Volleyball net height by age under USA Volleyball rules starts at 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) for girls 10 and under and 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) for boys 10 and under and for both sexes at 11/12. It steps up to 2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/8 in) at 13/14, and boys 15 to 18 play on the full men’s 2.43 m (7 ft 11 5/8 in). Girls stay at 2.24 m through 18. The figures come from Rule 2.1 of the USA Volleyball Indoor Rules 2025-2027.
Court diagram
Net height by age group
Every figure below comes from the USA Volleyball Indoor Rules 2025-2027, Rule 2.1, page 22. The rulebook labels its columns “female and reverse co-ed” and “male and co-ed”, so the girls and boys headings here follow those two labels. The age groups are written “and under” or “and above”, and the table gives the net height at the center of the court.
| Age group | Girls (female, reverse co-ed) | Boys (male, co-ed) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 and under | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) | Official rule |
| 11/12 and under | 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) | 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) | Official rule |
| 13/14 and under | 2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/8 in) | 2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/8 in) | Official rule |
| 15/18 and under | 2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/8 in) | 2.43 m (7 ft 11 5/8 in) | Official rule |
| 45 and above | 2.19 m (7 ft 2 1/8 in) | 2.43 m (7 ft 11 5/8 in) | Official rule |
| 55 and above | 2.19 m (7 ft 2 1/8 in) | 2.38 m (7 ft 9 5/8 in) | Official rule |
| 70 and above | 2.19 m (7 ft 2 1/8 in) | 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in) | Official rule |
Outside these brackets the rulebook falls back to Rule 2.1.1: 2.43 m (7 ft 11 5/8 in) for men and 2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/8 in) for women. Those are the same two heights the volleyball court guide lists from the FIVB rules.
How the net steps up from 10 and under to 18
Read as a ladder, the table has one odd rung. Girls 10 and under start a full 6 in below boys of the same age, then the two catch up at 11/12. After that the sexes travel together for one more step and split for good at 15.
| Step | Girls | Boys | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 and under to 11/12 | Up 6 in (0.15 m) | No change | Derived calculation |
| 11/12 to 13/14 | Up 4 1/8 in | Up 4 1/8 in | Derived calculation |
| 13/14 to 15/18 | No change | Up 7 1/2 in (0.19 m) | Derived calculation |
The steps are subtractions of the printed heights, nothing more. The rulebook does not explain why the brackets fall where they do, and this page does not guess.
High school net height
High school volleyball in the United States plays under NFHS rules, and the NFHS rulebook itself is sold rather than published free, so it was not read for this page. The Ohio High School Athletic Association, whose 2026-2027 volleyball regulations follow NFHS rules, quotes the relevant figures. It states that the boys’ net is the height in NFHS Rule 3-1-4, which it gives as 7 ft 11 5/8 in, and that grades 7 and 8 use the grades 9 to 12 height of 7 ft 4 1/8 in.
Those numbers are the same as the USA Volleyball 15/18 row. The one thing to take from Ohio’s wording is the middle school rule: it applies to Ohio schools, and another state association can set grades 7 and 8 differently. Check your own association before you set a net.
How the height is measured
Rule 2.1.2 takes the height at the center of the playing court. Over the two side lines the net must be exactly the same height as at the center, and it may not exceed the official height by more than 2 cm (3/4 in). A youth net set at 2.13 m can therefore sit at most 2 cm high at the sides, never low. The volleyball hub links the full net and post rules.
Nets for players younger than 10
The rulebook table stops at 10 and under. USA Volleyball’s separate Simplified Youth Rules page, written for youth programs, describes net height as varying “from five to six feet for younger players” and seven feet for 12 and unders. That page does not list the same steps as the rulebook (it puts every 12 and under net at seven feet, where the rulebook gives girls 10 and under 6 ft 6 in), so treat it as program guidance for beginners, not as a rule.
| Source | Net height | Applies to | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA Volleyball Simplified Youth Rules | 5 to 6 ft | Younger players in youth programs | Recommendation |
| USA Volleyball Simplified Youth Rules | 7 ft | 12 and under in youth programs | Recommendation |
What the age table does not say
Rule 2.1 does not say how a player’s age is counted for a season, and it gives no separate row for ages 19 to 44. Adults fall back on Rule 2.1.1. If a tournament or league uses its own age cutoff, its manual decides which bracket a child plays in, and the net follows that bracket.
Overhead plan
The same surface seen from straight above, drawn to scale. Nothing is foreshortened here, so every figure can be read off the drawing the way a tape measure would take it.
Detail sheet
A rule book fixes more than the shape of the surface, and the rest of it is too small to draw at court scale: a mark a few centimeters long, a post standing a meter off the sideline, the clearance around the whole thing. Each one here has its own frame and its own scale.
Frequently asked questions
What is the volleyball net height for 12 and under?
USA Volleyball Rule 2.1 sets the 11/12 and under net at 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) for both girls and boys. That is 4 1/8 in lower than the 13/14 net, which is where girls reach the women’s height of 2.24 m.
What is the net height for 14 and under?
The 13/14 and under bracket uses 2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/8 in) for both girls and boys. Boys do not move up to the men’s 2.43 m (7 ft 11 5/8 in) until the 15/18 bracket, a jump of 7 1/2 in.
How high is the net for girls 10 and under?
Girls 10 and under play on 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in), the lowest official net in the table. Boys in the same 10 and under bracket use 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in), so the two nets differ by 6 in.
Is the high school net the same as the club net?
The figures quoted by the Ohio High School Athletic Association match the USA Volleyball 15/18 row: 2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/8 in) for girls and 2.43 m (7 ft 11 5/8 in) for boys. Middle school heights are set by each state association, so confirm yours.
Where on the net is the height measured?
At the center of the playing court, under Rule 2.1.2. The height over the two side lines must be identical to each other and may exceed the official height by no more than 2 cm (3/4 in).
Official sources
- USA Volleyball, Indoor Rules 2025-2027, Rule 2.1 (USAV 2.1.1 and 2.1.2, age group table), page 22. Rulebook PDF. Consulted 24 September 2026.
- USA Volleyball, Simplified Youth Rules, net height paragraph. Simplified Youth Rules. Consulted 24 September 2026.
- Ohio High School Athletic Association, Sports Regulations Volleyball 2026-2027, section 18, which cites NFHS Rule 3-1-4 for boys and states the grades 7 and 8 net height. OHSAA volleyball regulations. Consulted 24 September 2026.
Checked against those documents on 24 September 2026. The methodology page explains how each figure is labeled as a rule or a guideline; report an error through corrections.