2. “The only thing that makes a good day better is volleyball.” – Anonymous

3. “The volleyball player is not a soloist, but a member of an orchestra. When that player begins to think, ‘I’m special,’ the player is finished.” – Bernardo Rezende

4. “Volleyball is one of the most interactive games going. It is a game of intuition, imagination, improvisation—but most of all, of reciprocity―of teamwork. There is no way to free-lance volleyball.” – Marv Dunphy

5. “Don’t fire your opponents up. If they’re down, don’t tick them off. Let them stay down.” – Sinjin Smith

6. “The volleyball season is every season.” – Anonymous

7. “All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street folks will say, ‘There goes the greatest hitter that ever lived.’” –

8. “I was too pretty to be a cheerleader so I became a volleyball player.” – Anonymous

9. “My coach tells me to give about 75% to volleyball. If I give 100%, my serve will kill someone, and my coach doesn’t want to deal with the paperwork.” – Anonymous

10. “Volleyball anchored me at a time in my life when I needed it. It gave me a reason for being this big, big girl.” – Gabrielle Reece

11. “A good team can win a volleyball game when they are ahead, but only a great team can win when they are behind.” – Anonymous

12. “Volleyball is the sport through which I am able to express my God-given talents of being an athlete. It is a sport that involves relating, pushing, and your teammates. It has helped evolve me into the person I am today.” – David Beard

13. “Once you get the taste of ruining somebody’s great hit, it stays with you. And it changes the game. A great defensive play is worth about five points in emotion.” – Caren Kemner

14. “It isn’t hard to be good from time to time in sports. What is tough is being good every day.” – Willie Mays

15. “Being a volleyball player is what I was born to do. I loved every day of it. I loved every practice, every weight training, every video meeting, every match! I loved playing in front of people. I loved entertaining them. With all of that go along very high expectations! Some players do not like that. They don’t want the stress and pressure from the club to win. I loved it. I knew that it was not acceptable to lose.” – Lloy Ball

16. “A good setter is like a waiter.” – Julio Velasco

17. “If volleyball was easy it would be called football.” – Anonymous

18. “Volleyball: more than a sport—it’s a way of life.” – Anonymous

19. “If your best player is your hardest worker, you’ve got a chance to be a good team.” – Don Meyer

20. “All the talent in the world won’t take you anywhere without your teammates.” – Anonymous

21. “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” – Vincent T. Lombardi

22. “Volleyball rules are simple. If it is on the floor, pick it up and get it into the air. If it is in the air, keep it off the floor.” – John Kessel 

23. “You thought it was hard receiving my serve—wait until you see me spike it right through your hands!” – Anonymous

24. “Volleyball: invented by men, perfected by women.” – Anonymous

25. “You have to be willing to fail to improve.” – Al Scates

26. “Volleyball is my life, everything else is just details.” – Anonymous

27. “True motivation is not getting people to play to their potential. It’s getting people to play beyond their potential.” – Rick Pitino

28. “You touch every other ball and, if you screw up, you only have one more person to back you up. You can’t go hide in the corner.” – Kerri Walsh Jennings

29. “A hard practice makes an easy game.” – Anonymous

30. “There’s nothing worse than the feeling of wishing you had another chance at a play because you weren’t ready. Every athlete has those feelings to mull over, and over and over. Don’t even expose yourself to the possibility of being caught off-guard.” – Karch Kiraly

31. “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King

32. “I’m stronger than I think I am. Mentally, physically.” – Misty May-Treanor

33. “Anytime you stop striving to get better, you’re bound to get worse.” – Pat Riley

34. “I’ve worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down.” – Mia Hamm

35. “A lot of people told me I would never be a good volleyball player or high jumper because I never specialized. But I always knew that I could, believed I could, so I didn’t listen to what they said. I just followed my heart and did it.” – Tayyiba Haneef

36. “Team guts always beats individual greatness.” – Bob Zuppke

37. “You learn you can do your best even when it’s hard, even when you’re tired and maybe hurting a little bit. It feels good to show some courage.” – Joe Namath

38. “We are all going to fall short. We are going to have some bitter losses, very painful defeats, and failures. We have to use those to come back even stronger. That’s what makes it sweeter when we can overcome those and figure out a way to win. The great teams can do that, and those are the gold medal-winning teams.” – Karch Kiraly

