Volleyball is an Olympic sport in which two teams separated by a high net use their hands, arms, or (rarely) other parts of their bodies to hit a ball back and forth over the net. Each team is allowed three hits to get the ball over the net to the other team. A point is scored if the ball hits the ground in the opponents' court, if the opponents commit a fault, or if they fail to return the ball properly. Volleyball can be a very active sport that can be an excellent source for aerobic exercise. It also helps players improve their hand-eye coordination and the ability to override the instinctive desire to dodge a fast-moving object such as a ball.

History of the game

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On February 9, 1895, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, William G. Morgan, a YMCA physical education director, created a new game called Mintonette as a pastime to be played preferably indoors and by any number of players. The game took some of its characteristics from tennis and handball. Another indoor sport, basketball, was catching on in the area, having been invented just ten miles (sixteen kilometres) away in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts only four years before. Mintonette (as volleyball was then known) was designed to be an indoor sport less rough than basketball for older members of the YMCA, while still requiring a bit of athletic effort.

The first rules, written down by William G. Morgan, called for a net 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 metres) high; a 25 × 50 foot (7.6 × 15.2 metre) court; any number of players. A match was composed of 9 innings with 3 serves for each team in each inning; and no limit to the number of ball contacts for each team before sending the ball to the opponents’ court. In case of a serving error, a second try was allowed while a ball hitting the net was to be considered a foul (with loss of the point or a side-out) — except in the case of the first-try serve. To protect the fingers of the ladies, they were allowed to catch the ball and then throw it back into play.

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AAU Graduate Intern Wins McLendon Scholarship
AAU John Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:25:52 -0000
Jerryl Randolph, Amateur Athletic Union Graduate Intern, has been named a recipient of the prestigious John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship. Randolph interned during the summers for the past two years at the AAU National Office in Orlando, FL.  Interesting in learning more about internships with the AAU? Click here. In 2009, he served as the [...]
Michigan Volleyball tops the list of AAU programs
AAU Debby Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:53:27 -0000
  The Michigan AAU Volleyball program has been providing opportunities for youth volleyball participants in the AAU for many years.  Michigan has been the largest District for AAU Volleyball for over a decade.  With over 9,500 participants in 2009, Michigan Volleyball is now the second largest AAU District sport program in the country for all of [...]
Schedule Announced for the AAU Girls’ and Boys’ Junior National Volleyball Championships
AAU Debby Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:23:53 -0000
  The 2010 AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships for both Girls’ and Boys’ will take place in the Orlando, Florida area during June 2010.   The 37th AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championships will be held at the Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex and the Orange County Convention Center.  Over 630 teams participated in 2009, making it [...]
AAU Tournament Directors Meeting at the AVCA Convention
AAU Debby Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:55:17 -0000
  The AAU is pleased to announce the dates and times of the 2009 AAU Beach Volleyball Tournament Directors and Club Coaches Meetings which will be held at the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Convention in Tampa, Florida this December. Friday, December 18, 2009 at the Tampa Convention Center 8:30am–10:30am: AAU Beach Volleyball Tournament Directors Meeting 12:00pm–1:30pm: AAU Beach [...]
2010 AAU Volleyball Classic at Disney’s Wide World of Sports
AAU Debby Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:29:17 -0000
The 2010 AAU Volleyball Classic will be held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports near Orlando, Florida on January 30-31, 2010. Competition will be held in the Milk House and the new Josten’s Center at the Disney Complex. The entry fee is only $300 per team and the tournament is open to any [...]
New Southern Pacific AAU Beach Volleyball Fall Series
AAU Debby Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:40:35 -0000
The Southern Pacific AAU Beach Volleyball Fall Program is a series of tournaments open to clubs/schools and teams. Clubs and schools from Southern California can be represented by entering three doubles teams and competing against other clubs/schools. Early entry fees are $120 for three doubles teams. Doubles teams that are not part of a club [...]

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