The complete set of rules is extensive, but play essentially proceeds as follows: a player on one of the teams begins a 'rally' by serving the ball (tossing or releasing it and then hitting it with a hand or arm), from behind the back boundary line of the court, over the net, and into the receiving team's court. The receiving team must not let the ball be grounded within their court. The team may touch the ball up to three times to return the ball to the other side of the court, but individual players may not touch the ball twice consecutively. Typically, the first two touches are used to set up for an attack. An attack is an attempt to direct the ball back over the net in such a way that the team receiving the ball is unable to pass the ball and continue the rally, thus, losing the point. The team that wins the rally is awarded a point and serves the ball to start the next rally. A few of the most common faults include: (Full article...)
This article shows the roster of all participating teams at the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League. The 16 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squad of 21 players, which every week's 14-player roster must be selected from. Each country must declare its 14-player roster two days before the start of each week's round-robin competition. (Full article...)
The history of the USSR championships began on April 4, 1933. On that day the first matches among the national teams of the five cities were held at the Palace of Metalworkers in Dnepropetrovsk. These competitions, as well as the next three similar championships, were officially called the All-Union Volleyball Holidays.
The USSR championships among club teams representing various voluntary sports societies and departments were held since 1938. In 1956, 1959, 1963 and 1967 the USSR champion title was played in the Summer Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR. In 1937, 1941-1944 and 1964 there were no USSR Championship competitions. (Full article...)
Volleyball is one of the sports that is played at the Summer Olympic Games in two disciplines: the traditional six-per-side indoor game, and the newer game of beach volleyball. Indoor volleyball was added to the Olympic programme in 1957 at the 53rd session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Sofia, Bulgaria, and the first competitions were held at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The Soviet Union won a medal in both the men's and women's competition at the first five Olympics that included volleyball, including the men's gold medal in Tokyo. The Japanese women's team won the gold at the inaugural Olympic volleyball competition, and the silver at the following two Games. The Montreal Games of 1976 saw the Polish men win the nation's only gold medal in the sport, after the women had won bronze in 1964 and 1968. At the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the hosts won gold in both competitions. The Bulgarian team won their only two volleyball medals in Moscow, a silver and a bronze in the men's and women's tournament, respectively. The United States won its first medals in volleyball at the Los Angeles Games: a gold in the men's competition, and a silver in the women's. The People's Republic of China won the gold medal in the women's competition in Los Angeles, their first time participating in an Olympic volleyball competition. The United States successfully defended their men's gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, and Peru won their only medal in volleyball, a silver in the women's competition. The Soviet Union won a silver medal in the men's competition and a gold in the women's at what would be their final Olympics. Following the 1990–91 breakup of the Soviet Union, 12 of the 15 newly independent countries competed together as the Unified Team in Barcelona. In the women's competition, the Unified Team won the silver medal, and Cuba won their first of three consecutive gold medals. In the men's competition, Brazil won its first gold medal, and the Netherlands its first overall medal in the sport.
On 18 September 1993, at the 101st IOC session in Monte Carlo, the Committee voted to add beach volleyball for both men and women to the Olympic programme effective with the 1996 Atlanta Games. A National Olympic Committee is permitted to enter two teams in the beach volleyball tournament; a rule that allowed the United States and Brazil to win both gold and silver in men's and women's beach volleyball respectively that year. Atlanta also saw the Dutch men's indoor team improve their Barcelona silver to a gold. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the host Australian team won the gold medal in the women's beach volleyball competition, and the Russian Federation took home its first volleyball medals as an independent country with silver in both indoor competitions. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Spain won its only medal in volleyball, a silver in the men's beach volleyball competition. In women's beach volleyball, the United States team of Misty May (now May-Treanor) and Kerri Walsh (now Walsh Jennings) won the first of three consecutive gold medals, the only team to defend a beach volleyball gold medal. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the United States men's indoor team won all their matches on the way to their third gold medal win. This equalled the former Soviet Union's record for the most men's championships. The Soviets won twelve medals in the indoor competition, and Brazilian teams have won thirteen medals in beach competition; respectively the most in each discipline. The Brazilian teams, however, with ten indoor medals lead all nations with a total of twenty medals in volleyball events at the Olympics. (Full article...)
