The History of Volleyball
The game of volleyball was invented in 1895 by WIlliam G. Morgan. The original net was a was set at 6'6" high. It's birth name of "mintonette", derived from the word badminton, which the sport resembled.
It was meant to be a combination of basketball, baseball, tennis and handball. Mr. Morgan was the physical education director for the YMCA in Holyoke, Masssachussetts. His YMCA was frequented by middle-aged men who found there was too much running in games such as basketball.
The first game was played in December. The ball was the innards of a soccer ball. The court was 25' X 50'. There was no limit to the number of players nor to the number of hits before returning the ball. Each match was composed of nine innings, wherein each team had three serving oppurtunities. Women were allowed to catch and throw the ball in order to protect their fingers.
The first official game of "mintonette" was played at Springfield College on July 7th 1896. At the game, a Alfred Halsted commented on the "volleying" action of the game, and the name volley ball was born. It was later combined into one word.
By 1900, the game had gained enough popularity that a ball specifically designed for the sport was made. That same year, the YMCA spread the sport to Canada, the Orient as well as the southern hemisphere.
Over the next 20 years, the rules and game as we know today evolved. In 1916, the Phillipines introduced the Set/Spike style of play. Within this period of evolution, the 6 on 6 play and the change of 21 points per game to 15 were also introduced. It was in 1920, that the rules of three hits per side and back-row attacks were instituted.
In 1928, Volleyball was introduced as a demonstration sport at the Olympics held in Amsterdam. It wasn't until 1964, that volleyball was inducted as an official olympic sport.
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