At the start of tournament, all eight participating countries had 12 players on their rosters. Final squads for the tournament are due on September 14, 2011 a month before the start of 2011 Pan American Games.[1]
Eight teams are split into two preliminary round groups of four teams each. The top team from each group qualifies for the semifinals.
The second placed team will play the third placed team from the other group for another place in the semifinals.
The winning teams from the semifinals play for the gold medal. The losing teams compete for the bronze medal.[1]
Pool standing procedure
Match won 3–0: 5 points for the winner, 0 point for the loser
Match won 3–1: 4 points for the winner, 1 points for the loser
Match won 3–2: 3 points for the winner, 2 points for the loser
In case of tie, the teams were classified according to the following criteria:
points ratio and sets ratio [1]