How long do volleyball games last college

It is virtually impossible to nail down how long a volleyball match will last before it begins but there are some factors that certainly impact the length of a game.

Each level of the sport has its own unique factors that will shorten or lengthen the overall time a match takes.

But to give you some idea…

Most volleyball matches last between 60 and 90 minutes.

And the duration of a typical single volleyball game is 20 - 25 minutes long.

How Long is a Volleyball Game for Junior High School and Youth Volleyball?

The junior high level and younger teams will often play a shortened match length.

Most games are played in a ‘best of three’ format. Meaning the winner is the first team to win two games out of three.

While this sounds as if it could shorten a match as compared to longer formats, it is important to remember that the skill level is not quite as high as other levels.

Rallies can last longer as the lower levels of play have difficulty with the aggressive kills and set plays of other levels.

Substitutions may take longer as well as the patterns might not be as fluid as they are at a higher level.

How Long is a High School Volleyball Game?

High school volleyball represents the transition in skill levels to a more sophisticated level of volleyball play.

The majority of high school level leagues play a ‘best of five’ format. Meaning the winner is the first team to win three games out of five.

The variables of length begin to present themselves at this level, as teams may quickly win a match 3-0 or a match can be drawn out to a 3-2 outcome.

Those two extra games can certainly impact the length of a match overall

At the high school level and above, games typically are won by the first team to 25 points.

The winning team must win by two points or greater.

For example, 25 - 24 is not a win but 26 - 24 is.

If the match goes to a fifth game to determine the winning team, it is typically played to 15 points.

The win by two rule still applies in the shortened last game.

How Long is a College Volleyball Game?

The highest levels of volleyball are certainly the college and international levels of play.

At this level, athletes are often quite good at their positions and frequently kill rallies quickly. 

Obviously each game presents unique outcomes, but elite volleyball is typically the most expedient.

Substitution patterns are well known and do not take excessive time and quick service is typical.

This level of volleyball maintains the same scoring and best of five games as the high school level.

Conclusion

The disparity in skill level in addition to many in-game variables can certainly contribute to the length of a volleyball game.

Which makes ‘how long is a volleyball game’ a tough question to answer.

Accommodations have been made to ensure the lower level athletes can still complete a match in an acceptable time frame that keeps the game interesting and fun to play.

Someone you know just joined the volleyball team, and their first game is coming up. You’d love to go and support them, but with a busy schedule, you don’t know if you can make it. You’re trying to plan it out, but how long do volleyball games last? How long is each set?

A typical volleyball match can run from 60-90 minutes, but there is no set time limit. Refer to the table below to estimate the length of volleyball games for different levels.

The length of a volleyball game is never the same, as it depends on the age of the players and the length of their rallies. If you have younger players, the game will most likely be 45 minutes with individual sets of 15 minutes. If the players are older and more experienced, they will play more sets with longer rallies that could make the entire match last for more than 1 hour and 30 minutes. Read on to learn more about how the length of a volleyball game is determined and how long tournaments last.

How is the length of a volleyball match determined?

Volleyball games have no set time limit as they are determined by the number of sets needed to win the game. For example, younger and less experienced players typically play to win two out of three sets. Some other teams play all three sets even if the other team has already won two! For the younger, less experienced players, matches are shorter and may have a time limit, but it depends on the league’s rules.

Older or more professional players play to win three out of five games. This means they may end up playing all five sets. Since these players are more experienced, they may have longer rallies which may make each set longer. A typical set is completed within 25 minutes. If they have to play five 25-minute games, the volleyball match could go up to two hours but typically ends within 90 minutes.

Timeouts, substitutions, and breaks also play a part in the length of a volleyball game, but with all things considered, they make no noticeable difference in how long a match will last.

How Long Are Timeouts, Substitutions, and Breaks?

Timeouts are also considered in the length of volleyball games, yet they don’t make much difference.

