35 Inspirational Volleyball Quotes We Love - FloVolleyball (2024)

Need a little bit of inspiration? Look no further than these quotes from volleyball greats Karch Kiraly, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Misty May-Treanor, and more.

Inspirational Volleyball Quotes

1. "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 to being caught off-guard." -- Karch Kiraly
2. "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
3. "Adversity, if you allow it to, will fortify you and make you the best you can be." -- Kerri Walsh Jennings
4. "If you want to stay fit, surround yourself with a couple of chicks who are fired up, so that the one day you're not, you can feed off their energy." -- Gabrielle Reece
5. "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
6. "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
7. "Don't fire your opponents up. If they're down, don't tick them off. Let them stay down." -- Sinjin Smith
8. "Too many people get in a position of authority and aren't willing to get down on the floor and belly laugh with five- and six-year-olds." -- Arnie Ball
9. "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 back court." -- Doug Beal
10. "Over the years, I realized that if I'd done everything possible to prepare myself for matches and tournaments, it took a weight off my shoulders and allowed me to play without fear of losing. When you've done everything you can to train yourself for competition, you'll sleep well when the tournament is over, win or lose." -- Karch Kiraly
11. "On the surface, a duck looks nice and calm, but underneath the surface of the water it's trying really hard to stay afloat. At Stanford, it may seem like everyone is a genius, but they have to work really hard to get there." -- Foluke Akinradewo
12. "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
13. "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
14. "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
15. "Effective blockers are unquestionably the keystone of a successful defense." -- Don Shondell
16. "There are six people around the court and it's literally like a ballet. And fundamentals are at the core of everything you do." -- Caren Kemner
17. "A great defensive play is worth about five points in emotion." -- Caren Kemner
18. "Pushing yourself over the barrier is a habit. I know I can do it and try something else crazy. If you want to win the war, you've got to pay the price." -- Flo Hyman
19. "I do not think about coaching as being the boss. Rather, I am here to see how all the parts fit together. I am in the middle of this storm, and that is where the calm is supposed to be." -- Mark Pavlik
20. "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, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton." -- Debbie Green
21. "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
22. "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
23. "My general rule, which I have followed throughout my coaching career, is that everyone doesn't necessarily get treated the same way, because I'm not sure that's possible. But everyone has to be treated fairly." -- Karch Kiraly
24. "[Volleyball] is a game of intuition. Imagination. Improvisation. But most of all, of reciprocity. Of teamwork. There is no way to freelance in volleyball." -- Marv Dunphy
25. "Coaches must be critical thinkers, not protectors of the status quo." -- Mike Herbert
26. "It's not how tall you are, it is how good you are." -- Marv Dunphy
27. "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
28. "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
29. "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
30. "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
31. "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
32. "Everybody likes the guy who works hard. Nobody likes the guy who tells you how hard he works." -- Lloy Ball
33. "You have to be willing to fail, to improve." -- Al Scates
34. "The best passing drill is pass-set-hit. The best setting drill is pass-set-hit. 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
35. "From the beginning, my philosophy has been to stake my course, show results and force others to copy me." -- Arie Selinger