---
id:"kb-2026-00451"
title:"Volleyball Fundamentals"
schema_type:"TechArticle"
category:"sports"
language:"en"
confidence:"high"
last_verified:"2026-05-22"
generation_method:"ai_assisted"
ai_models:["claude-opus"]
derived_from_human_seed:true
primary_sources:
  - title:"Volleyball Skills & Drills (AVCA)"
    type:"book"
    year:2005
    url:"https://www.humankinetics.com/products/volleyball-skills-drills"
    institution:"Human Kinetics"
secondary_sources:
  - title: "MDN Web Docs — HTTP"
    type: "documentation"
    year: 2026
    url: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP"
    institution: "Mozilla"
completeness: 0.88
ai_citations:
  last_citation_check:"2026-05-22"
---

## TL;DR

Volleyball is played 6v6 across a net, with teams allowed 3 touches per side (bump-set-spike). Key skills: serve, pass (bump), set (overhead finger pass), attack (spike), block, dig (defense). Beach volleyball: 2v2, same skills, different strategy. Invented by William G. Morgan (1895, Holyoke, MA).

## Core Explanation

Scoring: rally scoring to 25 (win by 2), best of 5 sets (5th set to 15). Positions: setter (orchestrates offense), outside hitter, middle blocker, opposite, libero (defensive specialist, different jersey, can't attack). Rotation: players rotate clockwise after winning serve. Jump serve: added power and unpredictability.

## Further Reading

- [Volleyball Skills & Drills (AVCA)](https://www.humankinetics.com/products/volleyball-skills-drills)