Several rule changes will alter the look of college volleyball for the upcoming season. The biggest change will feature rally scoring in all the games of a match. Previously used in a fifth and deciding game of a match, rally scoring means no matter which team serves, the team that wins the rally claims the point.Northern Iowa coach Bobbi Peterson says a lot of coaches probably don’t realize what’s involved. Peterson says the strategies used in games will change. In past years, only serving teams could score a point and by losing the rally would also lose serve. Peterson says serving teams may not take as many chances under the new rule, because it will better to play it safe in some situations.Peterson says proponents of the change feel it will make the sport more exciting. She says it’s been used in club volleyball the past several years. Peterson says it closes the gap between the stronger and weaker teams.Peterson says it will be a better fit for television because the length of a match will be more predictable. In the other game it could take an hour or more for one team to score the winning point in the match.This season in games one through four the team that reaches 30-points and leads by two will win. A deciding fifth game is won when one team reaches 15-points and leads by two.
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