Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of six players separated by a high net. Each team has six players on the court at a time, with more players on the bench who can come in as substitutes. Teams score points by hitting the ball to the floor on the other team's side of the net. The ball can be played with any part of the body. Each team is allowed up to three touches before the ball must cross back over the net.[1]
_pictogram.svg) Volleyball | |
| Highest governing body | FIVB |
|---|---|
| First played | 1895, Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | None |
| Team members | 6 |
| Mixed gender | Single |
| Type | Team sport, Net sport |
| Equipment | Volleyball |
| Glossary | Glossary of volleyball |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Worldwide |
| Olympic | 1964 |
Volleyball's governing body is the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB).[2] Volleyball has been part of the Summer Olympic Games since 1964.[3]
History
In 1895, William G. Morgan invented a new game called "Mintonette" in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Morgan was working as a physical education director at the YMCA. He wanted to create a game that needed less physical effort than basketball, so that older businessmen at the YMCA could play it.[1]
A year later, a professor named Alfred Halstead watched the game being played. He noticed the volleying action used to send the ball back and forth over the net, and suggested the name be changed to "volleyball". The name stuck.[1]
The first net was a rope, and the first ball was the rubber bladder from inside a basketball. The sport spread quickly through YMCA networks in the United States and other countries. The FIVB was founded in Paris in 1947, and the first World Championship for men was held in 1949.[2]
Until 1960, men and women played with slightly different rules. Today, the rules are the same for both, except for the height of the net — the men's net is higher.
Competitions
The biggest international volleyball competitions are the Olympic Games, the World Championship (renamed the World Cup from 2027), and the Volleyball Nations League.[2]
The Olympic volleyball tournament has been held every four years since 1964. The World Championship started in 1949 for men and 1952 for women. It is now played every two years with 32 teams. The Volleyball Nations League is an annual competition that replaced the older World League and World Grand Prix in 2018.[3]
Beach volleyball, a version of the game played on sand with two players per team, has been an Olympic sport since 1996.
Rules
Scoring
Volleyball uses rally scoring, which means a point is scored on every rally, regardless of which team served. A rally begins with a serve and ends when the ball hits the floor, goes out of bounds, or a team commits a fault.[4]
A match is played as best of five sets. The first four sets are played to 25 points, and the team must win by at least 2 points. If the match reaches a fifth set, it is played to 15 points, again with a 2-point lead required to win.[4]
Rotation and serving
Before each serve, all six players must stand in their correct positions on the court. When a team wins the right to serve (called a side out), its players rotate one position clockwise. The player who rotates into the back-right position (Zone 1) becomes the server.[4]
The server must hit the ball from behind the end line. If the serve touches the net but lands in the other team's court, it is still in play.[4]
Faults
Common faults include: touching the ball more than three times before returning it, one player touching the ball twice in a row (except after a block), catching or holding the ball instead of hitting it cleanly, and stepping over the centre line under the net. A back-row player cannot jump and attack the ball from in front of the 3-metre attack line.[4]
Court and equipment
The court is 18 by 9 metres (59 by 29.5 feet), with a net stretched across the middle. Under international FIVB rules, the net is 2.43 metres (7 feet 11 inches) high for men and 2.24 metres (7 feet 4 inches) for women.[1] The ball is lighter and slightly smaller than a football, and is made of leather or synthetic leather.
