Volleyball is considered a relatively new sport when compared to the history behind baseball, soccer, and tennis. First created by William G. Morgan in 1895 and originally named mintonette, the sport was created as a way to combine the games of tennis, baseball, basketball, and handball.

When the game was first created, the height of the net was only six feet six inches tall while today’s net stands at seven feet four inches or higher. This change in net height is due to the fact that  the average height of person was shorter in 1895 than it is today. Morgan also created a specific ball for the sport, which became known as the volleyball. Volleyball is now a sport known for bumping, setting, and spiking, but initially the sport only included the bump – that is until 1916 when other forms of hitting were introduced and accepted. In 1920, the game began allowing three hits per side and specified the back row attacking rules. Lastly, the scoring per game was decreased from the original 21 to 15.

After 33 years of playing the sport, people began to create rules for tournaments, thus creating the United States Volleyball Association (USVBA).  In 1930, just two years after the creation of USVBA, two-man beach volleyball started. However, it took until 1965 for the creation of the first beach volleyball league.  

In 1964, volleyball was introduced to the Summer Olympics for the first time in Tokyo, Japan. Eventually, the U.S. Olympic Volleyball team took home the gold and silver medals during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Four years later the United States snatched another gold medal in Seoul, South Korea.

Volleyball’s evolution changed from the gym to sand courts played across the country. The sport is played throughout elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and even recreationally. The game started as a combination of sports to the sport as known  today, comes with a lot of history and tradition.   

References

“The History of Volleyball.” Athletic Scholarships, NCSA. 2017. http://www.athleticscholarships.net/history-of-volleyball.htm

“Volleyball: A Brief History.” Olympics, IOC Digital Properties. 30 June 2015. www.olympic.org/news/volleyball-a-brief-history