Rules
How to fill out a volleyball score sheet: service rounds, exit scores and the T-bar
On a volleyball score sheet you slash the serving team's next number each time it wins a rally. When it loses the serve, write its total, the exit score, in the server's service-rounds box and slash the receiving team's next point. A checkmark marks each server's first serve; an X marks box 1 of the first-receiving team.
What the score sheet records, and which instructions this follows
A volleyball score sheet is the official record of a set: who started where, every point, every serve, time-out, substitution and sanction. This guide follows USA Volleyball's Scoring Instructions 2025-2027, the 56-page manual for the score sheet used in USA Volleyball competitions; the section numbers in brackets (S6.1 and so on) are that document's. High school, college and FIVB matches use their own sheets and instructions, which share the ideas but not every box.
| Section | What the scorer writes | When |
|---|---|---|
| Heading and officials | Competition, court, match number, team names, referees, scorer | Before the match (S2.2, S2.3) |
| S and R circles | An X through S for the team serving first, through R for the team receiving | After the coin toss (S3.3) |
| Service order I to VI | The starting players' numbers, from the line-up sheet | Before each set (S3.10) |
| Service rounds | A checkmark at each server's first serve, the exit score when the serve is lost | Every change of serve (S6.1) |
| Points column | A slash through each point won; slash and circle for a penalty point | Every rally (S6.1.3, S1.6) |
| Score at substitution | Entering player and score, under the player leaving | Every substitution (S9.6) |
| Time-outs | The score at each time-out | Every time-out (S11.1) |
| Sanctions | Warnings, penalties, expulsions, disqualifications | Every sanction (S13) |
| Remarks | Exceptional substitutions, removed points, protests, forfeits | As needed (S14) |
| Set results | Winning and losing team and score | End of set (S17.5) |
Two rules apply everywhere. When both scores are written, for a time-out, substitution, sanction or remark, the score of the team causing the action goes first (S1.5). And everything before the first serve and after the last point is written in blue or black ink; during the set, pencil is allowed (S4.1.1, S17.2).
Before the first serve: S, R and the X in box 1
The team that starts set 1 on the left court is Team A and the other is Team B, for the whole match (S3.1). After the coin toss the scorer draws three X's (S3.3): one through the circled S of the team serving first, one through the circled R of the team receiving first, and one in box 1 of the service rounds for the receiving team's player in position I.
That third X is the one people ask about. The team receiving first cannot serve until it wins a rally, and winning a rally makes it rotate, so the first player it sends back to serve is the one in position II. Its player I does not serve in round 1 at all. The X fills that box so the next box used under player I is box 2, and every column stays in step with the rounds of service.
Then copy the starting line-ups from the line-up sheets into the service order boxes, in the order of the Roman numerals (S3.10), the game captain's number in the captain circle (S3.9) and the libero numbers in the libero boxes. A team may name zero, one or two liberos for each set, and an empty libero box gets an X (S3.7). Record the start time, in 24-hour form, when the first referee whistles for the first serve (S3.13).
Recording each rally: checkmarks, slashes and exit scores
Every rally ends with a slash, and every lost serve ends with an exit score. The first time a player serves in a round, the scorer puts a small checkmark through the number in that player's service-rounds box (S6.1.2). While the serving team keeps winning, the scorer only slashes its next point. When the receiving team wins, the scorer writes the serving team's total, the exit score, in the checked box, then slashes the receiving team's next point (S6.1.4).
A worked start to a set. Team A serves first with 4, 7, 11, 2, 9, 15 in positions I to VI; Team B receives with 3, 8, 12, 5, 10, 1.
| Rally | Server | Won by | What the scorer writes | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A's 4 (I) | A | Checkmark in A's box 1 under 4; slash A's 1 | 1-0 |
| 2 | A's 4 | A | Slash A's 2 | 2-0 |
| 3 | A's 4 | B | 2 in the box under 4; slash B's 1 | 2-1 |
| 4 | B's 8 (II) | B | Checkmark in B's box 1 under 8; slash B's 2 | 2-2 |
| 5 | B's 8 | A | 2 in the box under 8; slash A's 3 | 3-2 |
| 6 | A's 7 (II) | B | Checkmark and then 3 in A's box 1 under 7; slash B's 3 | 3-3 |
The instructions build in a check (S6.1.4b): the point slashed for a receiving team is always one more than that team's own previous exit score, unless points have been removed for a fault. In rally 5, Team A's last exit score was 2, so the point slashed is 3. If the numbers ever disagree, the sheet has a mistake in it.
Replays, wrong servers and late serves
A replayed rally is recorded as nothing at all; check that the visible scoreboard did not move (S6.3). When the wrong player serves, the scorer waits until that player contacts the ball, tells the second referee, and writes the exit score in the box of the player who should have served, without a checkmark (S7.2). A server who does not serve within 8 seconds of the whistle gets an exit score in the box with no remark and no sanction (S7.3).