39. “There’s only one way to prepare for playing beach volleyball, and that’s by getting in the sand.” – Kerri Walsh Jennings

40. “Long-term success is a direct result of what you achieve every day. Goals provide your daily routine.” – Rick Pitino

41. “No matter how far life pushes you down, no matter how much you hurt, you can always bounce back.” – Sheryl Swoopes

42. “The best thing any coach at any level can do for their player is hold them accountable.” – Jeff Boals

43. “When I was a young coach I used to say, ‘Treat everybody alike.’ That’s bull. Treat everybody fairly.” – Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant

44. “It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters.” – Evander Holyfield

45. “Think positive, real volleyball happens too fast to think any other way.” – John Kessel

46. “Chemistry is not something that just happens. You have to work at it.” – Bruce Bochy

47. “It takes a lot of hard work and dedication just like any pro sport. Especially for beach volleyball, you don’t have to be tall or as fast as other sports. You just have to have the skills.” – Misty May-Treanor

48. “I love the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie that the indoor game can engender.” – Karch Kiraly

49. “There are five fundamental qualities that make every team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring, and pride.” – Coach K

50. “It should always be about team. You can’t play everybody. But if you’re not playing, you’ve still got to be a good teammate.” – Mike Woodson

51. “One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

52. “Chemistry is as important as talent, you constantly have to work at it.” – Lionel Hollins

53. “Be a leader. A setter should be high energy. It’s important that you learn how to give positive, constructive criticism. It’s crucial that you make your teammates feel comfortable. You should never be the most silent player in the gym.” – Lindsey Berg

54. “They call it coaching but it is teaching. You do not just tell them—you show them the reasons.” – Vince Lombardi

55. “My responsibility is , and the minute I get negative, that is going to have an influence on my team.” – Don Shula

56. “If you yell at a kid and he gets mad at you, you’ve lost him. If you yell at a kid and he gets mad at himself, then you have something.” – Pete Carroll

57. “Having the capacity to lead is not enough. The leader must be willing to use it.” – Vince Lombardi

58. “If you don’t get to know them, you will have no idea what scares them, what inspires them, what motivates them.” – Bo Schembechler

59. “Coaching is by far the best profession you could ever be in—you have the chance to be significant.” – Lou Holtz

60. “You don’t coach to win necessarily. You’d like to win, but you need to see most of your players, especially the ones competing for starting positions. This is the start of evaluation for next fall. We’ll establish a depth chart starting now.” – Dave Shoji

61. “Your influence as a coach expands when you connect with your players and shrinks when you isolate yourself from them.” – Gary Curneen

62. “When coaches can make it about the team and have a personal relationship with players, it goes a long way to building chemistry.” – David Lee

63. “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” – Bo Jackson

64. “Successful teams don’t allow passengers—those who have mentally quit, but failed to physically leave. Players either contribute or go.” – Anonymous

65. “Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.” – William A. Ward

66. “If you don’t do what’s best for your body, you’re the one who comes up on the short end.” – Julius Erving

67. “Everyone talks about age, but it’s not about age. It’s about . Winning never gets old.” – Lisa Leslie

68. “The indoor game is much more of a team game, having to work effectively with a group of 15 to 20 people, striving to improve every day, every drill, even every contact. The beach game is much more of an individual game within a team sport, much less about organized practices with coaches and much more about just playing the game.” – Karch Kiraly

69. “The best and fastest way to learn a sport is to watch and imitate a champion.” – Jean-Claude Killy

70. “Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.” – John Wooden

71. “We play at the world’s most beautiful beaches but in the world’s most challenging conditions. It is not like you to play one match, and you go back to air conditioning. We do it all day long.” – Karch Kiraly

72. “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi

73. “To be true to one’s self is the ultimate test in life. To have the courage and sensitivity to follow your hidden dreams and stand tall against the odds that are bound to fall in your path. Life is too short and precious to be dealt with in any other fashion.” – Flo Hyman

74. “I believe that good things come to those who work.” – Wilt Chamberlain

75. “Being able to hold my own against the best in the world, on the beach or indoors, is something I’m very proud of.” – Wilt Chamberlain

76. “I celebrate a victory when I start walking off the field. By the time I get to the locker room, I’m done.” – Tom Osborne

77. “Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don’t settle for them.” – Mia Hamm

