Volleyball

Four years after basketball's birth just up the road, YMCA director William G. Morgan wanted a less strenuous indoor game for older businessmen. He blended elements of tennis, handball, and basketball into a net game he called Mintonette. An observer noted the players 'volleying' the ball, and the better name stuck.

1. 1895

   Mintonette is born

   Morgan's original game used a raised net and allowed any number of players to bat the ball back and forth — a gentle alternative to basketball's roughness.

2. 1916

   The set and spike

   Players in the Philippines developed the offensive pattern of setting the ball high for a teammate to strike downward — the attack that defines the modern game.

3. 1920

   Three hits per side

   The three-contact rule was established, along with back-row attacking restrictions, giving the sport its fundamental rhythm of pass, set, attack.

4. 1947

   FIVB founded

   The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball unified international rules, paving the way for world championships and Olympic inclusion in 1964.

5. 1998

   The libero arrives

   FIVB introduced the libero — a defense-only specialist in a contrasting jersey who cannot attack, serve, or block — to lengthen rallies and boost defense.

6. 1999

   Rally scoring

   FIVB scrapped side-out scoring for rally point scoring (25-point sets, point on every rally) to make match lengths predictable for spectators and television.