Rule changes in v'ball

Volleyball is all set to test two experimental rules during the under 23 world championships for men and women next month in Brazil and Mexico.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) will test two rules -- sets played to 21 points instead of the customary 25 and an interval of 15 seconds between the referee’s whistle and the serve -- at these two championships.

A set (except the deciding fifth set, which remains unchanged) is won by the team which first scores 21 points with a minimum lead of two points and in the case of a 20-20 tie, play is continued until a two-point lead is achieved.

The subsequent change to the time outs sees one 60-second “Technical Time-Out” applied automatically when the leading team reaches the 12th point as opposed to two previously when the leading team reached the 8th or 16th point.

The rule changes are being tested with an eye to modernise the game and make it more appealing for fans.