10 facts about volleyball that explain the game

Volleyball’s scoreboard counts points within a set and sets within a match—not one running match total. That distinction explains how a team can score more points overall and still lose.

These facts cover the standard FIVB indoor and two-player beach formats under the 2025–2028 rules, with NCAA definitions identified for box-score statistics.

1. Volleyball began in 1895 as “Mintonette”

William G. Morgan invented volleyball at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts, as a less intense alternative to basketball for older members. He originally called it “Mintonette.” After a demonstration in 1896, Alfred T. Halstead proposed “Volley Ball,” referring to the ball’s flight. FIVB’s history traces both the invention and the name change.

2. Indoor and beach volleyball have different numbers to remember

Beach volleyball is not simply six-player volleyball moved onto sand. Its court, team size and match format differ.

Feature	Standard indoor	Two-player beach
Players per team on court	6	2
Full playing court	18 × 9 m	16 × 8 m
Sets needed to win	3	2
Non-deciding set target	25 points	21 points
Deciding set target	Fifth set: 15	Third set: 15
Required winning margin	2 points in every set	2 points in every set
Adult net height	Men: 2.43 m; women: 2.24 m	Men: 2.43 m; women: 2.24 m

These are the formats specified in the FIVB indoor rules and beach rules. Youth and modified competitions may use different arrangements.

3. You do not have to serve to score

Both formats use rally scoring: the winner of a completed rally receives a point. If the serving team wins, it keeps serving. If the receiving team wins, it gains a point and serves next. A replayed rally, such as one following a simultaneous double fault, does not award a point. See Rule 6.1 in the indoor rulebook and beach rulebook.

4. “First to 25” does not mean the set stops at 25

An indoor team leading 24–23 wins the set by taking the next point: 25–23. At 24–24, however, 25–24 is not enough. Play continues until one team leads by two, producing scores such as 26–24 or 29–27.

The same principle applies at 20–20 in beach volleyball and 14–14 in either deciding-set format. Neither standard rulebook imposes a point cap. Indoor Rule 6; beach Rule 6.

5. The match winner can score fewer total points

Consider this hypothetical indoor result, with Team A’s score listed first:

25–23, 10–25, 25–23, 25–23

Team A wins 3–1 in sets, despite scoring only 85 points to Team B’s 94. Team B’s large second-set margin does not carry into the next set. The match is decided by sets won, not aggregate rally points, under FIVB Rule 6.3.

For more scoreboard examples, see how volleyball scoring works.

6. A block touch uses a hit in beach—but not indoors

Indoors, a team has up to three hits in addition to blocking. After a block touch, it can still pass, set and attack.

In beach volleyball, the block contact counts as the first team hit, leaving only two more. In both formats, the blocker may play the next ball. This difference is explicit in indoor Rule 14.4 and beach Rule 14.4.

7. Kicking the ball during a rally is legal

The ball may touch any part of the body, including a foot, under Rule 9.2.1 in both the indoor and beach rules. A kick still counts toward the team’s hit limit.

The serve is different: it must be struck with one hand or part of the arm, under Rule 12.4.1 in those same rulebooks. See the distinction in can you kick the ball in volleyball?.

8. A ball touching the boundary line is in

The entire ball does not need to land inside the line. If any part of the ball touches the court—including a boundary line—during contact with the playing surface, it is in. That is Rule 8.3 in the indoor and beach rulebooks.

9. An ace does not have to land untouched

Under the 2026 NCAA statistics manual, a service ace is a serve that directly produces a point. It includes a serve that a receiver touches but the receiving team cannot keep in play.

A difficult serve followed by a playable pass and a later attack error is not an ace merely because the serving team eventually wins. The point must result directly from the serve.

10. Hitting percentage is not the percentage of attacks that score

The NCAA formula is:

Hitting percentage = (kills − attack errors) ÷ total attack attempts

A player with 12 kills, 4 errors and 30 attempts hits .267, rounded to three decimal places: (12 − 4) ÷ 30. Their kill rate is instead 40%: 12 ÷ 30.

The difference matters because hitting percentage subtracts errors, while total attempts also include attacks kept in play. These definitions come from the 2026 NCAA statistics manual. For a fuller worked breakdown, see volleyball hitting percentage.