Volleyball

Subject Index

Sports

Volleyball

Subject Index - Sports

1. Volleyball was 115 years old in 2010.

2. Volleyball began in the United States.

3. William G. Morgan is credited with inventing the game. He wanted to combine elements from baseball, handball, basketball and tennis. He was teaching a group of businessmen at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and wanted a game that was great exercise with less physical contact.

4. Volleyball was first called “mintonette”. The net from tennis was used and raised to 6 feet and 6 inches above the floor. While watching the game, someone commented that since the players were volleying the ball back and forth over the net, the name “volleyball” might be a more fitting name.

5. On July 7, 1896 at Springfield College, the first game of volleyball was played.

6. Today, more than 46 million Americans and 800 million people worldwide play volleyball at least once a week.

7. In 1922, the first YMCA national championships were held in Brooklyn, New York. Twenty-seven teams from 11 states were represented.

8. In 1928, many felt that tournaments and rules were needed. At that time the United States Volleyball Association (USVBA, now USA Volleyball) was formed.

9. In 1964, Volleyball became an Olympic sport in Tokyo, Japan.

10. Volleyball is played on a court that measures 29 feet, 6 inches wide, and 59 feet long. The net height is 7 feet, 11 5/8 inches for men and 7 feet, 4 1/8 inches for women. A team consists of 12 players, with six being on the court at one time. Volleyball positions on a team consist of 3 front row players and 3 back row players. The different positions on a team are passer, digger, spiker, blocker, server, and setter.

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