Senate Votes Volleyball As Massachusetts Official Team Sport

Massachusetts lawmakers are serving up a special honor for the sport of volleyball.

The Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday for a bill designating volleyball _ which was invented in 1895 at a YMCA in the city of Holyoke _ as the state's official ``recreational and team sport.''

Basketball already has the distinction of being the state's official sport, having been invented by James Naismith in nearby Springfield just a few years before volleyball.

State Sen. Donald Humason, a Westfield Republican whose district includes Holyoke, urged members to back the legislation. He cited reports that volleyball had grown to be the second most played sport in the world behind soccer.

The measure still needs approval in the House.