Everyone knows what volleyball is. We’ve all seen it on during the Olympics or played it in high school. Volleyball has advanced so much from when it was first created in 1895 by William G. Morgan. Volleyball wasn’t even always called "volleyball."  It was first called “mintonette.”  William G. Morgan made the sport volleyball a combination of basketball, baseball, tennis and handball.

The first net for volleyball to play on was only 6' 6” high. Now the standard height for a volleyball net is 7’ 4 1/8”. In 1900 a special ball was made for the sport. From there on, new rules came into play, like in 1917 the game was changed from 21 to 15 points. In 1920 the rule of only 3 hits per side became official, as with being able to attack from the back row. Also in 1928 the USVBA (United States Volleyball Association) was approved. In 1964, the game of volleyball really started becoming official because national referees were approved. Also in 1964, volleyball was introduced into the  Olympic Games in Tokyo. The National Women’s Team began  year-round training in 1975. In 1990, the World League was created.

Volleyball is very popular at family events which is usually just hitting the ball back and forth, but with league volleyball it is a much more complicated game. Volleyball has 6 spots. The first spot is a server (right back ); second spot is front right, which is usually a setter or right hitter (known as opposite or weak side); third is front middle, which is where usually your tallest player plays to block spikes;  the fourth spot is the front left (known as outside);  the fifth spot is back left defensive; then, the last spot is the back middle, also defense. There's one more position, which is a libero,  and the libero’s job is to be a defense specialist. Libero is the best defensive player on the team. Many people think volleyball has no movement involved because you don't need to run, but that's extremely inaccurate. In the sport of volleyball there is nothing but movement. You  are constantly moving your feet to adjust yourself in many ways to get the point on the court. Everyone has to have everyone's back. You cannot be lazy. Most volleyball players jump about 300 times a match.

Today volleyball is common and fairly popular  in high schools  and in the Olympics. On September 10, 2017 the U.S. Women's National Team finished the FIVB (Federation Internationale de Volleyball) Women’s World Grand Champions Cup with the bronze medal after finishing the six-team, round-robin event held in Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan. Some of the most popular volleyball names out there today are Logan Tom who is known for being the first ever to be selected for an American Olympic volleyball team at the age of 19 and competing at the games in 2000. Another popular name in the volleyball world is David Lee who is a starting middle blocker for the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Teams. They won gold in 2008 and bronze in 2016.

Volleyball isn’t just a sport to some people. Volleyball is their home, their safe zone.