Volleyball Hall Of Fame Honorees

1985

William G. Morgan- USA - Inventor/Leader

1986

Dr. Harold T. Friermood- USA - Leader

1988

Leonard Gibson- USA - LeaderFlo Hyman- USA - PlayerEugene Selznick- USA - PlayerJane Ward- USA - PlayerHarry Wilson- USA- Coach/Leader

Court of Honor: 1980 U.S. Women's Olympic Team | 1984 U.S. Men's Olympic Team

1989

Douglas Beal- USA - CoachGlen Davies- USA - LeaderKathy Gregory- USA - PlayerMichael O'Hara- USA - Player

Court of Honor: Young Men's Christian Association

1990

Col. Edward DeGroot- USA – Coach Paula WeishoffAlton Fish- USA - OfficialMary Jo Peppler- USA - Player

Court of Honor: United States Volleyball Association

1991

Dr. George J. Fisher- USA - LeaderThomas Haine- USA - PlayerRolf Engen- USA - PlayerCatalino Ignacio- USA - Leader

1992

Dr. James Coleman- USA - CoachMerton H. Kennedy- USA - LeaderJon Stanley- USA - PlayerRon Von Hagen- USA - Beach Player

1993

Mike Bright- USA - PlayerAl Scates- USA - Coach

Court of Honor: Federation Internationale de Volleyball

1994

Patty Dowdell- USA - PlayerMarv Dunphy- USA - CoachJohn Koch- USA - Official/LeaderLarry Rundle- USA - Player

Court of Honor: The American Volleyball Coaches AssociationWilliam G. Morgan Award: ASICS

1995 John Koch

Debbie Green- USA - PlayerRobert L. Lindsay- USA - LeaderC.L. "Bobb" Miller- USA - LeaderArie Selinger- USA - Coach

Court of Honor: Special Olympics InternationalWilliam G. Morgan Award: Spalding Sports Worldwide

1996

Patricia Bright- USA - PlayerDonald Shondell- USA - Coach

Court of Honor: Springfield CollegeMintonette Medallion of Merit: Sally Kus

1997 Sinjin Smith

Andy Banachowski- USA – CoachAlbert Monaco Jr.- USA – Leader

Harold WendtPedro "Pete" Velasco- USA - Player

Court of Honor: United States Armed ForcesMintonette Medallion of Merit: Richard Caplan

1998

William Baird- USA - LeaderCraig Buck- USA - PlayerDusty Dvorak- USA - PlayerYasutaka Matsudaira- Japan - CoachSteve Timmons- USA - PlayerPaula Weishoff- USA - Player

1999

Wilbur H. Peck- USA - LeaderJames G. Wortham- USA - Player

Court of Honor: 1988 U.S. Men's Olympic Team

William G. Morgan Award: Volleyball Festival, Inc.Mintonette Medallion of Merit: Corporators of the Volleyball Hall of Fame

2000

Hirofumi Daimatsu- Japan – Coach

Endre HolvayInna Ryskal- Russia - PlayerTakako Shirai- Japan - PlayerYuri Tchesnokov- Russia - Player/CoachHarold Wendt- USA - Player

2001

Karch Kiraly- USA - PlayerRegla Torres- Cuba - PlayerJean Gaertner- USA - Player

Mintonette Medallion of Merit: Karen Keirstead

2002

Lang Ping- China - PlayerTomasz Wojtowicz- Poland - PlayerVyacheslav Platonov- Russia - Coach

Court of Honor: 1990-1998 Italian Men's National TeamWilliam G. Morgan Award: Volleyball MagazineMintonette Medallion of Merit: Kirk Kilgour

2003 Andrea Gardini

Givi Akhvlediani- Russia - CoachJungo Morita- Japan - PlayerSinjin Smith- USA - Beach PlayerJulio Velasco- Italy - Coach

William G. Morgan Award: PeoplesBankMintonette Medallion of Merit: Alex Stetynski

2004

Karolyn Kirby- USA - Beach PlayerMireya Luis- Cuba - PlayerJosef Musil- Czech Republic - PlayerSeiji Oko- Japan - Player

William G. Morgan Award: Holyoke Gas & Electric

2005

Bernard Rajzman- Brazil - PlayerEugenio George- Cuba - CoachStanislaw Gosciniak- Poland - PlayerCecilia Tait- Peru - PlayerKonstantin Reva- Russia - PlayerRon Lang- USA - Beach Player

