Metarice Volleyball League
2026 Rules
Tournament format, rules, and guidelines. Start with the quick FAQ — the full rulebook follows below.
The Quick Version
Tap a question. Full details are in the rulebook below.
What's the tournament format?
Single round robin preliminaries — every team plays every other team once. All 8 teams then advance to seeded Quarter-Finals, followed by Semi-Finals, a Battle for Bronze, and the Championship. Rankings come from total wins, with ties broken by set ratio, then points ratio, then head-to-head.
How much is the entry fee and what does it include?
₱3,500 per person. That covers 2 jerseys, court fees for a guaranteed 8 games (best of 3 sets each), raffle prizes, medals, staff (referees and statisticians), and documentation/promotion. Line-up changes after July 31 cost an additional ₱4,000 per player.
When and where are the games?
At Gameville Ball Park. Preliminaries run August 29, 30, 31 & September 5; Quarter-Finals September 5; Semi-Finals, Battle for Bronze, and the Championship September 6. Be at the venue 30 minutes before your scheduled match — games may start early.
How do matches work?
Best of 3 sets: sets 1–2 to 25 points, deciding set to 15 (always win by two). The Championship is best of 5. In the Quarter-Finals, the #1 and #2 seeds start their series with a 1–0 set advantage.
How big is a roster, and are collegiate/pro players allowed?
12 to 16 registered players per team; only rostered players can play. On court at any time, a team may field at most 2 non-libero players plus 1 libero coming from collegiate (UAAP & NCAA) and/or semi-pro/pro tournaments. Breaking this counts as a rotation error — a point to the other team.
What do we wear?
The two provided jerseys — everyone must wear them so rotation can be monitored, and numbers can't repeat within a team. Shorts must either match your jersey number or have no number. The libero wears the opposite color from the team.
What happens if we're late or short on players?
There's a 5-minute grace period from your scheduled start; after that the match is forfeited by default. Fielding 5 players or fewer is also an automatic default.
What can we win?
Medals for every member of the top 3 teams, plus individual awards: a Dream Team (best outside hitters, middle blockers, opposite hitter, setter, libero) based on stats through the semis, a Tournament MVP, and a Finals MVP.
Where do updates get posted?
Follow @metaricevolley on Instagram for tournament updates and event documentation. Share your handle to get tagged in stories and posts.
Tournament Overview
Preliminary Round
The Preliminary Round follows a Single Round Robin format — each team competes against every other team once. Rankings are based on the total number of victories. If two or more teams are tied at the end of the Preliminary Round, the following criteria apply, in order:
- Set ratio — number of all sets won divided by number of all sets lost.
- Points ratio — all points scored divided by total points lost across all sets.
- If the tie persists on points ratio, it is broken by the result of the Preliminary Round match between the tied teams. When the points-ratio tie involves three or more teams, those teams are ranked considering only the matches between the teams in question.
Playoffs
| Stage | Matchup |
|---|---|
| Quarter-Finals | QF1: #1 vs #8 · QF2: #2 vs #7 · QF3: #3 vs #6 · QF4: #4 vs #5 |
| Semi-Finals | SF1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF4 · SF2: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF3 |
| Battle for Bronze | Loser SF1 vs Loser SF2 |
| Battle for Gold | Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 |
Tournament Fee
- Entry fee: ₱3,500 per person.
- Additional ₱4,000 fee for line-up changes per player after July 31.
- Includes: 2 jerseys, court fees for guaranteed 8 games (best of 3 sets per game), raffle prizes, medals, staff (referees, statisticians), and documentation/promotion.
Registration
Participating teams are purely invitational. Each player under each team is required to accomplish a form declaring consent to participate and be part of communications, a waiver for any potential liabilities, and their emergency contacts.
Tournament Schedule
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Round | August 29, 30, 31 & September 5 |
| Quarter-Finals | September 5 |
| Semi-Finals | September 6 |
| Battle for Bronze & Championship | September 6 |
Match Structure
Scoring
| Stage | Format | Sets |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Round | Best of 3 | Sets 1–2 to 25 (win by 2, cap 30) · Set 3 to 15 (win by 2, cap 20) |
| Quarter-Finals — QF3 & QF4 (#3 vs #6, #4 vs #5) |
Best of 3 | Sets 1–2 to 25 (win by 2, cap 30) · Set 3 if necessary, to 15 (win by 2, cap 20) |
| Quarter-Finals — QF1 & QF2 (#1 vs #8, #2 vs #7) |
Best of 3, higher seed starts 1–0 | Up to 2 played sets, each to 25 (win by 2, cap 30) |
| Semi-Finals & Battle for Bronze | Best of 3 | Sets 1–2 to 25 (win by 2, cap 30) · Set 3 if necessary, to 15 (win by 2, cap 20) |
| Championship (Finals) | Best of 5 | Sets 1–4 to 25 (win by 2, cap 30) · Set 5 if necessary, to 15 (win by 2) |
Timeouts
- Each team is allowed one 30-second timeout per set.
