Power ranking every single sport at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics
By Nick Villano
15. Volleyball (Indoor)
Volleyball is such a wonderful sport. The best part about the sport is the saves. Truly, thinking a point is impossible to stop but seeing someone in desperation mode save their team with a dig is one of the best parts of sports. It’s this heart-stopping moment when you can’t help but cheer, whether you’re in a crowd of people or sitting on your couch alone. Volleyball has that effect on people.
This version of volleyball has a best-of-five format with six players on each side. It’s sometimes referred to as “indoor volleyball,” as the more popular beach volleyball often grabs more eyes. Still the points system, which is similar to tennis in that a winner has to win by two points, can cause some incredibly tense matchups.
It’s deceptive, but the ball is rocketing from one side of the court to the other. Sometimes it can hit 80 miles per hour off a serve. The volleys feel just as fast. There are so many different moves to keep the game alive, and the blocks at the net can shut things down in an instant. The passion after every point is evident, and it proves that this isn’t simple.
Volleyball is this very even combination of speed and strength. Players have to be able to stretch to the ground in an instant, but at the same time they need the forearm strength to get a ball up an over the net from near the ground. They have to do that with consistency, too. Those at the net also need a good vertical leap, and the servers need an incredible range of motion. There aren’t many sports hitting all the notes like volleyball.