Time-outs and substitutions
A time-out is one score in a box. Write the score at the moment of the time-out in the box under that team's points column, the first time-out in the top box and the second in the lower box (S11.1), with the calling team's score first. Then signal to the second referee how many time-outs each team has taken, and give the ready signal when the time-out ends (S11.2).
A substitution is two numbers and a slash. In the first free row under the player leaving, write the entering player's number in the left box and the score in the right box, then slash the next number in the team's substitutions row (S9.6). A player may come in any number of times within the limit, but only in the same position in the rotation (S9.1.2), which is why the record sits under the starting player's column. USA Volleyball allows 12 team substitutions per set (S9.1.1).
| Kind | Entering number | Score | Substitutions row | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular substitution | In the next box under the player leaving | Yes | Slash the next number | Slash the player in Legal Substitutes, if rosters are used |
| Exceptional (injury or illness) | In the next box | No | No slash: it does not count | Circle the injured player's number; remark "EX SUB" (S10.3) |
| Libero replacement | Not on the score sheet | No | No | Libero control sheet: L or R beside the number (A5.3) |
The manual disagrees with itself here
The scorer tells the second referee as the team nears its limit, and the 2025-2027 instructions give two different lists. For a single substitution, S9.3.3 says to notify the referee of the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th. For several at once, S9.4.1c says the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th, which cannot happen under a limit of 12. The 13th to 15th look like a leftover from a rule book with a higher limit; with 12, announcing from the 9th on is the version consistent with S9.1.1.
The libero: two triangles and a separate sheet
The libero's replacements never appear on the score sheet. They are unlimited, are not substitutions, and are tracked by the assistant scorer on the libero control sheet: an L or an R (for the first or second libero) beside the number of the player replaced, and the player's number beside the letter when that player returns. Slashes are never used for them (A2.1, A5.3).
The score sheet shows the libero only when the libero serves. A libero may serve in one rotational position per set, and two liberos must both serve from that same position (S6.2). The first time a libero serves, draw a triangle around the Roman numeral of that position; each point the libero's team wins on that serve gets a triangle around the point instead of a plain slash. When the serve is lost, the exit score and the rally point are recorded as usual.
Sanctions and penalty points
A penalty point is slashed and circled. The scorer slashes the opponent's next point and draws a circle round it (S1.6), and writes the sanction in the sanctions box. That is the whole difference between a penalty point and a rally point on the sheet, which is why one ranking guide's advice to write "PC" in the margin and mark the point like any other loses the information the circle carries.
| Sanction | Card | Column | Written | Point to the opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delay warning | Yellow on the wrist | W | D | No |
| Delay penalty | Red on the wrist | P | D | Yes: slash and circle |
| Misconduct warning | Yellow | W | Player number or bench code | No |
| Misconduct penalty | Red | P | Player number or bench code | Yes: slash and circle |
| Expulsion | Red and yellow together | E | Player number or bench code | No |
| Disqualification | Red and yellow apart | D (DisQ) | Player number or bench code | No |
Every entry also carries the team letter, the set number and the score, the sanctioned team's first. There is one delay warning and one misconduct warning per team per match (S13.2, S13.3), and every sanction is copied onto the sheets of the sets still to come (S13.1.4). If a penalty is against the serving team, it ends that team's serve, so its exit score is written as well (S13.4.2).
Ending a set: the final exit score, the T-bar and the results
When the last point is scored, slash it, cross your forearms to signal the end of the set, and record the final exit score (S17.1). If the serving team won the last rally, the final exit score goes in the current server's box; if the receiving team won it, the final exit score goes in that team's next box, without a checkmark, because nobody served from it. Circle the final exit score of each team (S17.3.2), and do not circle the final point unless it was a penalty point (S17.4.1).
Then cancel the unused points with the T-bar: a horizontal line under the last point used in each points column and a vertical line from it to the bottom, and a full vertical line through any column that held no points (S17.4.3). The same T-bar, drawn at the top, cancels the points not used when a set starts at a score other than 0-0 (S2.5). Record the end time, the winning and losing team and score in the set results (S17.5), and check that three numbers agree before signing: the final exit score, the last slashed point and the score in the results (S17.6.2).
The deciding set: three sections and a change of courts
A deciding set is played to 15 points with a two-point lead, and the teams change courts when one reaches 8; a 25-point playoff set changes at 13 (S19.1). It goes on a deciding-set sheet with three sections: LEFT for the team starting on the left court until the change, MIDDLE for the team starting on the right court for the whole set, and RIGHT for the left-court team after the change (S19.2).
| Team starting on the left | Team starting on the right | |
|---|---|---|
| Line-up, captain, libero | LEFT and RIGHT | MIDDLE |
| Points and exit scores before the change | LEFT only | MIDDLE |
| Substitutions, captains and time-outs before the change | LEFT and RIGHT | MIDDLE |
| Everything after the change | RIGHT | MIDDLE |
| T-bar at the end | RIGHT only; never the LEFT column | MIDDLE |
At the change, copy the left team's score to the RIGHT section and write its anchor point, the last exit score from the LEFT section, in its next service box there, without a checkmark. If that team has not served before the change, the anchor is the X (S20.4). The LEFT section is then finished, and its unused points are left as they are (S21.4).
