A brief history of indoor volleyball William G. Morgan, a YMCA
instructor, started volleyball in 1895. He wanted to create an
activity that was less rough than the then new game of
basketball, yet still retained athletic features for the health
of his older members. It was known then as Mintonette, and took
some of its rules from games such as tennis and handball. The
original rules were significantly different from the game we
know today, such as no restrictions on the number of times a
ball can be contacted before sending back over the volleyball
net, and ladies were allowed to catch the volleyball before
sending back into play. After its first exhibition match in
1896, it became known as volley ball. It spread quickly
throughout other YMCA locations around the country. It later
became referred to as Volleyball (one word spelling). Through
the years rules have been refined and between 1949 and 1952,
World Championship matches were held for both men's and women's
leagues. Volleyball was added to the Olympic