- There are no technical timeouts during the match.
Default Rules
- Teams are allowed a 5-minute grace period from the scheduled start time of their match as per the order of play. If a team is not present and ready to play within this grace period, they forfeit the match by default.
- 5 players or less: automatic default.
Court Regulations
- Coin toss: determines the choice of court side or service.
Player & Team Guidelines
Number of Players
Each team may register twelve (12) to sixteen (16) players for the tournament. Only players listed on the official team roster are eligible to participate in matches.
Player Participation
- Each team is allowed a maximum of two (2) non-libero and one (1) libero players from collegiate (UAAP & NCAA) and/or semi-professional/professional tournaments on the court at any given time.
- It is the team's responsibility to manage their lineups and ensure compliance throughout the game. Violation of this rule is considered a rotation error, and a point is awarded to the opposing team prior to the start of the next rally.
Substitution Rules
- Each team is allowed a maximum of 6 substitutions per set. Players may re-enter the set multiple times, but must always substitute for the same player throughout the set.
- Injured players: if a player is injured and unable to continue, they must be substituted out immediately for their own safety. This substitution does not count toward the team's official substitution limit.
- Line-up substitutions: any changes to the official team lineup, including player substitutions or replacements (e.g., due to absence, injury, or other reasons), must be discussed with and approved by the tournament organizer prior to the start of the match. Unauthorized lineup changes may result in disqualification, forfeiture of the match, or other penalties as determined by the organizing committee.
Libero Regulations
- Standard FIVB libero rules apply.
- Libero replacements do not count as substitutions and must occur during a rally stoppage, following official guidelines.
Faults & Violations
The tournament adheres to official FIVB rules, with the first referee being the final authority. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Ball in / ball out
- Net fault
- Foot fault: stepping over the attack line, crossing the centerline, or during service
- 8-second service rule: enforced by the referee
- Catch/lifting: prolonged contact, catching, lifting, or throwing the ball is prohibited
- Double contact: referees will adopt a more lenient interpretation for overhead setting contacts, consistent with the recent FIVB experimental interpretation
- Dead ball: accidents (e.g., a ball rolls in) may result in a dead ball at the referee's discretion
Cards
- Yellow/red cards are issued at the referee's discretion.
- Red card penalty: +1 point awarded to the opposing team.
- No challenges: only the floor captains are allowed to discuss decisions with referees.
Attire & Equipment
- Jerseys: two jerseys are provided. Everyone must wear the provided jerseys so that rotation may properly be monitored. Jersey numbers in a team cannot repeat.
- Players should only wear shorts with the same number as their registered jersey number, or shorts without any numbers, during the tournament.
- Libero attire: the libero must wear the opposite colored jersey to the rest of the team at all times.
Warmups & Scheduling
- Warmups: each team has 5 minutes of exclusive warmup time before each game.
- Scheduling: the tournament follows the order of play (see Tournament Schedule). Match start times are approximate and subject to the completion of prior matches. Teams must be at the venue 30 minutes prior to their designated schedule, as matches may start earlier.
Venue & Features
- Location: Gameville Ball Park
- Facilities: showers are available; parking is available across the venue for a fee.
- Guests: players can bring guests to the tournament.
- Food and refreshments: players can bring food inside; Gameville also sells snacks and refreshments on-site.
Awards & Prizes
Team Awards
Medals will be awarded to all members of the first, second, and third-ranked teams after the final matches.
Individual Awards
Awards will be given to the dream team based on statistics from the eliminations to the semi-finals:
- 1st Best Outside Hitter
- 2nd Best Outside Hitter
- 1st Best Middle Blocker
- 2nd Best Middle Blocker
- Best Opposite Hitter
- Best Setter
- Best Libero
- Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP)
- Finals MVP
Communication Channels
Updates: follow us on Instagram @metaricevolley for tournament updates and event documentation. Participants are encouraged to share their Instagram handles for mentions/tags on stories and posts.