A line drawn 3 metres from the net on each side divides the court into a front zone and a back zone. This line, called the attack line, limits what back-row players can do near the net.[4]
Positions
Volleyball has six player positions, each with a different job on the court. Players rotate through all six zones during a match, but their role stays the same regardless of where they stand.[1]
Setter
The setter runs the team's attack. On most plays, the setter takes the second touch and places the ball for a hitter to attack. Setters need quick hands, good decision-making, and the ability to read what the other team's defence is doing. They are often compared to a quarterback in American football because they decide where every attack goes.[1]
Outside hitter
The outside hitter (also called the left-side hitter) attacks from the left side of the net. This is usually the player who gets the most sets and scores the most points. Outside hitters also pass serves and play defence in the back row, making it one of the most physically demanding positions.[1]
Middle blocker
The middle blocker (also called the middle hitter) plays at the centre of the net. Their main job is to block the other team's attacks by jumping at the net with arms raised. On offence, middle blockers hit fast, low sets that happen quickly, before the other team's blockers can react. Middle blockers are often the tallest players on the team.[1]
Opposite hitter
The opposite hitter (also called the right-side hitter) attacks from the right side of the net, opposite the setter in the rotation. This player blocks against the other team's outside hitter and also attacks, making the position a mix of offence and defence.[5]
Libero
The libero is a specialist defensive player who only plays in the back row. They wear a different coloured jersey from the rest of the team. The libero can replace any back-row player without using one of the team's regular substitutions, and can enter and leave the court freely between rallies. However, the libero cannot serve (except in some leagues), attack the ball above the height of the net, or block.[4]
The libero position was introduced by the FIVB in 1998 to improve the quality of defensive play and to create longer rallies.[5]
Defensive specialist
A defensive specialist is similar to a libero but enters the game through normal substitution rules. They play in the back row to strengthen passing and defence, and unlike the libero, they can serve. Teams often use a defensive specialist to replace a front-row player who is weaker in the back row.[5]
Skills
Serving
The serve starts every rally. The server stands behind the end line and hits the ball over the net into the other team's court. There are several types of serve. A float serve is hit with a stiff wrist and no spin, which makes the ball move unpredictably in the air. A topspin serve is hit with a snapping motion that puts forward spin on the ball, making it drop faster. A jump serve adds power by having the server toss the ball, take a running approach, and hit it while jumping.[1]
Passing
Passing (also called bumping) is how a team controls the ball after the other team's serve or attack. The player holds both forearms together and contacts the ball on the flat part of the forearms, directing it towards the setter. Good passing is the foundation of every attack, because a bad pass limits what the setter can do.[1]
Setting
Setting is an overhead pass used to place the ball accurately for a hitter to attack. The setter contacts the ball with the fingertips of both hands above their head and pushes it in the direction of the chosen hitter. A good set arrives at the right height, speed, and position for the hitter to swing at it.[1]
Attacking
An attack (also called a spike or hit) is when a player jumps and hits the ball downward over the net into the other team's court. The attacker takes a running approach, jumps, and swings with an open hand to drive the ball past the blockers. A kill is an attack that directly results in a point. Players can also use softer shots, called tips or roll shots, to place the ball into gaps in the defence.[5]
Blocking
Blocking is the first line of defence at the net. One, two, or three front-row players jump at the net with their hands raised above it, trying to stop or deflect the other team's attack. A successful block sends the ball back down onto the attacker's side of the court. The touch on a block does not count as one of the team's three allowed touches.[4]
Digging
A dig is a defensive play used to keep the ball in play after a hard attack. The player gets low to the ground, sometimes diving, and uses their forearms or hands to pop the ball back up before it hits the floor. A pancake is a last-resort dig where a player slides their hand flat on the floor, palm down, and lets the ball bounce off the back of their hand.[5]
Volleyball Media
William G. Morgan c. 1915
Japanese American women playing volleyball at the Manzanar internment camp during World War II in c. 1943
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diagram of volleyball court with lengths
diagram of volleyball rotation in court
White is on the attack while red attempts to block.
A scorer's table shown just before a volleyball game
A player making a jump serve
This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons as a contribution*from an Art&Design School thanks of a collaboration between UCAC2 and Wikimedia España.
Related pages
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Volleyball. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fédération Internationale de Volleyball. FIVB. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Volleyball. Olympics.com. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Official Volleyball Rules. FIVB. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Volleyball. Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
Other websites
- Fédération Internationale de Volleyball — official website
- Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028 — current FIVB rulebook
- Volleyball at Olympics.com — Olympic history, rules, and results
- Volleyball at Encyclopedia Britannica — history, rules, and development of the sport
- Volleyball Positions Explained: All 6 Roles, Zones and Rotations — detailed guide to player roles, court zones, and rotation mechanics