78. “You didn’t lose. You just ran out of time.” – Anonymous

79. “Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way.” –

80. “I learned this about coaching. You don’t have to explain victory and you can’t explain defeat.” – Darrell Royal

81. “I never did. I only prepared to win the next day.” – Karch Kiraly

82. “If you don’t succeed it doesn’t mean you are a failure. If you do succeed it doesn’t mean that you are king of the world.” – David Beard

83. “I don’t really keep track of numbers. We don’t even think about that stuff. That’s not why we play. We play because we love it.” – Misty May-Treanor

84. “Pass the expectations, set the standards, and kill the competition.” – Anonymous

85. “The best passing drill is pass-set-hit. The best setting drill is pass-set-hit. And, the best hitting drill is pass-set-hit. Anything less than a game situation, unless very well planned, has the possibility of introducing artificial situations, and complete transfer to the game might not occur when drills are constructed in this manner.” – Marv Dunphy

86. “When the ball is in play, there’s always a better place to be than where you are.” – Anonymous

87. “The beach game taught me great lessons about how to elevate the play of my teammate or teammates and how to anticipate and expect the ball so much more than the indoor game ever could.” – Karch Kiraly

88. “What all good spikers know: thank your setters!” – Anonymous

89. “Life is better when I’m digging and passing.” – Anonymous

90. “A team is where a boy can prove his courage on his own. A gang is where a coward goes to hide.” –

91. “No volleyball play can begin without a serve, and the serve is the only technique that is totally under your control. In other endeavors, you cannot succeed without believing in yourself, and that belief is completely under your control.” – Karch Kiraly

92. “Breathe, believe, and battle. My former coach, Troy Tanner, told us that before each match. Breathe—be in the moment. Believe—have faith that you can rise above it. Battle—you gotta be prepared to go for as long as it takes.” – Kerri Walsh

93. “Physically, I’m not as strong as I was, but I try to make up for it mentally. It’s a big challenge, and I relish it, competing with guys half my age.” – Karch Kiraly

94. “You know you’re a setter when no one understands how difficult your job is.” – Anonymous

95. “I still get excited just attending a final four because the process is so long, so arduous, so challenging that when it finally arrives, the adrenaline can’t help but take over.” – Karch Kiral

96. “Don’t ever let the ball hit the ground without a body hitting the ground with it.” – Anonymous

97. “Anyone can support a team that is winning—it takes no courage. But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you, that takes a lot of courage.” – Bart Starr

98. “You know you’re a setter when your wrists turn red from bumping so much.” – Anonymous

99. “We don’t have a World Series or a Super Bowl, so to be able to come home with a gold medal is amazing. I want to do it again in four more years.” – Kerri Walsh

100. “Anyone serious about playing indoors, you should play outdoors.” – Sean Scott

101. “Volleyball has allowed me to travel throughout the world, to see so many interesting places, to meet so many interesting people including my husband and three presidents.” – Debbie Green

102. “I grew up on the beach and played side-out scoring all my life, but rally scoring is better for our sport. There is pressure on every play. You can’t make a mistake, but that also means your opponent can’t make a mistake. It makes the matches more exciting to watch.” – Holly McPeak

103. “Most people put a hat and glasses on to go incognito. I take them off.” – Karch Kiraly

104. “My body is a vehicle for the mechanics of my sport.” – Gabrielle Reece

105. “I started playing volleyball very late in my athletic career, around the age of 33 or 34, but I became quite proficient.” – Wilt Chamberlain

106. “It taught me—even forced me—to be a much better all-around player. That allowed me to help our USA Olympic Team in many more ways than I ever could have otherwise.” – Karch Kiraly

107. “It’s the best. And the job site isn’t too bad, either.” – Karch Kiraly

108. “Why did the setter cross the road? To get to the shanked ball.” – Anonymous

109. “Volleyball was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.” – Liam Hemsworth

110. “Players and coaches just have to do their jobs, and collectively we have to do ours a little better than them.” –

111. “Volleyball takes more than just believing.” – Anonymous

112. “My boyfriend told me I had to choose between him and volleyball. Big mistake. I’m really gonna miss him!” – Anonymous

113. “We’re not waiters, but boy we can serve.” – Anonymous

114. “You know you’re a volleyball player when—you get really upset when someone kicks a volleyball.” – Anonymous

115. “Volleyball is just a more intense version of ‘don’t let the balloon touch the floor.’” – Anonymous

