High school volleyball officials will no longer penalize players for multiple contacts on second touches when attempting to play the ball, eliminating one of the sport's most disputed judgment calls under rule changes approved for the 2025-26 season.

The National Federation of State High School Associations approved six volleyball rule changes at its January meeting, with the multiple contact revision highlighting the modifications designed to improve game flow and reduce conflicts between coaches and officials.

"The multiple contact fault has consistently been a point of contention between coaches and officials," said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS director of sports and volleyball rules committee liaison. "The elimination of this fault will contribute to fewer disputes and ultimately benefit the overall environment of the match."

Under the new Rule 9-4-8c, multiple contacts by one player will be allowed on second contact if the next contact comes from a teammate on the same side of the net. The rule already permitted multiple contacts on a team's first touch and after blocking.

Uniform requirements were modified to simplify number placement and undergarment rules. Starting in 2029, jersey numbers must only be centered on the upper half of uniforms, eliminating the current 5-inch measurement requirement from top and bottom edges.

Players may now wear solid black, white or gray undergarments when team uniform colors cannot be matched, though all non-libero players must wear the same undergarment color.

Officials will no longer be required to carry lineup cards, though newer referees may continue using them as training tools. The change affects Rules 5-3-2b and 5-5-3b(9).

Penalties for illegal libero replacements will now depend on timing relative to serve contact. Violations identified before service contact result in unnecessary delay warnings, while those caught afterward become illegal alignment penalties with loss of rally and point.

The 2025-26 volleyball rules book will be available in print in late April at www.NFHS.com, with digital versions available through the NFHS Digital app. TSSAA head coaches receive free access to the digital rules book and are briefed annually on rules changes through mandatory rules clinics.

Volleyball ranks as the second-most popular girls sport with 479,125 participants at 16,849 schools nationwide, trailing only track and field. Boys volleyball includes 85,255 participants at 3,805 schools.