What Is Volleyball? A Beginner’s Guide

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players, separated by a net, try to ground the ball on the other side’s court while keeping it off their own. Each team gets up to three touches to send the ball back over, and every rally wins someone a point.

That simple idea has made volleyball one of the world’s biggest sports and, in the Philippines, one of the most watched. This guide explains how a match works, where the game came from, the different formats, and where Filipino fans can follow it.

How a volleyball match works

Every rally starts with a serve from behind the end line. The receiving team usually passes, sets and attacks with its three touches, while the other side tries to block or dig the ball.

Under FIVB rules, a point is scored on every rally. Sets are played to 25, and a team must win by two. The first team to win three sets takes the match, and if it reaches 2-2, a deciding fifth set is played to 15.

Our full guide to volleyball rules covers serving, faults and rotation in detail.

A short history of volleyball

Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a physical education director at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He wanted a less intense alternative to basketball for older members and first called the game “Mintonette.” After a demonstration in 1896, it was renamed “Volley Ball” (FIVB).

The Philippines was part of the story early. The YMCA’s Elwood S. Brown introduced the game here in 1910, and volleyball was on the programme of the first Far Eastern Games, held in Manila in 1913. For years, Asian volleyball was played under Brown’s rules, which used 16 players a side (FIVB).

The modern game took shape in the decades that followed. Teams were limited to six players in 1918, and the three-touch limit came in 1922. Indoor volleyball made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 1964 (Olympics.com), and beach volleyball joined at Atlanta 1996 (FIVB).

Types of volleyball

Volleyball is played in three main formats, all of which are on the Olympic or Paralympic programme (Olympics.com).

Indoor volleyball is the format most Filipino fans follow week to week, and it is what this guide covers.

The court and equipment

An indoor court measures 18 by 9 metres, split by the net into two 9-by-9-metre halves. An attack line 3 metres from the net marks each team’s front zone (FIVB rule 1).

• Net height: 2.43 m for men and 2.24 m for women.
• Ball: 65 to 67 cm around and 260 to 280 g.
• Antennae: two flexible rods on the net mark the sides of the space the ball must cross.

Volleyball in the Philippines

More than a century after it arrived in 1910, volleyball is one of the country’s most followed sports, especially the women’s game.

• Premier Volleyball League (PVL): the professional women’s league, with nine teams in the 2026–27 All-Filipino Conference. Matches fill venues such as Smart Araneta Coliseum and SM Mall of Asia Arena (Wikipedia). Track the table in our PVL standings.
• Spikers’ Turf: the men’s league. For 2026–27, its matches are scheduled between PVL games on the same match days.
• UAAP and NCAA: the collegiate leagues where many PVL stars first built their fan bases.
• Alas Pilipinas: the national teams that represent the Philippines internationally, including at the SEA Games.

Part of the appeal is the fan culture. Rivalries carry over from college to the pros, and players often bring loyal followings with them.

Frequently asked questions

Is volleyball hard to learn? The basics are easy to pick up: you can play a casual game after learning to serve and pass. Setting and spiking take longer to master. Our guide on how to play volleyball walks through each skill.

How long is a volleyball match? There is no game clock, so length depends on the number of sets and rallies. A three-set match is much shorter than one that goes to five.

What is the difference between volleyball and beach volleyball? Indoor volleyball uses six players a side on a hard court. Beach volleyball uses two players a side on sand, so each player has to pass, set and attack.

How many players are on a volleyball team? Six are on court at a time. Under FIVB rules, a team can list up to 12 players for a match, or up to 14 in top international senior competitions.

Where to go next

• Learn who does what in volleyball positions explained.
• Get the full rulebook basics in volleyball rules.
• Pick up a ball with how to play volleyball.
• Follow the pros in the latest PVL standings.