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Volleyball
WHAT IS VOLLEYBALL?
Volleyball originated in the United States and presently ranks behind only soccer, among participation sports. The sport celebrated its 100th birthday in 1995. Inventor of the game, William G. Morgan decided to blend elements of basketball, baseball, tennis and handball to create a game that demanded less physical contact than basketball. Morgan borrowed the net from tennis, and raised it six feet, six inches, above the ground. In 1900, a special ball was designed for the sport and now in the year 2000, there are 800 million players worldwide that play volleyball at least once a week.
THE PLAYERS:
It is a team sport played by two teams on a playing court divided by a net.
THE RULES:
· The object of the game is for each team to send the ball regularly over the net to ground it on the opponent's court, and to prevent the ball from being grounded on its own court.
· The ball is put into play by the right back-row player, who serves the ball by hitting it over the net to the opponent's court.
· A team is allowed to hit the ball three times, to return it to the opponent's court.
· A player is not allowed to hit the ball twice consecutively, except when attempting a block.
· The rally continues until the ball touches the ground, falls out of the lines, or a team fails to return it to the opponent's court or commits a fault.
· When the receiving team wins a rally, it gains the right to serve and its players rotate one position clockwise. Rotation ensures that players play at both the net and the back zone of the court.
AND THE WINNER IS:
· A team wins a game by scoring 15 points with a two-point advantage and wins the match by winning the best of three or five games.
GLOSSARY OF VOLLEYBALL TERMS
ACE - A serve that results directly in a point.
ATTACK - The offensive action of hitting the ball. The attempt by one team to terminate the play by hitting the ball to the ground on the opponent's side.
ATTACKER - Also referred to as 'hitter' and 'spiker'. It is a player who attempts to hit a ball offensively with the purpose of terminating play in their team's favour.
BLOCK - A defensive play by one or more players meant to intercept a spiked ball.
DECOY - An offensive play meant to disguise the spiker who will receive the set.
DOUBLE BLOCK - Two players working in unison to intercept a ball at the net.
HITTER - Also referred to as 'spiker' or 'attacker'. The player who is responsible for hitting the ball.
SERVE - Skill that is used to put the ball into play. It is the only skill controlled exclusively by one player.
SPIKE - Also hit or attack. A ball contacted with force by a player on the offensive team who intends to terminate the ball on the opponent's ground or off the opponent's blocker.
- Annemarie Failla
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