NCAA Challenge Review System (CRS)
The NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules Committee approved rules allowing for video review of certain officials’ decisions. As the process has progressed, the rules and various documents have been developed to provide guidance for all participants.
The challenge review system (CRS) is a process whereby video review is used to confirm, reverse, or replay specific decisions made by the officiating team. The second referee may reverse a ruling only if the video review reveals by indisputable evidence that the official’s ruling was incorrect. If the second referee determines that the video review is inconclusive, the original decisions stands.
Further details can be found on the documents below, particularly the Resource document.
2024 CRS Documents
Challengeable Decision Signals
CRS Guidelines
Established by the NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee, the following must be adhered to by any conference or institution choosing to use CRS.
Overview:
- Head coaches are allowed two challenges per match. If the video review results in a reversal of the original outcome, that challenge is retained by the challenging team. If the original outcome stands or is confirmed, the challenging team loses that challenge. If the match reaches a fifth set, each team is allowed an additional challenge, up to a maximum of two challenges per team.
- Challenges have no effect on the number of allowed timeouts.
Decisions regarding the following rules, as stated in the NCAA Rules book, may be challenged/reviewed:
- A ball ruled in or out (including pancakes and antennas)
- A ball contacting a player (including four hits, a player contacting the ball twice, and a decision on an illegal attack, illegal block, or contact over the opponent’s court that is dependent on whether there was contact by an involved player)
- Net faults by a player
- Service foot faults
- Attack line faults by a back-row attacker or by a libero setting the ball in the front zone
The CRS process consists of the following steps:
- Event management will ensure that a green challenge card is available to each coach, placed at each end of the score table.
- When a coach chooses to challenge one of the five decisions above, the coach holds up the green card at the end of the play.
- The second referee will approach the coach to clarify what is being challenged.
- Once it is confirmed that the situation/decision is challengeable, the second referee will whistle and signal with a raised arm/fist.
- The second referee will then review the available video, and determine if there is indisputable evidence that the original decision should be reversed. In some situations, reversing the original decision will result in a replay.