Okay, so the other day, I was watching this intense volleyball match with my friends, and it went all the way to five sets. We got into this debate about how long these matches actually take. I mean, it felt like forever! So, I decided to do some digging and, you know, get to the bottom of it.
First, I grabbed my phone and started timing a few matches I found online. Just casually, you know, nothing too scientific. I noticed most sets were wrapping up around 25-30 minutes. Some were quicker, some were a bit longer, depending on how close the scores were.
The Actual Timing
- I figured, most sets are played to 25 points, and you gotta win by two, right?
- So, if it’s a super tight set, it could drag on a bit longer.
- Then, the fifth set, that’s the tie-breaker, only goes to 15 points. Still gotta win by two, though.
- I watched a game to record.
Then I begin to time that game I found online. And I got the result below.
- First set last 27 minutes
- Second set last 33 minutes
- Third set last 24 minutes
- Fourth set last 30 minutes
- Fifth set last 18 minutes
After I added those numbers up, I got the total 132 minutes.
Plus, you’ve got those little breaks between sets, usually around 3 minutes, I timed them a few times. And we have four breaks total so, 12 minutes, adding up to the 132 minutes,
I got a 144 minutes, which equals 2 hours and 24 minutes.
So, based on my very informal research, I’d say a full five-set volleyball match usually takes is about two and a half hours, for sure, give or take. Of course, it can change up it depends, If a team’s getting stomped, it’ll be way quicker!