The first tournament was staged in 1977 in Brazil. The second and third tournaments were played at intervals of four years, in 1981 and 1985; with the fourth tournament in 1987 the interval became, and remains, two years. The most recent tournament was jointly hosted by Netherlands and Belgium and won by Italy. (Full article...)
From 2018, the World League and World Grand Prix was replaced by the men's and women's Nations League and men's and women's Challenger Cup. (Full article...)
The volleyball tournaments at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are scheduled to run from 27 July to 11 August 2024. 24 volleyball teams and 48 beach volleyball teams will participate in the tournament. Indoor volleyball competitions will occur at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles with the beach volleyball tournament staged at the Eiffel Tower Stadium in Champ de Mars. This is the first time in the history of the Olympic volleyball competition, each team participating in the Games will be entitled to include one non-competing (AP) athlete to replace an athlete for medical reasons. As such, team rosters will increase from 12 to 13 athletes. (Full article...)
The women's tournament in volleyball at the 2016 Summer Olympics was the 14th edition of the event at an Olympic Games, organised by the world's governing body, the FIVB, in conjunction with the IOC. It was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 6 to 20 August 2016.
The men's tournament in volleyball at the 1968 Summer Olympics was the 2nd edition of the event at the Summer Olympics, organized by the world's governing body, the FIVB in conjunction with the IOC. It was held in Mexico City, Mexico from 13 to 26 October 1968. (Full article...)
... that voice actress Mako Morino played volleyball for 14 years, but gave up the goal of playing professionally after being assigned to the non-serving libero position?
... that before becoming a legislator, Bettina Petzold-Mähr played volleyball for Liechtenstein when they defeated Lichtenstein?
Ace : A serve which lands in the opponent's court without being touched, or is touched, but unable to be kept in play by one or more receiving team players.
Assist : Usually the second of a team's three contacts, an assist is awarded for any set ball that results in a kill on the ensuing attack.
Attack : Usually the third of a team's three contacts, an attack is any attempt by the offense to score a point against the defense (this does not include free balls or over-passes).
Stack Blocking : A blocking strategy where the front row players start close to each other at the center of the net, leaving space for swing blocking out to the pins.
Cut / Cut shot : attack with an extreme angle (nearly parallel to the net).
Dig : A defensive contact following an opponent's attack resulting in a playable ball.
Image 12Unlike indoor volleyball, beach volleyball is played on soft sand which makes it safer for players to dive. Picture shows Nick Lucena of the United States diving to "dig" the ball. (from Beach volleyball)
Image 16Brazil's Emanuel Rego signals for an "angle" block for the opposing player on the left and a "line" block for the opposing player on the right (from Beach volleyball)
Image 17Open-handed tips/dinks are not allowed. Players may instead use their knuckles to attack the ball for a "pokey" shot. (from Beach volleyball)
Image 22US women's team has cited several advantages to bikini uniforms, such as comfort while playing on sand during hot weather. Photo shows US national team players (Jennifer Fopma (left) and Brooke Sweat) in their uniforms. (from Beach volleyball)
Image 23Dancers during a match at the 2012 FIVB Moscow Grand Slam (from Beach volleyball)
Image 24A beach volleyball referee determines if a fault has been committed. (from Beach volleyball)
Image 28Two opposing players simultaneously contact the ball above the net with open hands, known as a "joust". The receiving team is entitled to another three contacts. (from Beach volleyball)
Image 29Beach volleyball players at the Outrigger Canoe Club in Hawaii, ca. 1915 (from Beach volleyball)