Indoor Volleyball | Division Descriptions Menu

• Teams/Groups/Individuals are expected to read the division descriptions and place themselves in the most appropriate division. If players are unsure of which division to register for, they are welcome to contact the office for further clarification or advice.
• The ESSC Division offerings are based on the experience and skill level of a team - not on a team's competitive behaviour. All ESSC players and teams are expected to play with a ‘fun-first, winning-second’ attitude regardless of their division.
• The ESSC reserves the right to move any team up or down a division (regardless of where they registered) based on a team's past results. The ESSC gathers statistics on all registered teams each season, and strives to align the divisions as fairly as possible.
• The ESSC reserves the right to move any team up or down a division (regardless of where they registered) based on total registration numbers. The ESSC rarely runs odd numbered divisions, or divisions with a low number of teams, so in these cases division realignment is necessary.
• If the ESSC feels that a division has a clear skill discrepancy during the regular season, teams may be moved up or down a division mid-season, or in some cases a division will be split come playoff time to allow for multiple Championships.
• For certain sports, when possible, the ESSC incorporates a seeding round as part of the regular season schedule. In these cases, divisions will be re-aligned and standings reset after the completion of the seeding round. For 16 Week Leagues that incorporate a seeding round, standings will not always be reset after the completion of the seeding round, but division realignment will still occur.

This division will feature players that lack experience and/or are learning the basic skills of volleyball. This is the ideal league for beginner volleyball players. Players registering for this league should abide by the "fun-first" mentality. The following points describe the level of play that should be expected:

• Focus is often on just getting the ball over the net rather than executing 3 hits.
• Players generally do not have specific player positions (i.e. power, setter, middle, etc.).
• Underhand serving is more common than overhand serving.
• Hard hitting is NOT allowed in this league.

This division will feature players that are slightly more skilled than the Recreational Division, but some teams will still have players that lack experience and/or are learning the skills of volleyball. This is the ideal league for teams with a mix of semi-experienced and beginner volleyball players, or for teams that have had success in the Recreational Division in the past. Teams in this league should abide by the "fun-first" mentality. 

The following points describe the level of play that should be expected:

• Some players might focus on just getting the ball over the net, but most teams execute 3 hits
• Players generally do not have specific player positions (i.e. power, setter, middle, etc.)
• Underhand serving is equally as common as overhand serving
• Hard spiking is NOT allowed in this division

This division is for teams that are looking for more of a challenge than the Recreational level. Most players on the team typically have some experience playing volleyball, although a few players on the team may be new, or may be above average in skill. The following points describe the level of play that should be expected:

• Hard hitting is allowed, however, it must be done in a controlled manner. Players can anticipate that approximately 1 out of every 3 rallies will contain a hard hit. Players that hit hard should do so with respect and direct the ball at players on the opposing team that are capable/comfortable with receiving the hit.
• Typically there are 3 contacts made prior to returning the ball over the net to the opponent.
• Passes are not always crisp and accurate.
• Some blocking will occur.
• Players may have specific positions, however; for the most part teams do not have organized attacks.

This division is for teams that are looking for more of a challenge than the Intermediate level. All players have experience playing volleyball and are solid in the fundamentals. Intermediate Plus teams are looking for a good challenge and want to have closely matched games each night. The following points describe the level of play that should be expected:

• Hard hitting can be expected consistently throughout the game from at least 2–3 players on each team.
• Back row attacks occur from time to time but is not a common occurrence.
• Some jump serving should be expected and the vast majority of players will serve over hand.
• Most games will feature crisp passes and organized attacks.
• Blocking is more prevalent in this division than in the Intermediate division; however, it is not always a solid double block.
• Teams have the option of incorporating a Libero.