the attacker leading to a point
...makes a centerline violation
...is called for an illegal contact
ATTACK PERCENTAGE -- Kills minus errors, divided by total attacks
...10 kills - 2 errors/ 16 total attacks = 8/16 = .500

ASSIST -- awarded to the player who passes the ball to a teammate who attacks the ball for a kill
…an assist generally is the second contact in a play sequence, followed immediately by a kill on the third contact
…an assist can be awarded off a dig (first contact), provided the attack comes on the second contact
SERVICE ACE -- is awarded when...
...a serve lands untouched on the opponent's side
...the receiving team has overlapped or is out of rotation
...if the passer is whistled for a reception error
...the serve is passed, but cannot be kept in play
SERVICE ERROR -- is awarded when...
...the server foot faults
...the serve doesn't advance past net, is out of bounds, or hits antenna
...the server is out of rotation (service error is charged to the person who should have served)
…Note: A ball that hits the net but continues over to the opponents side and remains in bounds is not a service error (2001 Rule Change)
RECEPTION ATTEMPT - is awarded when…
…a Team B player attempts to receive Team A player's serve.
RECEPTION ERROR -- is awarded when...
...the serve hits the floor near a player
...player passes the ball, but it can't be kept in play
...player is called for a lift
…Note: For every service ace, there must be a corresponding reception error. When a service ace falls between two players and the scorer cannot judge fault, a Team Reception error is recorded. Team Reception errors also occur when the receiving team is out of rotation.
DIG -- is awarded when a defensive player keeps a bona fide attack in play with a pass
…a dig is only awarded off an attack attempt from the opposing team.
… Thus, a dig is NOT awarded when Team A continues a play off a Team B block attempt as it is not an attempt.
…a dig is NOT awarded on a serve attempt, as this is a serve reception
BLOCKS -- are awarded when a player blocks the ball to the opposition's court leading directly to a point without a successful dig
...SOLO -- when only one blocker is up
...ASSIST -- when more than one blocker is up, awarded to all contributing blockers regardless if only one person blocks the ball. Generally, a block assist occurs with two blockers, but may occur occasionally with three blockers. However, all three blockers must go up at the same time and provide an overlap. (ALSO SEE MEN'S STAT DIFFERENCES BELOW)
A block solo and block assist cannot be recorded on the same play. During the same rally, only one team block (block solo or block assists) can be awarded
A block (solo or assisted) is not credited if the opposing team successfully digs the block attempt.
…TEAM BLOCKS -- Team blocks are calculated by adding the total number of block solos and adding to half the total of block assists.
Example:: Blocks Solos - 4, Block Assists 12 (TEAM BLOCKS = 4 + (12/2) = 10)
BLOCKING ERROR -- is awarded when...
...blocker is in the net or steps over the center line
...back row blocker
...blocker is called for reaching over the net
A blocking error is not given for poor technique. In general, a blocking error only is given after a referee's call. Also, a kill is awarded to the opposing attacker on a blocking error if an attack was occurring at the time of the block error
OTHER HINTS:
1) Every service ace must have a corresponding reception error. Conversely, every reception error must have a service ace
2) Every assist must have a corresponding kill
3) Overpasses ARE NOT reception errors
4) Since blocks must come off an opponent's attack attempt, Team B's offensive attack from Team A's overpass should be recorded as an attack (kill if Team B's execution leads directly to a point). This situation appears often as a block or directional attack at the net. However, blocks can only be awarded on an opponent's attack, not overpass.

VI. VOLLEYBALL AWARDS

A. PLAYER OF THE WEEK

1. Conference

The Conference shall honor a Player of the Week for volleyball. The award will be based on individual performance, including statistics, records and effect on outcome of sets or matches. Also to be considered is the level of competition of opponents. Nominations must be made according to times and schedules set each season by the NAIA.

During each week RRAC coaches are encouraged to nominate players from their team for RRAC Player of the Week (POW), Hitter of the Week (HOW), Setter of the Week (SOW) and Libero of the Week (LOW) consideration. New for 2010 is the Champions of Character Player of the Week (COCOW) Nominations are not a requirement, but student-athletes that are not nominated will not be considered. Only the Player of the Week will go on for National Player of the Week. The NAIA has eliminated the National Setter and Libero of the week; however, the RRAC chooses to recognize these players. Select the Non-NAIA Setter of the Week and Non-NAIA Libero of the Week; for Player of the Week select NAIA Player of the Week.