William G. Morgan Award: Holyoke Medical Center

2006

Bernie Holtzman- USA - Beach Player

Dmitar ZlatanovEndre Holvay- Hungary - LeaderJackie Silva- Brazil - Beach PlayerEdward Skorek- Poland - PlayerNina Smoleeva- Russia - PlayerShigeo Yamada- Japan - Coach

Court of Honor Award:The Japan Volleyball Association (JVA)

2007

Bob Ctvrtlik- USA - PlayerAndrea Gardini- Italy - PlayerCarlos Nuzman- Brazil - LeaderKerri Pottharst- Australia - Beach Player Yuan Weimin- China - CoachDimitar Zlatanov- Bulgaria - Player

William G. Morgan Award: The Dowd GroupMintonette Medallion of Merit: William "Ron" Collamore

2008

Sinan Erdem- Turkey - LeaderAndrea Giani- Italy - Player

Masae Kasai Nakamura- Japan - Player Jackie SilviaYuri Poyarkov- Ukraine – PlayerVladimir Savvine- Russia - LeaderRandy Stoklos- USA - Beach Player

Court of Honor Award:  The City of Holyoke

2009

Ana Moser - Brazil - PlayerNikolay Karpol - Russia - CoachHolly McPeak -USA - PlayerPaul Libaud - France - AdministratorIvan Bugajenkov - Latvia - PlayerSiegfried Schneider - Germany - Player

Mintonette Medallion of Merit: Francis G. Hamel

2010

Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar - Brazil - PlayersGabriella Kotsis - Hungary - CoachGabriela Perez del Solar -Peru - PlayerAleksandr Savin - Russia - PlayerHubert Wagner - Poland - Coach

William G. Morgan Award: Mountain View Landscapes and Lawncare, Inc. - Stephen CorriganMintonette Medallion of Merit: Richard (Rick) Lajoie

2011 Bob Ctvrtlik

Lorenzo Bernardi - Italy – Player Magaly Carvajal - Cuba - PlayerHugo Conte - Argentina - PlayerRita Crockett - United States - PlayerVladimir "Vanja" Grbic - Serbia - PlayerDr. Frantisek Stibitz - Czech Republic - Leader

William G. Morgan Award: Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. - Howard CheneyMintonette Medallion of Merit: John O'Donnell

 

2012

Peter Blangé - Netherlands - Player

Lyudmila Buldakova - Russia – Player Shigeo YamadaMike Dodd - United States - Beach PlayerMaurício Lima - Brazil - PlayerGeorgy Mondzolevskiy - Russia – PlayerJeff Stork - United States - Player

William G. Morgan Award: California Beach Volleyball AssociationMintonette Medallion of Merit: Patricia "Pat" DemersCourt of Honor: 1991-2000 Cuban Women's National Team

International Volleyball Court

Volleyball courts have evolved since the time the game was played the first time. Today, the game is played on a court which is 9 meters wide and 18 meters long. This is then divided into two halves of 9 meters X 9 meters each.

A net which is 1 meter wide is placed in the center, so that the top of the net is 2.43 meters high (for men) and 2.24 meters high (for women). The height is often varied for different types of players such as veterans and juniors.

A line is drawn parallel to the center in each half, at a distance of 3 meters. This is called the

'attack line'. Thus, the court area of each team is divided into the 'front row' and 'back row' areas.

The court areas are also surrounded by an area called 'the free zone' which is at least 3 meters wide on all sides of the court. The players can enter and play within this free zone after the service of the ball.

The First Court

As long as space allowed, the first rules called for a volleyball court to be 25 feet wide and 50 feet long. A net, which was 6 feet, 6 inches off the ground, divided the court in half. Other than the out-of-bounds lines, which were to be "plainly marked so as to be visible from all parts of the court," the only other marks on the court were the dribbling lines, which were parallel to the net, and four feet in front of it on both sides.

History of Volleyball

A Game for the (Middle) Ages

In 1895, William G. Morgan was the education director as the Holyoke, Massachusetts, YMCA. Four years earlier, his colleague James Naismith had invented the game of basketball just down the road at the Springfield YMCA. Naismith’s game was catching on quickly but there was a drawback. Not everyone could keep up with the fast pace of basketball—and that was even before the fast break was created. Morgan needed a game that could be enjoyed by middle-aged men.

Morgan conceived a court game he originally called mintonette. He chose the name because his new sport was related to badminton. Mintonette was played on a court divided by a six-foot, six-inch net. Teams volleyed the ball back and forth across the net until one team missed. The first competitive game of volleyball was played July 7, 1896.

