CROSSNET Game Review: Is Foursquare Volleyball Legit?

The company that is now CROSSNET once started as 3 longtime friends that longed for the fun they had playing four-square at recess. In 2017 they came up with something new to bring novelty and athleticism to the elementary school pastime. CROSSNET was born from these friends’ passion for fun and love for competition.

It is now a sport featured in reputable places such as ESPN and officially partnered with USA Volleyball. You can find them in brick and mortar stores across the country, on their website, or frequently featured on sale as one of our bestsellers at The Fascination.

The rules are very easy to follow. But you have to pay attention to how the points are scored as it will affect how you need to work together throughout the game.

Pick a square

Players pick a square 1-4. The player in the 4th square serves the ball diagonally to the 2nd square.

Get the ball over the net

The ball must be returned over the net to any square in one hit. If playing in teams up to three hits per side is allowed. The 2nd square can not spike the serve. Additional hits can be added with your head & feet to keep the ball alive.

Misplacing the ball

Players are eliminated when the ball lands in the square. Only the player in the 4th square receives a point when a player is eliminated. Stay alive to survive.

Rotation and scoring

Each time a player is eliminated, that player leaves the court and all remaining players rotate clockwise. If the fourth was not eliminated, they earn 1 point. The lowest ranking square is then filled in with a new player waiting in line or the previously eliminated player. Games are played to 11, win by 2.

I’m going to give you some background and myself and my friends who made up the groups testing this product.

I played men’s volleyball all four years of high school. I was a libero on my team due to my 5’8” height. I’ve played off and on throughout the years when I could because I love the game, but I haven’t made time for a league or anything consistent since. I own nets and other equipment and have hosted groups to play at parks with poles and sand.

My friends pictured were mostly my height or a little taller. They would join games like the ones I hosted for casual playing but never played volleyball consistently. We are all in our mid to late 20s.

We’ve played with it three times now. That includes assembly and disassembly along with hundreds of hits with the balls. We’ve hit the net, we’ve hit the poles, and we’ve hit the cords staked into the ground. I think it’s a quality product. I wasn’t disappointed by anything. That being said, there are a few things to mention.

If we analyze the quality of CROSSNET by the quality/durability of each individual piece the set comes with I would give it a 4/5 rating. Some of these pieces could be made of slightly higher quality material like the pump or the cords on the stakes that hold the net in place. Then some other pieces might have been machined a little better so they slid in perfectly. But even with these minor nitpicks, the product, on the whole, feels solid and built to last a long while.

Buying the basic CROSSNET set gives you the equivalent of buying: a stand, a net, a ball, a pump, and a carrying case. If you were to price out these elements individually, they would easily cost about the same as what CROSSNET charges for the set. Taking a look at full volleyball net sets on Amazon reveals a price range of $100 on the cheapest end and $500 on the high. Therefore, $139.99 is very reasonably priced for a comparable item.

You should also factor in that this can be set up anywhere the stakes can be placed in the ground. We played on grass at a local park. Between those locations or a stretch of sand on a beach, it makes this very mobile.

Finally, let’s factor in the fact that there really isn’t anything like this. It’s a unique experience that your family and/or friend group will be talking about for a long time after playing just once. “It’s four square but with volleyball!”

So if you’re group is athletic and likes the beach, volleyball, competitive games, or four square, this game is worth trying out.

We found the setup for CROSSNET to be very easy. At first glance, it looks like there are a lot of pieces, but most of them belong to the poles. This means you just do the same thing four times and you’re already most of the way there. The instructional booklet that came with the set is very helpful. Here is the basic assembly instructions from CROSSNET. In my opinion, you can break it down into just 4 steps:

• Step 1: Connect all of the poles that make up the stands. The poles are all numbered to tell you their order and they can be placed down flat to get ready for step 2.

• Step 2: Slide the net over the tops of the poles and place the small center rod in the middle to provide shape and rigidity to the net.

• Step 3. Clip the cords attached to the stakes onto their position at the top of the pole and place the stakes into the ground so that they are tight at a 45-degree angle to stabilize each pole.

• Step 4: Place the boundary webbing around the poles starting with the first stake at the corner of one square. You may need to reposition the stakes or poles so they are equal and that the yellow line on the webbing lines up to each pole.

Everybody had a great time. It was a memorable experience for everybody involved and the friends I got to come out have mentioned it every time since playing. A lot of us had this shining nostalgic moment where we remember how fun it was to play four square at recess when we were in elementary school. This game gives you that competitive feeling again along with all the comradery that comes working together to get the scorer out.

I think this game is a solid bet for anyone athletic group of friends who is looking for another fun beach/park game. It is not a gimmick and it didn't get old for us. I look forward to see how the game evolves in the public consciousness over time.