116. “Title match game. Final Set. Down by two. Dig deep.” – Anonymous

117. “Your called and said you left your game at home.” – Anonymous

118. “Do you want a manicure with that facial?” – Anonymous

119. “If you wanted a soft serve, you should’ve gone to Dairy Queen.” – Anonymous

120. “Our game is tighter than our spandex.” – Anonymous

121. “If you’re dating a volleyball player, raise your glass. If you’re not, raise your standards.” – Anonymous

122. “The setter, a hard-working, talented volleyball player who receives no glory!” – Anonymous

123. “It’s hard to give a career like this up when I tell my wife I’m going to the office, and it’s the beach.” – Karch Kiraly

124. “Volleyball; it’s in your heart or it’s in your face.” – Anonymous

125. “Sorry princess, not even Cinderella could get to this ball.” – Anonymous

126. “You can hit on us—but you can’t score.” – Anonymous

127. “You know an ace more than a card.” – Anonymous

128. “Practice like a champion.” – Anonymous

129. “Love me. I’m a setter.” – Anonymous

130. “Meet me at the net.” – Anonymous

131. “I play volleyball; what’s your superpower?” – Anonymous

132. “Stay calm and aggressive.” – Anonymous

133. “My setter is better.” – Anonymous

134. “If you sacrifice early, you’ll win late.” – Charles Haley

135. “You got served.” – Anonymous

136. “Bump, set, spike it. That’s the way we like it!” – Anonymous

137. “Kiss my ace!” – Anonymous

138. “Volleyball: can you dig it?” – Anonymous

139. “Libero: the unspoken hero on the team.” – Anonymous

140. “Sore or sorry? You pick.” – Anonymous

141. “The will to win is more important than the skill to win. It is possible to achieve only what you actively pursue. Cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. Keep your head high and work hard every day, because you’ll never get that day back.” – Lloy Ball

142. “It’s important to just kind of get away from your sport until you miss it. It’s about taking time to enjoy other aspects of life or learn new things. It helps rejuvenate.” – Misty May-Treanor

143. “Effective blockers are unquestionably the keystone of a successful defense.” – Don Shondell

144. “You’re either getting better or getting worse. I don’t think you stay the same in sports. If we want to achieve something special in the game, then those players have to recognize that they’re responsible every day for getting better.” – Russ Rose

145. “Be bold. If you are going to make an error, make a doozy, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.” – Billie Jean King

146. “I have had to change the game to one that is a match of wits rather than brawn to give myself a fighting chance.” – Todd Rogers

147. “The key is not the will to win—everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” – Bobby Knight

148. “Good players rarely look like the game is stressful for them, and they never seem rushed because they adjust their position all the time based on what’s happening. They’re always compensating for the movement of their teammates and the movement on the other side of the court, whether it’s blocking or backcourt.” – Doug Beal

149. “Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back—play for her.” – Mia Hamm

150. “It’s sort of like, our bodies are designed to keep moving, and when we don’t move it, we’re not going to feel great.” – Gabrielle Reece

151. “I have the philosophy that the team is going to win or lose the match. I tend to be more demanding in practice where the work gets done. During the matches, I like to help the team use what they have been trained to use.” – Mark Pavlik

152. “The best thing we can do is take care of the things we have control of and not be concerned with things we can’t. We can control our standard of training, preparation, and commitment to executing our system at a high level each time we take the floor.” – Alan Knipe

153. “Everybody likes the guy who works hard. Nobody likes the guy who tells you how hard he works.” – Lloy Ball

154. “I never went to a prom or to movies like other high school girls did. My entire life was volleyball. I’d play six days a week, with Monday the only day I’d take off.” – Debbie Green

155. “From the beginning, my philosophy has been to stake my course, show results, and force others to copy me.” – Arie Selinger

156. “A coach should take the athletes to their limits, should go beyond the comfort zone If you are concerned about being friends with the players, you are not going anywhere.” – Doug Beal

157. “I’m not the most physical person, not the tallest, not the skinniest. You can’t listen to anybody. Just know your dreams. Know how hard you can work. Work hard, have fun doing it, and you can really make it places that you really never thought you would. Dedication, passion, and heart gets you where you want to be.” – Lindsey Berg

158. “Coaches must be critical thinkers, not protectors of the status quo.” – Mike Herbert

159. “It’s not how tall you are, it is how good you are.” – Marv Dunphy

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