Volleyball teams are given two 30-75 second time-outs per game. This can only add 2 minutes to each set and 6 minutes to the match.

Teams can perform substitutions when the ball is not in play. Therefore, substitutions do not add any time to the match’s length.

Breaks can happen between each game. For younger teams, a 5-minute interval is given to rest. However, for older players, there is only a 3-minute break between most sets, except for a 2-10 minute break between the second and third sets. Click here for Volleyball Timeout Strategies: When to Call It and What to Say

Before Game and After Game Activities

It’s important to remember that the pre and post-game activities will also affect the length of the game. The amount of time will vary based on the experience level of the team. A younger team will likely not spend as much time warming up and cooling down as a college or university varsity team will. Varsity teams may warm up for over an hour before the actual game!

This also does not include the time in the changing room getting uniforms and equipment on or the pre-game huddle, strategy and/or pep talk from the coach. After the game, players again need to change and remove equipment, and the coach will again often have a debrief on how the game went. How long this all takes, of course, again depends on the experience level of the team. Younger teams may do this quite quickly, while varsity teams will spend significant time on this.

Time for cooling down after the game is also important. Varsity players will play much more intensely than younger players, so they will need adequate time for stretching and rehydrating. And, depending on the outcome of the game, some players may need some time to personally reflect on the game, and either celebrate – or come to terms with a defeat.

Also, depending on the league, varsity games may also introduce all the players and coaches individually before the game starts. This can add a considerable amount of time to the overall game. However, varsity games are also very entertaining, with upbeat music being played and often even a mascot entertaining the crowd. All worth the extra time added!

Home Team vs Visiting Team

Often, the home team is asked to arrive early to help with setting up and putting away the equipment. This again depends on the league level – for younger teams, learning this responsibility is an important part of their volleyball careers. However, further up into varsity leagues, players are able to focus more on the game and less on setting up and cleaning up the equipment.

While visiting teams aren’t usually required to setup and clean up, they have committed the extra time to travel a further distance to their opponent’s gym.

How Long Do Volleyball Tournaments Usually Last?

Professional volleyball tournaments consist of various matches between different teams. However, most tournaments last about 8 to 10 hours. If the tournament is for younger players, it is expected to be completed in a shorter time spread over two days.

For professional volleyball teams, there is no determined time for a tournament. They could be 8-10 hours or spread over three or more days, depending on how many teams are in the tournament.

Although we’d all like an answer to be prepared, the lengths of tournaments depend on the level of your team, the length of each game, and whether or not your team wins each match. Click here for Complete Guide to Planning and Hosting a Volleyball Tournament

How Long Do Beach Volleyball Games Last?

The average length of Olympic beach volleyball games is shorter than regular matches, regardless of the number of sets played. According to the Federation Internationale de Volleyball, the Olympic sand volleyball matches consisted of 78 – 96 rallies and averaged 30-64 minutes.

However, beach volleyball games with less skilled players will last shorter than Olympic games. This is because the number of rallies will be significantly lower due to the skill level of the players.

The average length of a beach volleyball game for fun and beginners is about 45 to 60 minutes, but it depends on the players’ skill level and the game rules set by them.

How Many Points Are Needed to Win? How Fast Do They Score?

According to the Federation Internationale de Volleyball, the number of points needed to win was originally 15, winning by 2. However, they changed the point requirement from 15 to 25 in 1998. This drastically altered the time volleyball games took because they switched from side-out scoring to rally scoring.

Side-out scoring games last longer than rally scoring games, as only the serving teams could score. They were making it much more difficult for both teams to score frequently. In rally scoring games, either the serving or receiving teams can score during a rally. The switch to rally scoring made games much quicker as a team gets the point when the other team fails to return the ball over the net or when the ball goes out of bounds. The teams can also receive points if a player makes an infraction or a service error.

How long do college volleyball matches last?

Are college volleyball games 5 sets?

Do volleyball games go to 21?

How many sets are in NCAA volleyball?