VOLLEYBALL HISTORY

Mintonette as it was originally called was the name given to the sport founded by William G Morgan that
later became volley ball and today is known as volleyball. The sport roots can be traced back to Holyoke,
Massachusetts when William the director at the local YMCA created the sport as an alternative to the more
physical basketball. Basketball was becoming popular at the time but Morgan wanted to create a sport at his
physicality where his members did not have to run. So he strung a badminton net in the gym and using the
bladder of an old soccer ball invented volleyball.

The sports origins of “mintonette” are rooted in the fact that the original sport was much like badminton so
“minton” to “mintonette.” The court was 25 by 50 feet originally and the net 6 feet 6 inches high. In attempt
to bring in other sports the game originally was mimicked after baseball with 9 innings and 3 servers per
inning. Also originally there were unlimited number of players on each side.

William G Morgan died On December 27th 1942. He was inducted in the volleyball hall of fame in 1985 at
its inauguration by another future hall of famer Dog Beal.
 FACILITY AND EQUIPMENT
Center Line
• A center line is marked at
the center of the court
dividing it equally into 30
feet squares, above which
the net is placed.
• Attack Line
• An attack line is marked 10
feet of each side of the
center line.
• Service Line
• A service line, the area
from which the server may
serve the volleyball, is
marked 10 feet inside the
right sideline on each back
line.
• The Net
• The net is placed directly
above the center line, 7
feet 4 inches above the
ground for women and 8
feet above the ground for
men.
• Poles
• Volleyball poles should be
set at 36 feet apart, 3 feet
further out from the
sidelines.
• Ceiling Height
• The minimum ceiling height
should be 23 feet, though
they should preferably be
higher.
 PLAYING AREATERMINOLOGIES
Ace: A serve that is not returned and results in a point.
Assist: Passing or setting the ball to a player who attacks the ball for a point.
Block: A defensive play, where a player deflects a spiked ball back into the opponent’s
court by jumping in front of the ball with their hands above the net.
Campfire: A ball that falls on the floor and is surrounded by two or more players. The
moment it hits the floor it looks like the players are encircling the ball and starting a
campfire.
Cut Shot: An attack with angle, almost parallel to the net.
Dig: Passing a spiked or rapidly hit ball.
Dink: A legal pushing of the ball over the blockers.
Double Hit: When a player makes contact with the ball twice in a row. This is
considered an illegal hit.
Floater: A non-spinning serve, it can sometimes have erratic movement during flight.
Footfault: When a player steps over the line while serving, which results in a point for
the opposing team.
Jump Serve: A type of serve that is done by tossing the ball into the air, jumping, and
hitting the ball when it is in its downward motion.
Joust: When the ball is falling directly on top of the net, two opposing players will
jump and attempt to push the ball to the other side.
Kill: A successful hit that results in an immediate point.
Let: When a serve hits the top of the net and rolls onto the other side, resulting in a
point.
Line shot: A ball that is spiked right down the opposing sideline
Off-speed hit: A ball that is spiked with less force and has spin.
Power alley: A cross court spike that reaches the furthest end of the court.
Reception error: When a player is unable to return a serve that should have been
returned, and it results in an ace.
Roll shot: An offensive play similar to a spike, but a hitter will make contact
underneath the ball and move their arm upwards instead of swinging down. This type
of shot is meant to go high enough to avoid a block and is typically aimed around 10
feet away from the net.
Pancake: A type of dig that occurs when a player extends his or her hand flat on the
floor, and lets the ball bounce off the back of his or her hand.
Service error: An unsuccessful serve that occurs by the ball landing out of bounds,
failing to clear the net, or a foot fault from the server.
Shank: A wild and unplayable pass.
Shot: An offensive play in which a ball is set and directed into an open area on the
court.
Side out: When the serving team loses the rally causing the other team to serve for
the next point.
Spike: When the hitter attacks the ball with a swinging motion. This is in an attempt to
get a kill.
Strong side: Left side of the court for right handed hitters.
Tip: A soft and off-speed attack done with the fingertips.
Weak side: Right side of the court.
 PLAYING AREA TERMINOLOGIES
1st Referee who is responsible for making the final decision.
2nd Referee who assists the 1st referee to ensure the game is played
without faults.
Line Judges who are responsible for signalling whether a ball has landed in
or out of bounds.
Scorekeepers who are responsible for keeping score and ensuring the game
is played in the correct order.
Assistant Scorekeeper who helps the scorer keep on top of other factors
related to scoring such as monitoring substitutions, monitoring service
order and recording sanctions. The assistant scorer also keeps track of
Libero rotations.