Understanding the volleyball scoring system is essential for anyone learning the sport. Unlike some sports where only the team in possession can score, volleyball uses the rally point system, meaning a point is awarded after every completed rally, regardless of which team served.
Under the current FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2025-2028, a standard indoor volleyball match is played as a best-of-five contest. The first team to win three sets wins the match. The first four sets are played to 25 points, while the deciding fifth set is played to 15 points. In every set, the team must win by at least two points.
Here is a complete guide to how volleyball scoring works, including how teams earn points, how sets are won, what happens at deuce, and how the serving team changes.
What Is the Scoring System in Volleyball?
Volleyball uses the rally point scoring system. This means that every completed rally results in a point for one of the two teams.
A team can score a point when:
- It successfully grounds the ball on the opponent’s court.
- The opposing team commits a fault.
- The opposing team receives a penalty.
A rally begins with the service and continues until the ball is out of play. The rally is completed when the action results in a point being awarded.
The rally point system also means that a team does not have to be serving to score. If the receiving team wins the rally, it gets the point and earns the right to serve the next rally. For example, if Team A serves to Team B and Team B wins the rally, Team B scores a point and serves next.
How Does Rally Point Scoring Work in Volleyball?
The rally point system makes scoring relatively straightforward.
Suppose the score is 10-8:
- Team A serves.
- Team B wins the rally.
- Team B gets one point.
- The score becomes 10-9.
- Team B serves the next rally.
If Team B wins the following rally as well, the score becomes 10-10, and Team B continues serving.
If Team A then wins the rally, Team A gets the point and the right to serve.
Under the official rules, when the serving team wins a rally, it scores a point and continues serving. When the receiving team wins the rally, it scores a point and serves the next rally.
Read More: Volleyball Serving Rules
How Many Points Are Needed to Win a Volleyball Set?
In indoor volleyball, the first four sets are played to 25 points. However, reaching 25 points does not automatically mean a team has won the set. The team must also have a minimum two-point lead.
For example:
- 25-20: Set won
- 25-23: Set won
- 25-24: Play continues
- 26-24: Set won
- 27-25: Set won
If the score reaches 24-24, the teams continue playing until one team establishes a two-point advantage. Therefore, there is no fixed maximum score for a set under the standard FIVB scoring rules.
How Many Points Are Needed to Win the Fifth Set?
The fifth set is different from the first four. If the match reaches 2-2 in sets, the deciding fifth set is played to 15 points, rather than 25. The same two-point rule applies. Examples include:
- 15-10: Match-winning set
- 15-13: Match-winning set
- 15-14: Play continues
- 16-14: Match-winning set
- 17-15: Match-winning set
Therefore, a team must score at least 15 points and lead by two points to win the deciding set.
How Many Sets Are There in a Volleyball Match?
A standard indoor volleyball match is played in a best-of-five sets format. A team must win three sets to win the match, which can therefore last three, four or five sets. The first four sets are played to 25 points, while the deciding fifth set, if required, is played to 15 points. In every set, a team must win by at least two points.
For example, a team could win a match:
3-0: 25-18, 25-21, 25-19
or
3-1: 25-22, 23-25, 25-19, 25-20
or
3-2: 25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-12
The exact scores can vary because a set must be won by two points.
What Happens When the Score Is Tied?
A tied score is particularly important when both teams are close to the set-winning target. For the first four sets, a 24-24 score means the set continues until one team has a two-point advantage. For example:
24-24 → 25-24 → 25-25 → 26-25 → 26-26 → 27-26 → 28-26
The set ends only when one team leads by two points.
The same principle applies to the deciding fifth set when the score reaches 14-14.
For example:
14-14 → 15-14 → 15-15 → 16-15 → 17-15
The team that reaches 17 with a two-point advantage wins the set.
How Does a Team Score a Point in Volleyball?
According to the official rules, a team can score a point in volleyball in the following ways:
- The ball lands in the opponent’s court: If a team successfully sends the ball over the net and it lands inside the opponent’s court, it wins the rally and scores a point.
- The opponent commits a fault: A team scores when its opponent commits a fault, such as:
- Failing to return the ball within the permitted three team hits
- Hitting the ball out of bounds
- Committing a service fault
- Committing a net or other playing fault
- The opponent receives a penalty: A team is awarded a point when the opposing team receives a penalty under the FIVB rules.
What is a Side Out in Volleyball?
A side out in volleyball refers to a situation where the receiving team wins a rally against the serving team. Under the modern rally point scoring system, the receiving team is awarded a point and gains the right to serve the next rally.
For example, if Team A is serving and Team B wins the rally:
Team B wins rally → Team B scores → Team B serves next
The term side out comes from the older side-out scoring system, where only the serving team could score a point. Today, standard FIVB volleyball uses rally point scoring, so a team can score whether it is serving or receiving. However, side-out is still commonly used to describe the moment when the receiving team wins the rally and takes over the serve.
Volleyball Scoring System at a Glance
A team wins the match by winning three sets. The table below describes the standard indoor volleyball format under the Official Volleyball Rules 2025-2028.
| Match stage | Points required | Two-point lead required? |
| Set 1 | 25 | Yes |
| Set 2 | 25 | Yes |
| Set 3 | 25 | Yes |
| Set 4 | 25 | Yes |
| Set 5 | 15 | Yes |
Is Beach Volleyball Scoring the Same as Indoor Volleyball?
No. Beach volleyball has a different scoring format.
Under the FIVB Official Beach Volleyball Rules 2025-2028, a beach volleyball match is won by the team that wins two sets. The first two sets are played to 21 points, while the deciding third set is played to 15 points. A team must win each set by at least two points.
So, while both indoor and beach volleyball use rally point scoring, their set targets and match formats are different.
| Format | Sets needed to win | Regular set | Deciding set |
| Indoor volleyball | 3 | 25 points | 15 points |
| Beach volleyball | 2 | 21 points | 15 points |
Why is the Rally Point System Used?
The rally point system makes every rally important because either team can score. The FIVB introduced the system in 1998 after experimenting with different scoring formats. The aim was to make scoring easier to follow while helping matches become faster and more exciting.
It also creates a clear scoring structure: every completed rally produces a point, and teams do not need to wait until they regain the serve before they can add to their score.
Conclusion
The volleyball scoring system is based on rally point scoring, so every rally can produce a point. In standard indoor volleyball, teams play a best-of-five match: the first four sets go to 25 points, and the fifth set goes to 15. In every set, the winning team must have a two-point advantage. The basic sequence is simple: win the rally, score the point, and if you were receiving, gain the right to serve. Once you understand this system, the rest of volleyball scoring becomes much easier to follow.
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Frequently Asked Questions
In standard indoor volleyball, a team needs to win three sets to win the match. The first four sets are played to 25 points, while the deciding fifth set is played to 15 points. A team must always win by at least two points.
No. A team must have a two-point lead to win a set. If the score is 24-24, play continues until one team leads by two points, such as 26-24 or 27-25.
The team that wins the rally gets the point. A team can win a rally by successfully grounding the ball on the opponent’s court, forcing an opponent’s fault or receiving a penalty point.
Standard indoor volleyball sets are played to 25 points, except for the deciding fifth set, which is played to 15. Beach volleyball uses 21 points for its first two sets and 15 points for the deciding third set.
Rally point scoring means that a point is awarded after every completed rally, regardless of which team served. If the receiving team wins the rally, it scores the point and gains the next serve.