Things They Are a Changing…Quickly

Changes were immediately made to Morgan’s game. One of the first changes was the name itself. Alfred Halstead is credited with renaming the sport with the descriptive words “volley ball.” (Can you imagine Karch Kiraly playing for a gold medal in Olympic beach mintonette?) The number of players on each team also was limited. Originally, a team was allowed to have as many players as it could fit into its half of a 50- by 25-foot court. The number of players was set at nine per side and later reduced to six. Rotating players to various positions on the court has been part of the game from the beginning.

The number of times a team could touch the ball before it went over the net was eventually established at three. The first rules allowed an unlimited number of hits. The earliest games in Morgan’s gym were played with the rubber bladder from inside a basketball. Spalding made the first official volleyball in 1896. By 1900, the standard shape and weight of the ball were almost identical to those used today.

The height of the net was raised to make play more challenging. Today, the net is just under eight feet for men’s competition (2.43 meters) and just over seven feet (2.24 meters) for women’s. Under the original rules of volleyball, a team had to score 21 points to win a game. In 1917, that number was reduced to 15.

Giving the Game Away

YMCA workers took the game from Holyoke to US missionary schools in Asia. The game became very popular in the East as was played in the Oriental Games as early as 1913. Volleyball also caught on in Russia. When regular international competition began in the 1950s, Russia was the dominant team. During the World War I, United States troops introduced volleyball in Europe.

You know a sport has really arrived when official governing bodies are established. For volleyball, this happened in 1928 when the United States Volleyball Association was formed. The organization later became USA Volleyball. The Fédération Internationale de Volley-ball (FIVB) was founded in 1947. In 1949, the first men’s world championship tournament took place in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

Not Just for Middle-Aged Men

It quickly became apparent that volleyball had appeal far beyond the middle-aged men it was originally introduced to. Colleges and high schools began to adopt the sport for both men and women. Volleyball became the competitive fall sport for girls. The first US national volleyball championships for women were played in 1949, 54 years after women began competing in the game. The first international championships for women were played in 1952 in Moscow.

History of Basketball

The history of basketball originated with Dr. James Naismith, a physical education teacher who was given the task of developing an indoor game from which the history of basketball evolved. As a child Naismith played an elementary game known as “duck-on-a-rock”, which served as the basis for the game of basketball. Duck-on-a-rock, which consisted of attempting to knock a “duck” off of a rock by throwing another rock at it, was technically the beginning of basketball history.

After experimenting with several of his physical eduction classes, Naismith decided on an indoor game of skill that would become known as basketball. According to the history of basketball, Naismith nailed peach baskets to the ten-foot high balconies at either end of the gymnasium to be used as hoops. Two teams, each made up of nine players, would take turns shooting the ball into the basket.

The next significant development in basketball history occurred in 1893 when both the hoop and backboard were invented. The first hoops were actually formed out of chicken wire and were developed because the peach baskets did not have an opening for the ball to fall through. Backboards were also created at this point in basketball history in order to keep spectators in the balcony from interfering with game play. The first backboards in the history of basketball were also made out of chicken wire, which the players would utilize to guide the ball into the basket. Wooden backboards bacame mandatory in 1904, and glass backboards were admissible by 1909.

Early in basketball history, chicken wire was also used to build cages to separate the players from the audience. These wire cages were constructed primarily due to the fact that the first basketball games tended to be extremely violent. The players would intentionally hurl into one another, which would frequently result in a fight. In order to prevent these brawls from proliferating into the crowd the wire cages were contrived.

The wire cages also served to protect the players from objects thrown onto the court by people in the stands. According to the history of basketball, some fans would throw bottles and nails onto the court. This behavior reached a point where by it became necessary for the referees to carry guns in order to maintain crowd control.

Dr. James Naismith created a game in 1891 that would continously evolve throughout the years. As its popularity increased The National Basketball League (NBL) was formed in 1937. Around the same time in basketball history, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was assembled as a competing league. In 1949, the two leagues merged to form the National Basketball Association (NBA), which still exists today.

