Students laugh after their teammate falls during Oozeball on Sept. 19, 2025, on the corner of Summit Avenue and Greek Row Drive.
File photo / Samarie Goffney
With the Oozeball tournament set for Friday, here are some rules and guidelines for participating teams.
Nathan Ha, assistant director of Sport Programs in Campus Recreation, said team captains will have a meeting at 12:45 p.m. Teams should get there beforehand to complete their registration, receive their shirts and find out where they will be playing throughout the day. The first game will start at 1 p.m.
The tournament will take place at the corner of Summit Avenue and Greek Row Drive, in front of the Maverick Stadium.
Ha said participants must wear close-toed shoes and should be prepared to discard their clothes after the tournament due to all the mud. Teams will be provided a roll of tape so the players can prevent their shoes from coming off in the mud by taping them to their legs and ankles. Participants will not be allowed to play without taped shoes.
“We’re big on safety here at UT Arlington, especially for Oozeball,” Ha said.
Participants should also bring water, sunscreen and food if they would like to have a full meal. Concessions like snacks and water will be for sale at the event.
Ha said Oozeball is just like traditional volleyball except it is in a mud court. The first team to reach 11 points wins.
According to the Campus Recreation website, rules of the game include the following:
There are three front court players and three back court players. Positions may be changed before the next serve.
Players must serve in order and rotate clockwise.
Players may serve from anywhere on the back line but cannot step in bounds until after the serve. The ball can only be served once an official blows the whistle.
The ball is out of bounds once it completely touches the ground outside the boundary lines.
Players may not touch the net or its cable and cannot reach over the net to play the ball. The ball can, however, be played off the net.
A team may play the ball three times before sending it over the net.
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