17.1 Protests
17.1.1 Authority of the RefereeDecisions based on the judgments of the referees or other officials are final and not subject to protest.
17.1.2 Protests to Be Considered
Examples of protest matters to be considered include: 17.1.2.1 Misinterpretation of a playing rule;
17.1.2.2 Misapplication of the correct rule to a given situation; or 17.1.2.3 Failure to impose the correct penalty for a given fault.
17.2 Protest Procedures
17.2.1 General17.2.1.1 Disagreements with interpretations of the rules must be brought to the attention of the first referee before the first service after the play in which the disagreement occurred.
17.2.1.1.1 A protest on the final point of a set must be lodged within the first 60 seconds of the interval between sets, if another set is to be played. 17.2.1.1.2 A protest on the final point of a match must be lodged before the
referees leave the playing area.
17.2.1.2 A protest may be lodged by either the playing captain or a coach. If a coach lodges a protest, an opposing coach is allowed to participate in the resulting discussion.
17.2.1.3 A protest must be accepted by the first referee provided it is a protest of an interpretation or application of a rule. If an attempt is made to lodge a protest regarding a nonprotestable situation, the protest is denied without penalty.
17.2.2 Nontournament Protest Procedure
Note: This procedure should also be used in tournament play when the playing schedule is not dependent on the results of previous matches.
17.2.2.1 Play is suspended. Referees, coaches and playing captains consult the rules book.
17.2.2.2 If the protest is found to be valid (referee’s decision changed) as a result of the rules book consultation, play continues from the point of protest with the correct decision implemented.
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17.2.2.3 If a protest is denied (referee’s decision stands) as a result of the rules book consultation, play continues as if no protest had occurred.
17.2.2.4 If a protest lodged by a captain/coach cannot be resolved by consulting the rules book, the facts are recorded on the back of the scoresheet for that set. (See Rule 17.2.4.) The first referee then continues the set and will forward the protest information to the NCAA secretary-rules editor for a final decision after the match. (Exceptions: Rule 17.2.2.5 and Rule 17.2.5.) If the protest is found to be valid (referee’s decision changed), the protested set may be replayed from the point of protest or error, and the match replayed to its conclusion. The decision to replay a set/match where a valid protest occurs ultimately rests with the two teams and their conference(s). If the decision is to not replay the protested set/match, the match is officially recorded as a no-contest for both teams.
17.2.2.5 If the protest issue involves a possible scorekeeper recording error, the protest will not be resolved on a delayed basis by the NCAA secretary- rules editor. The referees must make an immediate determination based on available information, including:
17.2.2.5.1 A thorough review of the scoresheet for errors and omissions. 17.2.2.5.2 Consultation with match referees and scorekeepers, including the
alternate official if one has been assigned. (See Appendix C.)
17.2.2.5.3 A review of the sequence of events with an official statistician if an electronic play-by-play system is in use.
17.2.2.5.4 If an official statistician with electronic play-by-play is not available, information from the teams’ bench statisticians or scorekeepers, provided both are in agreement as to the score and/or sequence of events.
17.2.3 Tournament Protest Procedure
17.2.3.1 In tournament situations where the match schedule is dependent on the result of previous matches, there should be a protest committee or interpreter to make final decisions on protests. Play is suspended while the facts are recorded or relayed to the committee or interpreter, who then makes a decision on the protest. This decision will be final. If the protest involves a possible scorekeeper recording error, the protest committee or interpreter may use the same resources noted in Rule 17.2.2.5.
17.2.3.2 After reviewing the protest facts, the committee may rule that the protest is valid (referee’s decision changed), or that the protest is denied (referee’s decision stands). If the protest is valid, the correct ruling is applied to the protested play and the set continues from that point. If the protest is denied, play continues as though no protest had been lodged.
17.2.4 Protest Facts to Be Recorded
17.2.4.1 Score of the set at the time of the protest.
17.2.4.2 Players on the court and their positions at the time of the protest. 17.2.4.3 Team substitutions made before the protested situation.
17.2.4.4 Team timeouts charged before the protested situation.
17.2.4.5 A synopsis of the situation that caused the protest, including which rule was violated or omitted or which penalty was improperly assessed.
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17.2.4.6 Signatures of the scorekeeper, one coach from each team, and the first referee, indicating the facts have been correctly recorded. If a coach is not available, the playing captain may sign.
Note: A photocopy of the scoresheet at the time of protest may be used in place of recording the first four items listed under 17.2.4.
17.2.5 Protested Set
If the protesting team wins the set in which the protest is made (even if that team loses the match), there is no basis for protest because the team won the protested set. If the protesting team loses the protested set but wins the match, the protest should be submitted as described in Rule 17.2.2.4. Regardless of the outcome of the match, the facts of the protest must be forwarded to the NCAA secretary-rules editor for review.
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