Enter your nominees' information at www.naiastats.org/admin by 12 p.m. on Sunday. You will need to register with the website which is probably a good idea to do in advance. One week constitutes the previous Monday through Sunday. For example, a nomination on September 14 will be for the games played during the dates of September 7-13. Nominations received after the deadline and incomplete forms will not be included in consideration. You may not nominate more than one player from your team for any of the categories such as two players for player of the week.

The RRAC Player of the Week will be submitted for national award consideration. As of December 2007, at the AVCA convention Setter and Libero of the Week will no longer be awarded.

Weekly RRAC Conference winners will be announced each Monday morning through email and on http://www.redriverconference.com/. Following are the 2010 dates on which nominations may be submitted:

August 29

September 5, 12, 19, 26

October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

November 7, 14

2. National Player of the Week

Nominations for Conference/Independent Player of the Week must be submitted to the NAIA Department of Sports Information by 5:00 p.m. (CST) Mondays from the conference information director or his/her designated representative. Conference/Independent Players of the Week are considered for National Player of the Week honors. National Players of the Week are selected from Conference/Independent Players of the Week for each of the 25 conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions. Honorees are released in conjunction with national ratings on Tuesdays.

For volleyball, an NAIA Volleyball National Player of the Week will be selected by the NAIA Department of Sports Information. Nominations must be made by the conference/independent information director, or their designated representative. The national office will NOT accept nominations from anyone but the conference/independent information director or their designated representative. Conferences and independents may nominate only one athlete weekly for national consideration.

B. All-Conference

Each Conference/Association of Independents is entitled to select a 14-member All-Conference team. A Conference/A.I.I. has the option to recognize additional players (i.e. 2nd team, honorable mention, etc.) for local recognition only. Additional selections do not advance for All-America consideration.

It is recommended that each conference/independent selection committee convenes via conference call (set up by the conference/A.I.I.) to select the All-Conference/Independent team. The VCA officer coordinates the calling time with the conference/A.I.I. volleyball chair.

a. observed performance

b. statistics as appropriate

c. relative strength of schedule

d. team performance

e. exhibits behavior consistent with "Champions of Character" philosophy

Note: These criteria will also be used in the All-America selection process.

RRAC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM:

The fourteen member team will consist of: Most Valuable Player/Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Setter of the Year and the next top 11 first-team selections. Second Team All-Conference will consist of the next top 14 players, and honorable mention selections will consist of any player who received 1 vote up to 14 players. If the Honorable Mention Team is less than 14, then each coach may select up to two players (no more than 2 per team unless they received a vote) to be represented. Individual Awards will include MVP/Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Setter of the Year, New Comer of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year.

Method of Selection:

Nominations for the All-Conference teams & Specialty Awards will be sent to the Conference office according to times and schedules set by the Conference SID & volleyball chair. All-Conference nominations are due from each team by Wednesday, November 3. Each coach will nominate an unlimited number of players from their school and rank them in order with their best on top (1) through however many they are nominating. From those nominations, a ballot will be disseminated for review to the coaches by Friday, November 5. There will be a conference call on Monday, November 8, at noon CST for coaches to discuss the nominations and rankings of each player. During the conference call, coaches may make any adjustments to their rankings before the final ballot is made. Coaches MUST attend the meeting at the conference tournament the Thursday before the tournament to vote for players on the All-Conference teams. Time & location is TBD by the host institution.

Voting Procedure:

Specialty awards will be voted on first. MVP, Setter of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year will be ranked 1-3 respectfully. Each coach will openly vote on each player for the ranking of the next 14 players starting with the number 1 player on each coaches list. The players will be ranked respectfully 1-14 based on the number of votes given. Once a player is voted on from the coaches list that coach moves the next player ranked i.e. 2, 3, … until all 14 positions are filled on the First Team and Second Team. All other players receiving a vote will be named on the Honorable Mention team. If there are not 14 players named to the honorable mention team, then a coach may nominate a player, up to 2 players per team, if they are not represented.

