Competition
Pickleball is a Tier Three event. Play will be doubles only. Players are responsible for reviewing the schedule and reporting to play. The overall time commitment will be minimal. Events may require unique athletic skills or physical fitness.
Roster
All students are eligible to play. The desired roster size is two players per company. No more than six players per company may participate.
Challenge Tournaments
Per the published schedule, players report to the Deas Hall Gymnasium. Players are randomly assigned to a tournament bracket or round-robin and play until they are eliminated or win the bracket or pool. Players must play in at least two Challenge Tournaments to be eligible to advance to the Regimental Tournament. Players will be ranked by their win-loss record. Ties are broken by points scored (most) and then points scored against (least).
Rules
The first side to score 11 points and lead by at least 2 points wins. Only the serving side can score points.
The ball is served underhand. The first serve of each side-out is made from the right-hand court. If a point is scored, the server switches sides and initiates the next serve from the left-hand court. The server continues switching back and forth until a fault is committed, and the server loses the serve.
Each side must make at least one groundstroke following the serve before volleying the ball (hitting it before it bounces).
A player cannot volley a ball while standing in the dead zone, which is the area of the court bounded by the two sidelines, the non-volley line, and the net.
It is a fault when:
- The serve touches the ceiling or walls.
- The serve lands on or inside the non-volley line.
- The serve hits out-of-bounds.
- The serve hits the net and lands out of bounds. However, it is a service let if the ball hits the net and lands legally within the opponent’s court.
- The opponent fails to return the ball.
- The ball hits the floor out-of-bounds.
The United States Pickleball Association governs all other rules.