Volleyball is a sport played by two teams consisting of six players each, separated by a net. Matches can be hosted either outdoors (on sand or grass) or indoors and it is gender indiscriminate.

The net divides the court in two parts where each of the teams plays. In each set they change parts and there is no physical contact between the players. Teams score points within the boundaries set by the rules. It all starts when a player from one team “serves” the ball to the part of the court where the other team is placed, to begin a “rally”.

Some of the rest of the rules that should be well-known:

• There is a line on each side indicating the front and back row. 3 players stand on the front row and 3 on the back.
• The players cannot step or enter the other team’s side of the court unless the ball has hit the ground before they do so (for example a player jumping and “spiking” the ball can land on the other side after the ball has hit the ground following their hit.)
• The players cannot hold the ball, catch or throw the ball. They can only guide it to where they want it to go by single short contact strikes. Any part of the body can be used.
• The team wins a point by grounding the ball on the other team’s side of the court or by forcing an opponent to send the ball out of bounds.

History of Volleyball

The sport has been included in the Olympic Games schedule since 1964. However, it dates back to the last decade of the 1890s. More precisely, in 1895, William G. Morgan from the United States (Holyoke, MA) invented a brand new game. Its first name was “Mintonette” and it was derived basically from badminton taking up elements from tennis and handball within its disposition as well. Morgan designed it as a less violent alternative to basketball (invented just 10 miles away in Springfield, MA) and the first ever match was played in 1896 at the International YMCA Training School, where Morgan was a physical education director.

Volley gained popularity among various countries such as Canada (first country that it was played after the USA), Brazil, Japan, Europe, Russia, China and other countries in the Asian continent.

OUTSTANDING FEMALE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS

Even if the date shows “1952” for the first official women’s tournament (the World Championship of Valleyball), they have already been playing the game on their own. Since then,  a number of quite outstanding female players have taken its place into the sport’s hall of fame. Here are some:

Flo Hyman (July 31, 1954 – January 24, 1986)

Flo Hyman was actually an athlete that played volleyball as a pastime. She is a winner of an Olympics silver medal, while she exercised her professional volleyball career in Japan replacing her career as an athlete. She did not even graduate from school because of her passion for the sport.

“I had to learn to be honest with myself. I had to recognize my pain threshold. When I hit the floor, I have to realize it is not as if I broke a bone. Pushing yourself over the barrier is a habit. I know I can do it and try something else crazy. If you want to win the war, you’ve got to pay the price”.

She achieved her goals despite the team’s failures in 1976, 1977 and 1980. Her hard work brought the silver medal to the USA in the 1984 Olympics.

Regla Torres (February 12, 1975)

Torres was such a passionate player that she won her first Olympic gold medal when she was 17 in 2001. Her achievements after this success brought her the award of Best Player of the 20th Century.

Yumilka Ruiz Luaces (May 8, 1978)

She was a player in the Cuban National Team. We can say that she is a medal collector: in 1996 summer Olympics she won three. She also won another seven in various championships such as the World Championship, Pan American Games, NORCECA and other.

Misty May-Treanor (July 30, 1977)

Treanor is also a medal collector. She is well-known for her American beach volleyball player career, where she is the most successful female with remarkable achievements: 112 individual championships in both domestic and international fields.

Kerri Walsh (August 15, 1978)

She was a teammate of Treanor and the first female volleyball player who represented America in the FIVB Beach world Tour of 2003. In this competition she won the bronze medal which she placed next to the Olympic gold medal she has been awarded.

Inna Ryskal (June 15, 1944)

Ryskal is a bit older in comparison to the other players in this list. She was from the USSR and she helped her country rise in the sport of volleyball. Her career dominated in the 1960s and 1970s. Twice a gold medalist and a world champion.

Tiffany Abreu (1984)

Tiffany Abreu is a reform in volleyball history. She is not different from the other players but as she is a transgender woman, she paved the way for the LGBTQ community in sports. Recently, despite the discriminations, LGBTQ members begun to take up spaces in sports, jobs, politics, etc... Abreu is one of the motivations for the community. Like every other fields in life, Abreu’s achievements is another proof of equality. She also wants to make changes in the conservative party that she is managing. We can say that she is a modern reflection of evolving societies.

Volleyball has been an important sport since its first day. It is both fun and cooperative. You can bet on the winners while enjoying fun matches by opening a betting account at original bookmakers. Make sure that you do so and start winning big!