First rules Created by William G. Morgan

1. The net was 6 feet, 6 inches high.

2. The court was 25 X 50 feet

3. Any number of participants was allowed.

4. The length of the game was nine innings, with three outs allowed per team per inning.

5. Continuous air dribbling of the ball was permissible up to a restraining line 4 feet from the net.

6. No limit on the number of hits on each side of the court.

7. A served ball could be assisted across the net.

8. A second serve (as in tennis) was permitted if the first resulted in a fault.

9. Any ball hitting the net, except on the first service, was a fault and resulted in side out.

Volleyball Rules & Regulations

Volleyball is an exciting, fast paced sport in which two teams (separated

by an elevated net) compete to down the ball on the opponent’s side of

the court. Formal volleyball matches must adhere to a set of rules that

control the size of the court, the number of players, equipment

specifications and game play. Though the rules governing most levels of

volleyball are very similar, each official body has their own specific set of

rules and regulations.

The information below is a general overview of basic volleyball policies.

For more specific information regarding the particular rules of each

governing body, please see the links at the bottom of the page.

Basic Principles of the Game

Knowing and understanding the basic tenets of volleyball can be helpful

for volleyball newbies and veterans alike. That being said, here is an

outline of fundamental rules of the game:

Don’t Let the Ball Hit the Floor on Your Side of the Net

The primary objective in volleyball is make the ball hit the floor on the

opponent’s side of the court, while simultaneously preventing it from

dropping on your side. Volleyball players go to great lengths to keep the

ball from hitting the court—and they have the scrapes and bruises to

prove it.

Three Contacts/Hits per Side

Each team is allowed a maximum of three contacts before it must send

the ball back over the net. The preferred sequence is a dig (an underarm

pass made with the forearms), followed by a set (an overhead pass with

the hands), and then an attack (overhead one-handed hit directed over

the net and towards the opponent).

Teams are also permitted to block the ball as it comes over the net. The

resulting contact does not count towards the three contacts per side. In

theory, this means that a team could technically contact the ball four

times (with the first contact being a block) without penalty.

Players Must Rotate Clockwise

In volleyball, six players rotate clockwise through six different positions on

their side of the net. There are three front row positions (left front, middle

front, and right front) and three back row positions (left back, middle

back, and right back). Teams rotate with each new server, and no person

can serve more than once in succession.

No Player Can Hit the Ball Twice in Succession

The rules state that no player is allowed to hit the ball multiple times in

row. While this principle appears to be straightforward, it can get a little

confusing: If the double contact occurs on a team’s initial hit it is a legal

play. However, the double becomes illegal if a player makes two separate

attempts to hit the ball. In other words, you may “double the ball”

(volleyball slang for hitting the ball twice) as long as it is on your team’s

first contact and you made a single motion to contact the ball.

If you want to know more about the ramifications and applications of this

rule, click here to check out the guide on ball handing.

A Player May Not Cause the Ball to Come to a Rest During Contact

Volleyball can be categorized as a “rebound” sport because the rules

prevent participants from contacting the ball for a prolonged amount of

time. Players are not allowed to carry, palm or throw the ball.

The Net is Off-Limits

No part of a player’s body or uniform is allowed to touch the net, but,

participants are permitted to play the ball out of the net during a volley

and a serve.

Game Play

Like tennis, volleyball matches are broken up into individual sets (also

called games); a team must win a majority of the games in the series in

order to win the match. Most matches are made up of either three or five

games. Before the start of a match, the referee will conduct a captain’s

meeting and a coin toss. The winner of the coin toss has the option of

choosing to serve or to receive the serve. The privilege of the “first serve”

will then alternate between teams in subsequent games.

The first team to 25 points wins the game, but play continues until one

team wins by at least two points. For example, if the score is tied at 24-24

and team “A” scores point 25, the game is not yet done because neither

team has gained a two point advantage.

Court & Equipment

Volleyball is played on a rectangular court measuring 18 x 9 meters. The

court is divided into two equal parts by a center line and a net. The net

resides over the center line and stands at a height of 2.43 m for men and

2.24 m for women.

For more information on court and equipment specifications, click here to

check out the volleyball court dimensions guide on Isport.

Scoring

A point is awarded when play stops at the end of each rally. A team does

not need to be serving to score points. This scoring method is called “the

rally point system.”

Some common scoring tactic include: Setting up hits to aim at the weaker

players on the team; aiming for vacant areas on the court; or spiking the

ball close-in to the opponent''''s side of the net. Any rule infraction will

also results in a point for the other team.

Substitutions

There are a set number of substitutions allotted per game (the specific

amount differs according to league and/or level of play). A player may

substitute into the game only during dead ball situations. To enter the

game, a coach or player must request a substitution from the official,

after which the substitute must enter the substitution zone and wait for

the referee’s approval.

The Skills

There are five fundamental skills in the sport of volleyball: serving,

passing, setting, blocking, and hitting. While it is natural to have a greater

inclination towards certain skills and not others, a player should have a

general grasp of all the basic skills.