One line of the manual reads the wrong way round. S20.2.2b, as printed, says not to record points and exit scores on the LEFT section before the change, while S20.2.2a says to record all actions there and S20.4.3 takes the anchor point from the LEFT section's last exit score. The procedure only works with the points on LEFT before the change, so read S20.2.2b as the RIGHT section.
Where the ranking guides go wrong
The guides that rank for this question describe a sheet in outline and leave out the marks that make it a record. What they say, set against the instructions:
| What a guide says | What the instructions say |
|---|---|
| Mark the server with "a small box or dash" | A checkmark through the box number at the first serve, then the exit score in that box (S6.1) |
| Note a penalty "PC" in the margin and mark the point as usual | Slash and circle the opponent's point, and enter the sanction in the P column (S1.6, S13.4) |
| Record the final score in the set summary box | Also the final exit score, circled, the T-bar, and a three-way check (S17) |
| Mark the libero's number in its box | And a triangle round the position and each point when the libero serves; replacements go on a separate sheet (S6.2, A5) |
| Nothing on the X in box 1 | Box 1 of the first-receiving team's player I is crossed out after the coin toss (S3.3.2) |
Simple Online Counter is a free, browser-based set of counters, and its volleyball score counter keeps the score, the rotation and the next server for both teams under indoor or beach rules. It is a way to check the server and the score against the sheet at the table; it does not replace the official score sheet or the line-up sheets.
Frequently asked questions
How do you keep score in volleyball on a score sheet?
Slash the next number in the scoring team's points column after every rally. While the serving team keeps winning, only its column moves. When it loses the rally, write its total points in the current server's service-rounds box, then slash the other team's next point. Each server's first serve is marked with a small checkmark through the box number (USA Volleyball Scoring Instructions 2025-2027, S6.1).
What is an exit score in volleyball?
The exit score is the serving team's total points at the moment it loses the serve. The scorer writes it in the service-rounds box of the player who was serving (S6.1.4). The receiving team's rally point that follows is always one more than that team's own previous exit score, unless points were removed for a fault, which makes it a running check on the sheet.
Why is there an X in the first service box on a volleyball score sheet?
The team that receives first never serves with its player in position I in that round. When it wins its first rally it rotates, and the player in position II serves. So after the coin toss the scorer draws an X through the receiving team's R and an X in box 1 of service round for its player I (S3.3.2), and that player's first serve is recorded in box 2.
How do you record a timeout on a volleyball score sheet?
Write the score at the moment of the time-out in the team's time-out box, the first in the top box and the second in the lower one (S11.1). The score of the team taking the time-out goes first: with Team B on 10 and Team A on 5, a Team B time-out is recorded 10:5 (S1.5). Then signal to the second referee how many time-outs each team has taken.
How do you record a substitution on a volleyball score sheet?
In the first free row under the number of the player leaving, write the entering player's number in the left box and the score in the right box, the substituting team's score first. Then slash the next number in the team's substitutions row, so the total is always visible. USA Volleyball allows 12 team substitutions per set (S9.1.1, S9.6).
Does the libero count as a substitution?
No. Libero replacements are unlimited and are not counted as substitutions (A2.1.1). They are not written on the score sheet at all but on the separate libero control sheet, as an L or R beside the replaced player's number, never with a slash (A5.3). The score sheet records only the libero's numbers and a triangle when the libero serves.
How do you record a penalty point on a volleyball score sheet?
Slash the opposing team's next point and draw a circle around it (S1.6, S13.4.3), and record the penalty in the sanctions box: the D or player number in the P column, the team, the set and the score. If the penalty is against the serving team, write its exit score too. A note such as "PC" in the margin is not the procedure.
What is the T-bar method in volleyball scoring?
At the end of a set the scorer cancels every unused point. With a straight edge, draw a horizontal line under the last point scored in each points column and a vertical line from there to the bottom; any column with no points used gets a vertical line top to bottom (S17.4.3). The same T-bar cancels the unused points at the top of a set that does not start at 0-0.
How is the fifth set different to score?
It goes on a deciding-set sheet with three sections. The team starting on the left court is recorded on the LEFT and RIGHT sections, the other team on the MIDDLE. The teams change courts at 8 in a 15-point set; from then the LEFT section is no longer used, and the left team's score carries over to the RIGHT section with its last exit score as the anchor point.