Announcements of Teams:

The All-Conference Teams & Specialty Award winners will be announced after the completion of Match number 2 at the Conference Tournament.

C. COACH OF THE YEAR

Conference/Independent Coach of the Year

Each conference and the Association of Independent Institutions select a Coach of the Year using its own method of determination. The following guidelines will be considered when selecting the RRAC

Coach of the Year:

1. Performance in conference & non-conference play

2. Team's success

a. overall ranking

b. season record

c. significant wins/losses

3. Professional involvement

a. ambassador of the NAIA

b. involvement in organizations

4. Professionalism

5. Champions of Character role model

D. PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Conference/Independent Player of the Year

Each conference and the Association of Independent Institutions select a Player of the Year using its own method of determination. However, it is recommended that the following national selection process be taken into consideration when selecting a Conference Player of the Year.

National Player of the Year.

The NAIA-VCA officers serve in committee to select the AVCA-NAIA National Player of the Year award. They convene at the National Championship site to review nominations. The President serves as the chair and any questions regarding the selection process can be directed to any officer of the NAIA-VCA. The committee considers the following when selecting the Player of the Year:

1. Outstanding performance on the court

2. Participation in at least half of the team's matches

3. Team success

4. Exhibits behavior consistent with the Champions of Character philosophy

The NAIA National Player of the Year is selected from the Conference/Independent Players of the Year. The above selection will also be the NAIA-AVCA National Player of the Year unless that player's coach is not a member of the AVCA.

E. AVCA Recognition

In addition to NAIA honors, the AVCA conducts a separate, AVCA-NAIA recognition program which includes player and coach awards at regional and national levels. In order to be eligible to receive AVCA honors the coach of the team involved must be an active member of the AVCA.

The AVCA has eight geographic regions for recognition purposes. Each region has a recognition committee that meets annually to select its All-Region Team, Region Player of the Year and Region Coach of the Year. The AVCANAIA region honors must be submitted by each respective committee to the NAIA national office by November 24. AVCA national recognition includes All-America, National Player of the Year and National Coach of the Year. The officers of the NAIA-VCA and the NAIA-VCA Recognition Committee chair comprise the selection committee for AVCA national honors, convening at the NAIA National Tournament to complete the selection process.

AVCA-NAIA All-Region Team The AVCA-NAIA All-Region Team includes 14 team members and 8 honorable mention players. Each NAIA All-Conference/Independent team will automatically become the exclusive source of candidates for AVCA All-Region consideration. Only players from institutions where the coach is an AVCA member (or immediately becomes a member) are eligible for consideration. The region recognition committee reviews player statistical data and follows the rank order of the All-Conference/Independent teams in the selection process.

AVCA-NAIA Region Player of the Year The AVCA-NAIA Region Players of the Year are selected from the list of the Conference/Independent Players of the year within that region, by consensus of the region's recognition committee.

AVCA-NAIA Region Coach of the Year The AVCA-NAIA Region Coaches of the Year are selected from the list of the Conference/Independent Coaches in that region, by consensus of the region's recognition committee.

AVCA-NAIA All-America Team The AVCA-NAIA All-America honor includes a first, second and third team, each with 14 members. In addition the committee may recognize an unspecified number of honorable mention players. Each AVCA All-Region team and its honorable mention players will automatically become the exclusive source of candidates for AVCA All-America consideration.

AVCA Player of the Year The AVCA-NAIA Player of the Year is selected from the AVCA-NAIA Region Players of the Year.

AVCA National Coach of the Year The AVCA-NAIA Coach of the Year is selected from a pool including the AVCA-NAIA Region Coaches of the Year and those additional coaches whose teams qualified for NAIA Nationals.

