Rotation and service order
Volleyball rotation and service order
How FIVB rotation fixes court positions and the serving sequence, and what happens when a team serves out of order.
Rotational order
The starting line-up fixes the rotational order for the set. The front row uses positions 4, 3 and 2; the back row uses 5, 6 and 1. Under the 2025-2028 rulebook baseline, the receiving team must be in rotational order at the service hit, while the serving team may stand freely.
Who serves next
The service order follows the line-up sheet. If the serving team wins the rally, the same server serves again. If the receiving team wins, it gains the serve and rotates one position clockwise: position 2 moves to position 1 to serve, and position 1 moves to position 6.
Rotation faults
A rotational fault occurs when the service is not made according to the rotational order. The opponent gains a point and the next service, the order is corrected, and points scored after the fault may be cancelled if the scorer can identify when it began.
FIVB 2026 competition test
For VNL 2026, U17 World Championships and Continental Championships, FIVB is testing a different timing rule: the receiving team must be in correct rotational order at the referee's whistle but may move once the serving action begins. FIVB says any permanent rule update remains subject to review.