Volleyball

Volleyball History 101

How Did Volleyball Come About?
By Beverly Oden

Beginnings

Volleyball history began in a town called Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1895. The sport was
developed at the YMCA by William G. Morgan as an alternative for the older men that
was less taxing than basketball. Originally called Mintonette, it took the net from tennis
and took cues from basketball, baseball and handball. The net was only 6'6" high, just
above the average man's head.

Originally, there was no limit to the number of players on a team or the number of
contacts per side and the game was primarily played from the ground.

Development

The set and hit (or spike) was first developed in the Philippines in 1916 and changed the
way the game was played. Later called volleyball due to the fact that players "volleyed"
the ball back and forth, the sport was embraced by the US military and was played often
in their free time. Soldiers stationed all over the world played volleyball and taught the
locals to play as well, inadvertently spreading the sport to many nations.

Beach Game Emerges

Volleyball was first played indoors, but it was brought out to the beach sometime in the
1920's. There is some debate about where the first beach volleyball game was played,
but the two most likely theories are Santa Monica, CA and The Outrigger Canoe Club in
Hawaii. Organized beach tournaments were played as early as 1948, but the Association
of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) did not emerge until 1983.

Olympic Inclusion

Indoor volleyball was added to the Olympics in 1964. Beach volleyball was added as an
exhibition sport in 1996 and immediately became the hottest ticket at the games.

Popularity

Volleyball is second only to soccer in worldwide popularity. Approximately 46 million

Americans play the game and an estimated 800 million play all over the world.

Source: http://volleyball.about.com/od/volleyball101/a/History.htm