Below is a brief description of the skills and the rules that pertain to each.

Serving

The serve initiates play. While there are several different serving

techniques—the underhand serve, float serve, jump serve, and top spin

serve to name a few—the objective is always the same: send the ball over

the net and into the opponent’s court.

To complete a legal serve, and thus begin the rally, the server must

contact the ball behind the end line and between the sidelines. Most

governing bodies restrict the amount of time a server has to hit the ball.

Once the server makes contact, he/she can then continue past the end

line and onto the main court.

The serve may touch the net as long as it passes over to the opponent’s

side. If the server misses the serve and the ball does not go over the net,

a sideout is called and a point is awarded to the other team.

Passing

The pass is a method of receiving an opponent’s serve and/or overhand

attack. There are two popular forms of this skill: the forearm pass and the

overhand pass. Proper technique for the forearm pass requires the passer

to join the forearms together at waist level to form a platform with which

to direct the ball to the desired target. When executing an overhand pass,

the player users the hands to direct the ball.

The rules that most affect this skill are those regarding legal contact of

the ball. Because it is illegal to catch, palm, or throw the ball, the passer

receiving a hard driven ball must be sure to keep contact brief and

precise.

Setting

When setting the ball, the goal is to position the ball in the air so that a

teammate is able to easily complete an overhand attack/hit. The

overhand technique –contacting the ball above the head with two hands

simultaneously—is the most common method of setting. A team generally

executes the set during its second contact.

Blocking

A block is an attempt to halt an opponent’s attack by jumping with the

hands overhead to create a barrier at the net. The most common blocking

violation is touching the net. Good technique can help prevent mishaps,

but sometimes, net violations are inevitable.

Hitting

The attack usually takes place on a team’s third and final contact.

Because an attacker’s goal is to down the ball on the other team’s side of

the court, players often jump when striking the ball to increase the

difficulty of receiving the hit. While any player is allowed to jump and

attack a ball, only front row players may do so in the front row zone (the

area between the center line and the three meter line).

Hitters must also be conscious of the rules regulating prolonged contact

with the ball.

Basic Violations in Volleyball

1. Consecutive Contacts. A player may not hit the ball 2 times consecutively except when blocking, provided the contacts take place simultaneously. However, a player may make consecutive contacts on the teams first team contact, provided the contacts occur during one action.

2. Four Hits. It's a violation for a team to hit the ball 4 times before returning it.

3. Assisted Hit. It's illegal for a player or any object to assist a teammate in playing the ball.

4. Catch. It's illegal to catch or throw the ball. The ball must rebound from the hit.

5. Ball Crossing the Net Outside the Crossing Space. The ball must cross the net within the crossing space. The ball must cross over the net, between the antennaes and their imaginary extension, and without contacting the ceiling.

6. Reaching Over the Net. There are official volleyball rules for playing the ball at the net.

7. Penetration Under the Net. It's permitted for a player to step under the net into the opponents court provided that some part of the penetrating hand or foot is in contact with or is directly above the center line.

8. Contact with the Net. Contact with the net is only a fault if contact is made during the action of playing the ball or if it interferes with play.

9. Foot Fault. At the moment of service contact or take off for a jump serve, the server must not touch the court or the ground outside the service zone. After contact, he/she may step or land outside the service zone or inside the court.

10. Attacking Faults. The following are volleyball violations for attacking... 

o A back row player completes an attack hit from the front zone, if at the moment of contact, the ball is entirely above the top of the net.

o An opponent completes an attack hit on a served ball, when the ball is in the front zone and the ball is entirely above the top of the net.

o The libero completes an attack hit, if at the moment of contact, the ball is entirely above the top of the net.

o A player completes an attack hit from higher than the top of the net when the ball is coming from an overhand finger pass by a libero in the front zone.

11. Blocking within the Opponents Space. A blocker may place his/her hands beyond the net provided this action doesn't interfere

with the opponents play. It's legal to block beyond the net, provided... 

o The ball would have crossed the net if not touched by a player and no member of the attacking team was in position to make a play.

o The ball is falling near the net and no member of the attacking team is in position to make a play.

o Contact with the ball is made after 3 team contacts.

SPORTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BASKETBALL

HISTORY

RULES AND REGULATIONS

COURT DIAGRAM

FAMOUS PLAYERS

VOLLEYBALL

HISTORY

RULES AND REGULATIONS

COURT DIAGRAM

FAMOUS PLAYERS