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In 1995, the sport of
Volleyball was 100 years old! The sport originated in
the United States, and is now just achieving the type of
popularity in the U.S. that it has received on a global
basis, where it ranks behind only soccer among
participation sports. Today there are more than 800
million players worldwide who play Volleyball at least
once a week. In
1895, William G. Morgan, an instructor at the Young Men's
Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Mass., decided
to blend elements of basketball, baseball, tennis, and
handball to create a game for his classes of businessmen
which would demand less physical contact than
basketball. He created the game of Volleyball (at that
time called mintonette). Morgan borrowed the net from
tennis, and raised it 6 feet 6 inches above the floor,
just above the average man's head.
During a demonstration
game, someone remarked to Morgan that the players seemed
to be volleying the ball back and forth over the net,
and perhaps "volleyball" would be a more descriptive
name for the sport. On July 7, 1896 at Springfield
College the first game of "volleyball" was played.
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In 1900,
a special ball was designed for the sport.
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In 1916,
in the Philippines, an offensive style of passing the
ball in a high trajectory to be struck by another
player (the set and spike) were introduced.
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In 1917,
the game was changed from 21 to 15 points.
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In 1920,
three hits per side and back row attack rules were
instituted.
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In 1930,
the first two-man beach game was played.
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In 1934,
the approval and recognition of national volleyball
referees.
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In 1947,
the Federation Internationale De Volley-Ball (FIVB)
was founded.
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In 1948,
the first two-man beach tournament was held.
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In 1949,
the initial World Championships were held in Prague,
Czechoslovakia.
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In 1964,
Volleyball was introduced to the Olympic Games in
Tokyo.
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In 1974,
the World Championships in Mexico were telecast in
Japan.
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In 1987,
the FIVB added a Beach Volleyball World Championship
Series.
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In 1990,
the World League was created.
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In 1995,
the sport of Volleyball was 100 years old!
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In 1996,
2-person beach volleyball was added to the Olympics
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