Two main types of volleyball are played up to the Olympic level. There are traditional volleyball and beach volleyball.
Traditional volleyball is played on an 18 x 9-meter rectangular court, separated into halves by a net, which is stretched across the center of the court. The game is played between two opposing teams of six players each. The volleyball is made from leather or synthetic leather.
Beach volleyball is played on a 16 x 8 meter leveled sand court, also separated into halves by a net stretched across the center of the court. The game is played between two opposing teams of two players each. The volleyball is made from leather or synthetic leather, as with traditional volleyball.
Volleyball games are not clock-watcher games, so it isn’t easy to know how long each game will take. It depends on each team’s skill level, how equally matched the teams are, and how many sets they play.
Volleyball games are not time-based games; they are measured in sets. A certain score has to be reached before a set is complete; the score differs according to volleyball type and skill level. However, on average, Olympic, college, and high school traditional volleyball games take a total of 90-100 minutes, and youth traditional volleyball games take an average of 30-60 minutes. Olympic, college, and high school beach volleyball games take an average of 30-60 minutes from warm-up to finish.
| Skill Level | Sets | Average Time |
| Olympic | 3-5 in traditional 2-3 in beach | 90-100 minutes for traditional 30-60 minutes for beach |
| College | 3-5 in traditional 2-3 in beach | 90-100 minutes for traditional 30-60 minutes for beach |
| High School | 3-5 in traditional 2-3 in beach | 90-100 minutes for traditional 30-60 minutes for beach |
| Youth | 2-3 in traditional | 45-60 minutes for traditional |
Even though volleyball games are more appropriately measured in sets, there are some average time guidelines.
Volleyball Game Overview
- Matches: A match describes the full game. In traditional volleyball, a match consists of 3-5 sets. To win the whole match, a team must win three of the sets.
In beach volleyball, a match consists of 2-3 sets. To win the whole match, a team must win two of the sets.
- Sets: In traditional volleyball, a set is the time it takes for one of the teams to score 25 points with a 2-point lead.
In beach volleyball, a set is the time it takes for one of the teams to score 21 points with a 2-point lead.
- Intervals: Intervals are brief rests between sets. In traditional volleyball, the intervals are 3 minutes long, although game officials can extend the interval between the second and third set to 10 minutes.
In beach volleyball, all intervals are 1 minute long.
- Halftime: In traditional volleyball, the extended interval between sets two and three can sometimes be called halftime. There is no extended interval or halftime in beach volleyball.
- Timeouts: In both traditional volleyball and beach volleyball, each team can call a maximum of two timeouts during each set. The timeouts last 30 seconds and do not include substitutions.
- Overtime: There is no official overtime in volleyball because you measure the games by sets, not times. However, when a set score is 25-24 or 21-20 (or 15-14 during the tiebreaker set), the additional time it takes for one of the teams to reach a 2-point lead can be considered overtime.
How Long Olympic Volleyball Games Take
Traditional volleyball was first introduced to the Olympics in 1964, and beach volleyball was first introduced in 1996.
Olympic traditional volleyball has an average match time of 90-100 minutes.
| Warm-up time | 6-10 minutes | |
| Number of sets | 3-5 | |
| Average set time | 25-30 minutes | |
| Intervals | 3 minutes between each set | *Some games extend the interval between the second and third set to 10 minutes |
| Timeouts | 2 x 30-second timeouts per team per set | |
| Substitutions | 6 per team per set | Substitutions are usually fluid and don’t take up much time. |
| Olympic beach volleyball has an average match time of 30-60 minutes. | ||
| Warm-up time | 3-5 minutes | |
| Number of sets | 2-3 | |
| Average set time | 15-18 minutes | |
| Intervals | 3 minutes between each set | |
| Timeouts | 1 x 30-second timeout per team per set | |
| Substitutions | there are no substitutions in beach volleyball |
How Long College Volleyball Games Take
How Long High School Volleyball Games Take
| High school traditional volleyball has an average match time of 90-100 minutes. | ||
| Warm-up time | 6-10 minutes | |
| Number of sets | 3-5 | |
| Average set time | 25-30 minutes | |
| Intervals | 3 minutes between each set | *Some games extend the interval between the second and third set to 10 minutes |
| Timeouts | 2 x 30-second timeouts per team per set | |
| Substitutions | 6 per team per set | Substitutions are usually fluid and don’t take up much time. |
| High school beach volleyball has an average match time of 30-60 minutes. | ||
| Warm-up time | 3-5 minutes | |
| Number of sets | 2-3 | |
| Average set time | 15-18 minutes | |
| Intervals | 3 minutes between each set | |
| Timeouts | 1 x 30-second timeout per team per set | |
| Substitutions | there are no substitutions in beach volleyball |
How Long Youth Volleyball Games Take
Traditional volleyball youth games play for best two of three sets and can take an average of 46-60 minutes to play the full match.
Beach volleyball is not a widely played youth sport, so there are no statistics available for these games’ average times.
How Many Sets Are in Volleyball?
In Olympic, college, and high school traditional volleyball, there are 3-5 sets. In youth traditional volleyball, there are 2-3 sets. Traditional volleyball sets are won by the first team to get 25 points. If the score is 25-24, the teams play until a 2-point lead is established. If the teams each win two sets, they play a fifth set, which is won by the team who first obtains 15 points with a 2-point lead.
In Olympic, college, and high school beach volleyball, there are 2-3 sets. The first team to get 21 points will win the set. If the score is 21-20, the teams play until a 2-point lead is established. If the teams each win a set, they play a third set, which is won by the first team to get to 15 points with a 2-point lead.
What Was the Longest Volleyball Game?
The longest traditional volleyball game was a marathon of multiple consecutive matches. The marathon was played by members of the SVU Volleybal (Netherlands). The marathon took place in early January of 2017 and lasted 101 hours.
The longest beach volleyball game was also a marathon of multiple consecutive matches. The marathon was played by Mateusz Baca, Sebastian Lüdke, Tomasz Olszak, and Wojciech Kurczyński in Görlitz, Germany. The marathon took place in early July 2010 and lasted 25 hours and 39 minutes.
Final Thoughts
Volleyball games are not measured in minutes; they are measured in sets, and points determine the length of the set. In traditional volleyball, a set is won by the team that first scores 25 points with a 2-point lead. In beach volleyball, each set is won by the team that first scores 21 points with a 2-point lead. The time it takes to reach these scores depends on how equally matched the teams are.
The system for winning a volleyball set means that a single volleyball match could go on hours theoretically. Sometimes, to prevent this, game officials establish a maximum score per set.
A volleyball game structure differs very slightly between the different skill levels, so their average time guidelines are very similar. The average time for Olympic, college, and high school traditional volleyball games is 90-100 minutes. Youth games are played best two of three and typically take less time; youth traditional volleyball games average 45-60 minutes per game. The average time for Olympic, college, and high school beach volleyball games is 30-60 minutes.
The main factors that increase game time are establishing a 2-point lead when the scores are 25-24, 21-20, or 15-14, and having to play the tiebreaker sets. Other factors, such as the number of substitutions, minor injuries, etc., will have little influence on the total game time.