The History of Soccer Volley

Who could have imagined, back in the late 1990s, when two young, enterprising, and creative college kids came together and laid down the foundation for a simple game, that the sport that they spawned would have gone global in just one decade's time? Jason Quillen, originally of Southgate, Michigan, and Ryan Cole, originally of Jackson, Michigan, met at Spring Arbor University, in South-Central Michigan. It was there that they, partly out of boredom and the willingness to try something new, that they decided to come up with a new game, involving a tennis court, and a volleyball. Through time, they developed and enhanced their game, forming rules and establishing game play. Gradually, they were able to convince their friends to take up the new game, which combined elements of soccer, tennis, and volleyball, and which consisted of equal parts of skill and fitness. Over time, they formed leagues and tournaments, and the sport grew virally. Kids who were out playing tennis saw this strange game being played on the courts next to them, and the next thing you knew, those kids were out there playing soccer volley with their friends, and so on, and so on.
Along the way, principal players developed their signature moves, and an entire jargon sprung up surrounding the sport. A "Pete Tong" occurred when a player would completely shank a kick, and hit the ball way too hard and far. It was named after the British DJ, Pete Tong, because he only plays the "massive hits." The "Husband and Wife" took place when a playable ball would fall in between the two teammate, during doubles play. It was cynically called a "Husband and Wife" because there was "no communication" between the teammates. An Ace on serve came to be known as a "Patrick Swayze" because the ball seemingly came to float in like a "Ghost", as if nobody could see it. One of the major innovations during those early days was instrumented by Jason Quillen, who would approach the net and lightly flick the ball over with his toes. This move came to be known as "the Massagio", because a tender touch was required. One of the other major innovations in those early years came from the sport's first true superstar, Alex Teal. He developed a highly effective sort of hop-kick serve, which came to be known as "the Leprechaun". This type of serve is highly effective, but extremely difficult to master. Other moves came to be mastered by certain players. The "shoulder slam" was one of James Walsh's most effective moves, while the "shoulder flick" was devised by Miriam Quillen, one of the sport's first female players. Female players obviously had a physical disadvantage as they could not easily perform a chest trap, so the "shoulder flick" quickly became a staple move among them. It proved to be so successful that even male players needed to master the move in order to reach their full potential.
Somehow over the years, the sport made its way across the world's borders. Nobody really definitively how it made its way to Brazil, but many people argue that the sport made its southern migration during John Paul Anderson's time spent in Central America. He lived next to the goalkeeper of the Costa Rican national team, and it is speculated that some information changed hands. South America has taken the sport, which is called "futvollei" there, to new levels, just like Indians and Pakistanis learned the sport of cricket from the British, and have come to dominate the sport. In 2007, the World Cup of FootVolley took place in Valencia, Spain. Check out the video of Spain vs. Brazil. It is the best massagio I have ever seen. The South American and European rules have clearly evolved slightly differently, but the essential elements are there for sure. One thing the North American version might have to consider implementing are the dancing bikini cheerleaders, and the umbrella rest areas for the players. But no matter how you slice it, this little game has come a long way.