Under FIVB rules, the top of the net sits 2.43 meters (about 7 feet 11¾ inches) above the floor for senior men's competition and 2.24 meters (about 7 feet 4¼ inches) for senior women's competition, in both indoor and beach volleyball. The net's height is always measured at the exact center of the court over the centerline; the height at the sidelines is allowed to be up to 2 centimeters higher than at the center, but never lower, which keeps the net taut and prevents it from sagging unevenly across its width.
Youth and age-group divisions typically use lower net heights that step upward as players age, since a full 2.43-meter net would put many younger or shorter players at an unrealistic disadvantage — specific heights vary by country and governing body, but the general principle of scaling net height to the competitors' age and level is nearly universal in organized youth volleyball.
The antennae
Two flexible rods called antennae are mounted on the net directly above each sideline, extending 80 centimeters above the top of the net, and mark the outer limit of legal play: any ball that crosses the net outside the antennae is ruled out of bounds even if it would otherwise have landed inside the court.
A single measurement standard, worldwide
One notable feature of volleyball's net-height rules is how little they vary across different top-level competitions worldwide: the FIVB's 2.43-meter men's and 2.24-meter women's standards are used essentially unchanged across the Olympics, the World Championship, professional leagues on every continent, and NCAA competition, unlike some sports where regional or league-specific equipment variations are common. This global consistency makes net height one of the most reliable constants a player can carry from one competitive setting to another, even as other rules — timeouts, challenge systems, substitution limits — vary somewhat by league.
