Okay, so the other day, I was trying to figure out how long a typical high school volleyball game lasts. I needed this info to plan out my weekend schedule, and I figured, “Hey, why not share my findings? Maybe it’ll help someone else out there.”
My Little Research Adventure
First, I grabbed my phone and started Googling. You know, the usual “high school volleyball game length” search.
I noticed most high school matches are “best-of-five” sets. Okay, cool. But how long is each set?
I found out that the first four sets go to 25 points, and you gotta win by at least two points. If they end up needing a fifth set, that one’s shorter – only to 15 points, but still with that two-point win margin.
Crunching the Numbers (Sort Of)
So, I started doing some mental math. If each set takes, say, 20 minutes (that’s just a guess, really), and you have a best-of-five match… that’s potentially 100 minutes of game time! But some sets finish fast and other very slow. And that doesn’t include warm-ups, time-outs, or those little breaks between sets. So, my rough estimate got even rougher.
I decided add some buffer time, so I estimated each set, on average, might take about 20 to 30 minutes.
- If a match goes to all five sets: 5 sets 25 minutes/set = 125 minutes (That is over two hours!).
- If it’s a quick 3-0 sweep: 3 sets 25 minutes/set = 75 minutes.
Then add in, say, 10 minutes for warm-ups, 5 minutes between sets, and maybe a few time-outs…It can change time a lot!
The Bottom Line (My Best Guess)
Based on my super-scientific research (ha!), I figured it’s safest to block out around 1.5 to 2.5 hours for a high school volleyball game. It could be shorter, sure, but it’s better to have too much time than not enough, right? That’s what I learned, anyway. Hope this helps anyone else trying to plan their day around a volleyball game!