VII. Conference Tournament/Post Season Play

A. Playing Format:

The RRAC Postseason Tournament will be a 6-team single elimination format with the number 1-6 seeds determined by the RRAC rankings/conference standings. Tournament bid's will be accepted & voted on at the RRAC Spring Meeting. The top two bid's will then be sent to the Commissioner who will present the bid's to the Athletic Director's spring meeting. The AD's will recommend a bid to the Presidents. Seeding will be based upon winning percentage in conference matches. Teams will be seeded with the top two seeds receiving a first-round bye followed by #3 vs. #6, #4 vs. #5. The following playing schedule is recommended, however, the host institution may modify within reason:

Friday: 12:00 pm M1 - #4 vs. #5

2:30 pm M2 - #3 vs. #6

Awards Ceremony immediately after Match 2

5:00 pm M3 - #1 vs. Winner M1

7:30 pm M4 - #2 vs. Winner M2

Saturday: 2:00 pm Championship Match Winner M3 vs. Winner M4

B. Tournament Championship Committee:

The Tournament Championship Committee shall be formed to settle disputes during the tournament. The Committee will be composed of the host Director of Athletics or designated representative, RRAC representative, head-game official and RRAC Volleyball Chair or non-competing coach if there is a conflict of interest with the Chair.

C. Postseason Play/Tournament seeding tie-breaker:

In the event of a tie for first place and/or other places, the tie-breaking procedures shall be as follows:

a. Two-Way Ties: In the event of a two-way tie, the seed positions are determined by:

i. Record against each other;

ii.Record against same division opponents in descending order starting with the highest seeded team;

iii. If the above formula is not conclusive, the Commissioner shall conduct a coin flip to determine the highest seeded team(s).

b. Multiple ties:

i. At the conclusion of Conference play, if three or more teams are tied, the team with the most games won against other tied team collectively will be awarded the highest seeded position. The remaining teams are placed at the beginning of the appropriate formula for "Multiple Ties" or "Two-Way Ties" until all ties have been broken.

ii. If one team does not have a winning record (more games won) against the other tied team collectively, the individual records against the other Conference opponents in descending order starting with the top seeded team are compared. When one team is awarded the higher seeded position by this method, the remaining teams are placed at the beginning of the appropriate formula for "Multiple Ties" or "Two-Way Ties" until all ties have been broken.

The following tie-breaker procedure shall be used to determine participants and seeding for the post-season volleyball tournament:

a. Head-to-head match competition

b. Match record against divisional & cross divisional opponents in descending order starting with highest seeded team

c. Head-to-head game competition

d. Game record against divisional & cross divisional opponents in descending order starting with highest seeded team

e. Total points head-to-head with tied opponents

f. Total points against division & cross divisional opponents in descending order starting with highest seeded team

D. All-Tournament Team:

The team will consist of seven (7) players to be selected by the coaches competing in the Conference Championship: three (3) from the champion, two (2) from the runner-up and one (1) from each semifinal loser. The Most Valuable Player will be included as part of the seven and selected from the championship game.

VIII. COACHES ASSOCIATION

A. NAIA-Volleyball Coaches Association

The NAIA-VCA is an association comprised of volleyball coaches whose institutions are members in good standing. The NAIA-VCA is charged with the responsibility of carrying out programs beneficial to the sport of volleyball and the members of the NAIA-VCA. The NAIA-VCA elects officers (president, first vice president, second vice president and secretary) who serve one-year terms and provide the leadership for the Association. The NAIA-VCA annual business meeting is held in conjunction with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Annual Convention. The 2010 AVCA Annual Convention is December 15-19 in Kansas City, MO. Agenda items may be submitted by any NAIA coach and should be sent to the NAIA-VCA current president at least two weeks prior to the annual business meeting. An NAIA-VCA forum will be held at the national championship to develop agenda items for the annual business meeting.

B. Past Presidents

1981-82 Margie Haller, Regis (Colo.)

1982-83 Donna Tavener, East Texas State

1983-84 Lynn Simpson-Adams, Greenville (Ill.)

1984-86 Rich Luenemann, St. Francis (Ill.)

1986-87 Rhesa Sumrell, Missouri Western

1987-88 Glada Munt, Southwestern (Texas)

1988-89 Mark Britner, Franklin (Ind.)

1989-90 Becky Hughes, Texas Wesleyan

1990-91 Deb Johnson, Bethany (Kan.)

1991-92 Deb Denbeck, Southwest State (Minn.)

1992-94 Judy Green, Montevallo (Ala.)

