What Is the History of Volleyball Rules?

William Morgan, a YMCA instructor, invented volleyball in 1895 in Holyoke, Mass. The game has since spread to more than 200 countries. Over more than a century, the once simple rules have grown more complex, while the court has become larger and the teams smaller. Source materials vary on the specifics of the changes, but here is a broad look at how the sport has evolved.

  1. Original Game

    • The team: Nine players were on each team. As they did not have to rotate, the same person could serve the entire match.
      The game: A team was declared the winner if it scored 21 points or was ahead after nine innings. Each team was allowed three serves per inning. Players could bat the ball around unlimited times before sending it over the net. If a team missed on its first serve, it got a second chance.
      The dimensions: The court was 25 by 50 feet.The height of the net was 6 feet 6 inches.

    First Rule Changes

    • In 1912, William Morgan and several of his YMCA colleagues made two key changes to shake up the game. They reduced the number of players to six, allowing more space to move, and they required players to rotate clockwise after each serve.

    Tinkering with the Game.

    • In 1913, Morris and his YMCA group joined forces with the NCAA and further refined the game as it became a collegiate sport. The inning system was eliminated. The winner of the game was the first team to score 15 points; to win a match, a team had to take two out of three games. The same player could not touch the ball twice in a row, but a team still could bat the ball around unlimited times before volleying it over the net. The height of the net was raised to 7 feet.

    Enlarging the Court, Shortening the Game

    • In 1920s, the court was enlarged to 30 by 60 feet. To reduce the length of games, rule makers limited each team to three hits before they had to volley the ball over the net. A new scoring rule applied for games tied at 14 points: A team could not win until it attained a two-point margin. Another new rule gave each team two time outs. In 1928, the United States Volleyball Association was created and assumed responsibility for setting the rules.

    Modern Game

    • In 2000, the rules for scoring were changed. Before the team had to have the serve to score. That was changed to rally point scoring. If the serving team wins the rally, it gets the point and keeps the serve; if the receiving team wins the rally, it gains a point and gets the serve. Also in 2000, the first team to score 25 points wins. If the teams are tied at 25, the winning team needs to win by a two-point margin.