Volleyball is one of the most popular girls' sports, middle school and strong high school as well as club programs are found throughout the Birmingham City School District. Volleyball is the third highest sport for female participation behind basketball and outdoor track and field. Volleyball is growing in its populartiy in the Birmingham City School District. I am proud to say we have one of the most active and successful programs in the Birmingham City School District.

History

The game of volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a teacher at a YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He combined parts of tennis baseball, basketball and handball to create a new game to be played indoors by people who wanted less physical contact than basketball. Morgan borrowed the net from tennis and raised it six feet, six inches above the floor, a little higher than an average man's head.

Rules

When volleyball was first invented it was much different from the game today. You could have as many players as you wanted on each team. There were nine innings per game, with three outs per inning. There was also no limit on  the number of hits of the ball on each side of the court. Here are the basic rules of volleyball today.

• Volleyball is played by two teams of six players on a court divided by a net.

• The object of the game is to send the ball over the net so that the opposing team cannot return the ball or prevent it from hitting the ground in their court.

• Each team has three hits to attempt to return the ball.

• The ball is put in play by a serve that is hit by the server over the net to the opponent.

• When the receiving team wins a volley, it gains the right to serve, and the players rotate one position clockwise.

• When the serving team wins a volley, it wins a point and the right to continue serving.

• The ball must clear the net on a serve.

• A game is played to 21 points or some other agreed upon number. The team that wins the best two out of three games wins the match.

Terms and Lingo

• Ace - When the ball is served to the other team and no one touches it.

• Sideout - When the team that served the ball makes a mistake, causing the ball to go to the other team.

• Roof - When a player jumps above the height of the net and blocks the ball.

• Dig - When a player makes a save from a very difficult spike.

• Kill - When a team spikes the ball and it ends in either a point or a sideout.