"Volleyball is an American adaptation of an Italian game that originated in the Romantic countries back in the Middle Ages. From Italy, the sport was introduced in 1893 to Germany where it was known as faustball, and two years later an American, William G. Morgan, then physical director of the Holyoke, Massachusetts, Y.M.C.A., grafted some well-thought-out variations of his own onto the basic essentials of the German game and called his game "mintonette." Morgan's chief innovation, and it is an important one, was the idea that the ball should be volleyed in the air and never be permitted to touch the floor. This seems to have been an entirely new feature, since in fastball two bounces of the ball were permitted. Also, Morgan's introduction of a net was new, since in the older game the ball was played over a rope."