Volleyball is a well-known sport that is fun for athletes of all ages to play – it can even be played year-round!
Here’s some quick fun facts about the game that you may not have heard before:
- It was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan – he created it to be a combination of tennis, handball, basketball and baseball.
- Volleyball was originally named “Mintonette.”
- Volleyball was introduced as a competing sport at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
- The first professional beach volleyball tournament took place at Will Rogers State Beach in the summer of 1976.
There’s plenty more to know and learn, but we’ll let the pros do the teaching! Keep reading for a personal introduction from Coach Megan!
Hi! Coach Megan here – you’ve probably seen me teaching volleyball for Hiveclass, as well as sharing tips, tricks and more on Instagram. I love sharing my passion for volleyball with everyone – I’ve been playing for as long as I can remember. In fact, my parents met playing beach volleyball, so I’ve always been exposed to and been around the sport. I joined my first competitive team when I was ten years old and transitioned to beach volleyball when I turned 13.
I tried out beach volleyball when I didn’t make an indoor team that I was aiming for, but beach volleyball very quickly became my passion and priority. I hardly ever missed a practice, and my parents would drive me two hours every weekend to play in tournaments.
Contrary to popular belief, beach volleyball is not just a summer sport, we train and play all year round. Even in the winter, as warm as a California winter may be to some, I would spend whole days out on the beach practicing in lots of layers until we ran out of sunlight. Why did I work this hard? Because I loved it! And because I had a goal to play in college – beach volleyball became a NCAA sport in 2016, and it has been growing rapidly ever since. With commitment and a lot of hard work, I accomplished my goal and embarked on my collegiate career at UCLA in 2017. My team was largely successful – we won two national championships and two conference championships during my four years, and of course the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID. Even though the season was cancelled, I was given a year of eligibility back, so I am currently playing in my 5th “COVID” year as a graduate student at TCU.
Looking back, I’m beyond grateful for my experience with beach volleyball – the places it’s taken me, the incredible opportunities it allowed me to be a part of, the priceless lessons I have learned and the friendships I’ve gained. I can’t wait to share my love of the game with you all!