Important Information

Updates to this season

There are a some very impactful changes that new and returning clubs should know about the 2026 season.

First, here’s this year’s official college rulebook. Most questions will be answered in the FAQ below. Please send other inquires to College@usaroundnet.org.

New Indy Division

In order for clubs to be able to send as many players to college series tournaments as possible, we are introducing the new Indy division. This division will run like a regular 2-player team tournament, except each duo will represent their own club to face off against other colleges in a 2v2 format.

Our intention with the Indy division is to add a competitive touch to selecting D1 and D2 squads while simultaneously allowing any player who wishes to represent their school the ability to do so. We expect the Indy division to be just as competitive as the D1 and D2 divisions, so make sure to keep up!

New D2 Requirements

There are two new requirements that clubs must fulfill in order to compete in the D2 division.

The first requirement is that each D2 squad must include at least one woman player. There is no specific “mixed” line in D2 like in D1, but instead the usual A, B, and C lines with a required woman player included somewhere in those lines. This change is motivated by a lack of woman representation in roundnet not just at the collegiate level, but as a whole sport. We are hoping to be the catalyst for change, and heavily encourage clubs to pull their weight in terms of women’s recruitment. For tips on recruiting women for your club, see our new Women’s Recruitment Handbook.

The second requirement relates to the new Indy division. Every club will be allowed one D2 squad with no extra requirements, but clubs must send one Indy division team for every extra D2 squad that they send to any given tournament. That is, a club must send at least n - 1 Indy division teams to a tournament, where n is the number of D2 teams sent by that same club. If a club cannot meet this requirement, they are encouraged to send their extra players to the Indy division. This change is meant to boost Indy division numbers and increase the emphasis that clubs put on recruitment.

The D1 division remains relatively unchanged. However, take note that a club can send an unlimited number of D1 squads to any college sectional, but may only send 1 D1 squad to college nationals.

Power Pool Bids

The three largest sectionals, determined by the number of unique clubs participating in the D1 division, will be granted 2 automatic Power Bids for college nationals (for a total of 6 bids across all 3 largest sectionals).

2 Strength Bids, plus any converted or unaccepted Power Bids, will be allocated by the USAR College Leadership Transition Team. Criteria under consideration will include but not be limited to: fall sectionals results, spring sectionals results, number of sectionals played, and submitted College Nationals lineups.

These bids will be used to determine the Power Pool at college nationals. Edge cases including ties are addressed in the official rulebook.

General Ruleset Changes

The 2026 college roundnet series will be using the standard IRF ruleset. This includes equal serving, 100 cm no hit zone, and 8.5 meter boundary. We aim to make college roundnet, a main entry point for many roundnet players, as compliant with the current standards of the sport as possible. This includes adhering to the most recent IRF ruleset.