The game of volleyball was originally created for men, but womens volleyball quickly became popular also. The games were very similar, but the women’s volleyball games were shorter and much slower than the mens volleyball games– mainly because their playing style differed and during those times women still wore dresses, so they did not dive for the ball.

Women’s volleyball was viewed as a game to help girls improve their posture, many people did not expect women to play the game competitively or aggressively. Most of the physical education teachers and experts did not consider athletics for females, they did not think that women should engage in those types of activities. Competitive womens volleyball did not begin until after the first national volleyball championships were held in 1922.

The first womens volleyball teams were organized in 1923, and in 1924 the first rules for women’s volleyball were published. Another set of rules was published for womens volleyball in 1926 by the National Section on Women’s Athletics (NSWA). Those rules set the womens volleyball court size at 30 by 60 feet and limited ball contacts to no more than 3 per side. Additionally, the players could only touch the ball when it was above waist level.

Volleyball became more and more popular among the women through the years. More women and girls wanted to play the sport, so different organizations set up teams and competitions. In the 1930’s the NSWA changed it’s name to the National Section for Girls’ and Women’s Sports and they published rule books for high school volleyball and college volleyball. The sport was rapidly growing, and many high schools and colleges offered volleyball for both men and women.

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