what is a sideout in volleyball

In volleyball, a side out refers to an obsolete scoring rule that was used until 1999. Under the side-out scoring system, only the team serving the ball could score a point. If the team without the serve caused the ball to hit the ground in the other teams court, if the opponent hit it out of bounds, if the serving team hit it into the net, or if the serving team touched it more than three times, that would be a side-out, and the service would be switched to the opponent. The first team to 15 points inside-out scoring wins the game. Today, the term side-out is still used in volleyball, but it simply means any point that a team wins when their opponent is serving. In the rally scoring system now used internationally, there are no side-outs in the traditional sense of the word. The rally scoring system allows teams to gain points whether or not they served the ball. A point is awarded every time the ball hits the ground, lands out of bounds, ends up in the net, or is touched more than three times consecutively by one team. Games are played to 25 points with the exception of the final deciding game, which, if a third game is necessary, is played to 15 points.