Scorerdesk
Substitutions

Substitution counting and the illegal subs a scorer must catch

Tick one box on the team's substitution count for every player who enters: 18 are allowed per set in high school (NFHS) and 15 in club play (USA Volleyball). Before you write a request, check it: a player may only come back in the position they played, not in the same dead ball they left, and never as or for the libero. An illegal request is flagged to the second referee, not written.

Substitutions are where scorers make the calls that matter. The second referee relies on the table to know whether the player walking to the sideline may come on, and the substitution count tells everyone how close the team is to its limit. Both rule books let a player enter any number of times within the team limit, but tie each player to one position in the serving order for the set.

The checks, in order

  1. Is the entering player on the roster, and not a libero?
  2. Is the player leaving on the court, and not the libero or the player the libero replaced?
  3. Has the entering player already played in this set? Then this must be the same position.
  4. Did the entering player leave in this same dead ball? Then a rally has to come first.
  5. Has this team already made a request in this dead ball?
  6. Would this be past the limit (18 or 15)?

If every answer is fine, write the entering number and the score under the position of the player leaving, and tick the count. If not, tell the second referee and write nothing for the request. What happens next depends on the rule book: under NFHS an illegal substitute attempt is unnecessary delay, while a second request in one dead ball is simply denied. Under USA Volleyball an illegal substitute is a delay, and a second request or a request past the limit is an improper request, written on the sheet with no penalty the first time in the match.

Worked example

Computed by Scorerdesk's rule engine under the NFHS profile. 21 enters for 7 in position IV and 7 comes back. Later the coach sends 21 in for 9, in position II.

A legal substitution, a legal return and an illegal re-entry (NFHS)
The feed saysWhat the scorer does
Sub request home: 21 in for 7.21 in the home substitution 1 under IV (number); 0-0 in the home substitution 1 under IV (score); mark home substitution count at 1
Point home.mark home running score at 1
Point away.mark away running score at 1; 1 in the home service box under I, term 1
Sub request home: 7 in for 21.7 in the home substitution 2 under IV (number); 1-1 in the home substitution 2 under IV (score); mark home substitution count at 2
Point away.mark away running score at 2
Point home.mark home running score at 2; 2 in the away service box under I, term 1
Sub request home: 21 in for 9.Flag it (illegal substitution). Write nothing for the request.
Request denied. Unnecessary delay, administrative yellow card, home.sanctions row: H, DW, T, 2-2
Point home.mark home running score at 3
Point away.mark away running score at 3; 3 in the home service box under II, term 1

The first two requests are written under IV, each with the score at the time, and each ticks the count. The third is illegal because 21 is tied to position IV. The scorer flags it, the request is denied, and the team is charged unnecessary delay, which is written in the sanctions box.

Common mistakes

Practise it

The practice page has scenarios for the 19th and 16th substitution, a same dead ball return, a second request, a player not on the roster and the libero as a substitute. The rule differences are side by side in the club vs high school guide.

Sources

Checked against these sources on 27 September 2026. Rules are paraphrased, never quoted at length, and local procedures differ by region, state and tournament; where yours differ, follow your referees.

Score the free daily setAll scorekeeping guides

Frequently asked questions

How do you count volleyball substitutions?

Each player who enters counts as one substitution, even when two come on in one request. Tick the team's substitution count once per entering player. Starting the set does not count, and an illegal substitution that is stopped does not count.

Can a player re-enter the set?

Yes, as often as the team limit allows, but only in the position of the serving order the player played before. A bench player who entered in position IV can only ever play in position IV in that set.

Can a player come straight back in the same dead ball?

No. A player taken out cannot come back before the next rally is played. Under USA Volleyball a second substitution request in the same interruption is also an improper request.

What happens at the substitution limit?

The scorer warns the second referee as the limit gets close (from the 15th under NFHS, from the 12th under USA Volleyball). A request past the limit is stopped: under NFHS it is an illegal substitution charged as unnecessary delay, under USA Volleyball an improper request.

Is the libero a substitution?

No. Libero replacements are unlimited and are not counted. The libero cannot enter as a substitute, cannot be substituted for, and the player the libero replaced comes back only by a libero replacement.