1994-96 Stew McDole, Graceland (Iowa)

1996-98 Sue Gasperec, Trinity Christian (Ill.)

1998-99 Debbie Williamson, St. Edwards (Texas)

1999-01 Sue Gasperec, Trinity Christian (Ill.)

2001-03 Stew McDole, Graceland (Iowa)

2003-04 Dave Moody, Dickinson State (N.D.)

2004-05 Kaddie Platt, Houston Baptist (Texas)

2005-06 Mike Gibson, Michigan-Dearborn

2006-07 Dennis Janzen, Fresno Pacific (Calif.)

2007-08 Candace Moats, Indiana Wesleyan

2008-09

C. American Volleyball Coaches Association

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is committed to the development and advancement of volleyball throughout the nation. The Association has unified coaches at every level by increasing the professionalism of its members. Increasing knowledge and awareness is just one of the AVCA's commitments to coaches. The official AVCA technical journal, Coaching Volleyball, and the Association's newsletter, American Volleyball, will keep coaches abreast of volleyball techniques and activities. In addition, the AVCA annually recognizes hundreds of coaches and student-athletes through one of the most comprehensive single-sport award programs, including All-America, Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. In order for a player or coach to be eligible for NAIA-AVCA recognition the coach must be a member of the AVCA. For $135, an NAIA head coach ($90 for assistants) may join the Association and begin reaping the benefits only membership can offer. Additional information can be found at http://www.avca.org/.

IX. NAIA POLICY HANDBOOK

The NAIA POLICY HANDBOOK can be found at www.naia.org. Please refer directly to the NAIA policy handbook for the following:

A. Forfeits - National Administrative Council, Article IX.

B. Declaration of Intent to Participate - Bylaws, Article I, Section K.

C. Eligibility Requirements - Bylaws, Article V, Section C

D. Frequency of Play and Scheduling - Bylaws, Article I, Section E.

E. Amateur Rules and Reinstatement - Bylaws, Article VII

F. Institutional Financial Aid Policy - Council of Presidents, Article VIII

G. National Statistical Services - National Administrative Council - Article XXI, Section A.

A. SUNDAY PLAY POLICY

As a matter of policy, NAIA national qualifying and national championship competition will not be scheduled on Sunday. See NAIA Policy Handbook for additional information.

B. Playing Rules

Rules governing NAIA regular season and postseason play are the NCAA Rules, as modified. At publication there are the following exceptions:

1. Matches between NAIA institutions will follow an unlimited substitution rule.

2. Unlimited substitution applies whether a team uses a Libero or not.

3. No requirement for 2 meters depth for the service area.

The NCAA Volleyball Rulebook is available in July each year and may be purchased by calling 888-388-9748 or through their website at www.ncaa.org.

C. Match Officials

All officials used for conference, independent, and national competition should be PAVO certified. The NAIA-VCA recommends the use of PAVO officials and line judges for all matches; regular season as well as tournaments. Trained and uniformed lines people and scorers should be used throughout the season.

D. Season Records

Season won-loss records for all NAIA member institutions shall include only those matches against upper-level, degree-granting institutions in the United States and Canada, and shall not include any matches against junior colleges, clubs, foreign or military teams. The reported record shall include ONLY matches which have been officiated by two officials (both the first and second referees) who are certified by a national (PAVO or USAV) or international (FIVB) volleyball association.

E. Official NAIA Ball

The official ball for all NAIA postseason competition is the NAIA - red, white and navy Tachikara SV-5W. The NAIA strongly recommends the use of this ball for all regular season play as well.

Official RRAC Ball

Molten is the Official Volleyball Sponsor of the RRAC.

X. Contacts

Red River Athletic Conference

Name Position/School Phone Email

Tony Stigliano RRAC Commissioner 254.755.8170 tonystig@aol.com

Darin David RRAC SID 214.755.9402 rracsid@tx.rr.com

Bacone Melvin Balogh baloghm@bacone.edu

W-918.781.7290 C-918.685.0818

Huston-Tillotson Ronnie Kaase rckaase@htu.edu

RRAC Chair W-512.505.3048 C-512.203.6280

AVCA/NAIA Regional Awards Rep.