It’s game point! All it takes is one point to win. Your setter sets you up, you take your approach, you draw your arm back, you swing, and you get a kill. You take home the winning championship game for your team. Over 547,000 kids play volleyball in the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV). With all those kids playing volleyball, some people wonder when volleyball was invented.
Volleyball was created in 1895 by William G. Morgan in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He combined elements from sports like tennis, handball, baseball, and basketball. Volleyball became popular due to its ease of learning and playing. Volleyball is significant because it promotes overall health by enhancing physical fitness, teamwork, and mental well-being. According to Olympics.com, volleyball was initially called “Mintonette”. It was first called volleyball because it had a similarity to badminton. The first match took place in 1896 during YMCA training.
William G. Morgan invented volleyball as a less strenuous alternative to basketball, one that didn’t require direct physical contact or constant running. He did that so that people who found basketball’s ‘bumping’ or ‘jolting’ too strenuous could have an alternative physical activity to fall back on.
This is an exciting team sport with two teams separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding the ball on the other team’s court. Each match consists of sets, and the first team to win a certain number of sets wins. Players use their hands and arms to bump, set, and spike the ball. Volleyball is not only a fun sport, but it also helps develop agility, coordination, and strategic thinking.
It became a demonstration sport in 1924. In 1954, they finally recognized volleyball as a medal sport. Became an Olympic sport in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In 1968, the IOC attempted to remove volleyball from the Olympic program, but after many protests, the effort ultimately failed. Volleyball has been a consistent part of the Summer Olympics program for both men and women since its debut, with beach volleyball added as an official sport at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Here are a few volleyball world records that you might find interesting. Christa Downey holds the NCAA Division III record for most kills in a season with 1,065 in 2002. Wilfredo Leon (Cuba/Poland) holds the record for fastest serving speed at 138 mph. 242 points were scored in a match between BanKo Perlas Spikers and Power Smashers in 2017
Debbie Greene, a former volleyball player and coach, once said, “Volleyball has allowed me to travel throughout the world, to see so many interesting places, to meet so many interesting people, including my husband and three presidents, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.”
Volleyball has been around for 130 years, and it will hopefully continue for years to come. That’s why I’m sharing the history of volleyball with you, to help you learn more about it and have a greater impact in the future.
