History: William G. Morgan, an instructor of the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts, created the game of volleyball in 1895.  Volleyball was initiated as an official Olympic sport for both men and women in 1964.

Description of the Game: The most basic concept of the game of volleyball is that the ball never touches the floor. Because of this, hustle and communication among teammates are critical to success. Volleyball has grown into an immensely popular game over the years and continues to be so today.

     Volleyball is played on a rectangular court, 60 feet long and 30 feet wide.  A 7 feet 4 1/8 inch high net divides the court for women and is also the height used for our games. Men’s and competitive co-ed teams compete with a net that is 8 feet tall.

         A regulation team consists of six players. The rally scoring method is used where a point is awarded on every serve. This form of scoring emphasizes the importance of accurate serving and also speeds up game play. A missed serve (net or out of bounds) results in a point for the opposing team. The winner of the game is the first team to earn 25 points with a 2-point advantage. If there is not a 2-point advantage when 25 points is reached, the game will not be complete until a team earns a 2-point advantage. At that point, the team with the 2-point advantage is the winner of the game.

Basic Skills/Cues:

    Underhand Serve-pendulum arm swing, step with opposite foot as contact is made with the heel of the hand, and follow through (Hit the ball directly out of your hand for best results.)

    Overhand Serve-Medium toss out in front of striking arm/step with opposite foot, contact with the heel of the open hand, and freeze hand above the head.

·      The serve is the skill that initiates play for the game and each subsequent point. The serve can be performed underhand or overhand. More experienced servers can place the serve and will use floaters, topspin, and jump serves to challenge opponents.

·      Consistent serving is critical for success.

    Forearm Pass-hands together, lock elbows, and lift to the target

·      The forearm pass is the most common way to receive a ball and is used to control possession. 

    Set-hands in the form of a ball/2 liter bottle above the forehead, contact with the fingertips, and extend arms and legs

·      The set is an overhead pass that is primarily used to place the ball near the net for an approaching attacker/spiker.

    Spike is an attack with a forceful, downward trajectory designed to put the opponent on the defensive in a game. A spiked ball that is unable to be retrieved by the opponent before falling to the ground is considered a “kill”. 

    Block is a defensive skill used to stop a spiked ball with two arms/hands extended over the net. If a blocked ball is sent back to the opposing team’s side, is unable to be retrieved, and falls into the court, it is considered a “stuff” block. 

    Dig is a defensive pass made on a hard driven spike or well-placed dink.  This skill usually requires a dive or sprawl and can be executed with only one arm and even a flattened hand, known as a “pancake”.

Basic Rules:

1.     Players rotate clockwise.

2.    Each team is allowed three hits to a side.

3.    The same player may NOT hit the ball two times in a row.

4.    A player may not legally catch, head, or throw a ball.

5.    Spiking the serve is illegal.

6.    A server may serve from anywhere behind the baseline.

7.    Players may not be “overlapping”. They cannot be closer to the sideline than the player(s) next to them or closer to the net or end line than the players in front or behind them prior to the ball being served.

8.    Players must remain in their rotational order. In other words, players cannot trade positions in the line-up.

9.    After it is served, players can move anywhere on or off the court deemed necessary to pursue a ball. However, a player cannot legally touch the net or cross the centerline of the court. 

10. A ball may be played off the ceiling if it remains on the same side of the net and that team still has either one or two more hits to get the ball across.

11.  It is illegal for a passed ball to hit the ceiling and cross over to the opponent’s court.

12. It is illegal for a serve to hit the ceiling, not clear the net, and/or land out of bounds. A point and possession is awarded to the opposing team.

13. A served ball may strike the net legally as long as it clears the net and lands in the opponent’s court.

14. A back row player cannot legally jump and attack(spike or dink) at the net.

15. A foot fault is called and a point is awarded to the opposing team when a player steps on or over the back line of the court.

16. Any part of the ball landing on the line is considered “in”.

17. The first server of the game for the team who “won” the serve is the player in the right back position. The receiving team must rotate prior to their first serve.  In our games, extra players rotated in at the serve

18.  The two tournaments played in class were round robin and double elimination.