By Ryan Walker. Updated November 4, 2026: rules checked against the current USA Volleyball, FIVB and NFHS rulebooks, plus a free printable lineup sheet.
Fifth set of my high school state final. Our coach handed the lineup sheet to the referee with 45 seconds to spare, and I didn’t breathe until the referee nodded.
A volleyball lineup sheet lists your six starting players for one set, by position (I to VI). Position I is your first server. The libero isn’t one of the six and goes in a separate box. You hand a new sheet to the second referee or the scorer before every set, 2 to 3 minutes before the first set and 30 seconds to 1 minute before each set after that, depending on the rulebook.
Positions I to VI, two libero boxes, captain and signature lines, and the deadlines for each rulebook.
Rather do it on a tablet? Our free scoresheet app takes positions I to VI, the libero and the captain for both teams before set 1, and won’t start the set until every box is filled. That last part alone would have saved me a few panicked moments at the scorer’s table. Using a libero? Log every replacement on the printable libero tracker in my libero guide.
| Rulebook | Set 1 deadline | Later sets | Late or wrong sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA | 3 min before warm-up ends (changes free until 1 min) | 30 sec before the interval ends | Delay sanction |
| USA Volleyball | 2 min before warm-up ends | 30 sec before the interval ends (Rule 7.3.2) | Delay sanction |
| NFHS (high school) | 2 min before warm-up ends | 1 min before the interval ends | Warning first, then a point (unnecessary delay) |
| FIVB | Before each set starts | Before each set starts (Rule 7.3.2) | Delay sanction |
Why 45 seconds felt like a lifetime
The referee looked at the sheet, nodded and walked off. We trailed 12-14 later in that set and won it 16-14, but that nod is still the part I think about. A late sheet is a delay, and in most rulebooks the first delay is a warning and the next one costs a point. Nobody wants to start a deciding set handing the other team anything.
The sheet itself is simple: six numbers, a libero, a captain and a signature. What trips coaches up is the deadline, the libero box and the rotation logic behind which number goes where. Here’s all three.
How to fill out a volleyball lineup sheet
- Fill in the header. Team, opponent, date and match number, so the scorer can match your sheet to the score sheet.
- Write a jersey number in each position, I to VI. Each box is where that starter stands when the first serve of the set is hit.
- Check who serves first. If your team serves first, the player in position I serves. If you receive first, nobody moves until you win the serve. Then your team rotates clockwise, and the player who started in position II serves first.
- Write your libero. One or two numbers in the libero boxes. The libero is never one of the six.
- Mark the captain with a C next to their number.
- Sign it. Under FIVB and USA Volleyball Rule 7.3.2, the coach signs the sheet.
- Hand it in before the deadline, to the second referee or the scorer.
| Position | Where they stand | Serving order |
|---|---|---|
| I | Right back | 1st |
| II | Right front | 2nd |
| III | Middle front | 3rd |
| IV | Left front | 4th |
| V | Left back | 5th |
| VI | Middle back | 6th |
Each set needs a new sheet, even if the lineup doesn’t change. If you keep the score sheet too, the six numbers you write here are the starting lineup you copy into it.
Positions vs. serving order: NFHS sheets are different
FIVB and USA Volleyball sheets use positions I to VI on a court diagram. High school (NFHS) sheets list the six starters in serving order, 1 to 6, so the first number on the sheet is your first server. If you coach club in the spring and high school in the fall, you’re filling out two different formats.
The libero on the lineup sheet
- One or two liberos. USA Volleyball allows up to two liberos (Rule 19.1.1). High school rules allow two liberos per set starting in 2026-27.
- Not one of the six. The libero comes in after the second referee has checked the starting lineup, replacing a back-row player.
- Replacements aren’t substitutions. Libero exchanges don’t count against your substitution limit.
More on how the position works in my libero guide.
Building your lineup around the rotation
The sheet is also a tactical decision. The position you give each player decides when they’re in the front row. Players rotate clockwise, so a hitter who starts in position IV goes to III, then II, then to the back row. They’re front row for the first three rotations of the set.
Most coaches start their setter in position I. In a 5-1, that puts three hitters in the front row for the first three rotations. In a 6-2, list your two setters directly opposite each other (I and IV, II and V, or III and VI) so one is always in the back row.
I fill out lineups in pencil the night before, then look at it again in warm-ups. If my best server is shanking balls into the net, I’d rather move her to position II than have her serve first in a tight set.
Lineup mistakes and what they actually cost
- Wrong or duplicate number. If the second referee finds a difference between the sheet and the court before the set starts, it’s corrected with no penalty (USAV 7.3.5.1).
- An unregistered player on court. A player who isn’t on the sheet and plays can cost your team points (USAV 7.3.5.4).
- Serving out of order. That’s a rotation fault: the other team gets the point and the serve.
- Missing the between-set deadline. That’s a delay. My rule: the sheet goes in before we talk tactics in the interval, never after.
For how a lost rally turns into a point and a side-out, see how volleyball scoring works.
Volleyball lineup sheet FAQs
In NCAA play, first-set changes are free until 1 minute is left on the warm-up clock. In FIVB and USA Volleyball, once the sheet is in, a change has to be made as a regular substitution.
The player who started in position II. When your team wins the serve, everyone rotates one spot clockwise, so the position II starter moves to position I and serves.
No. The libero goes in a separate box on the sheet and comes in after the second referee checks the starting lineup.
Yes. FIVB and USA Volleyball Rule 7.3.2 require a lineup sheet before each set, even if nothing changes.
The second referee or the scorer, before the deadline for that set.
The roster lists every player on your team for the match. The lineup sheet lists the six starters and the libero for one set.
Download our free PDF on this page. It has boxes for five sets, positions I to VI, two liberos, the captain and the coach signature.
Keep playing,
Ryan Walker
This was very helpful.