PRE–TITLE IX VOLLEYBALL EVOLUTION MAP (UT AUSTIN) 1900s → 1972
1904 – women’s athletic sports were governed by the Womens Athletic Association. Volleyball was only considered a “calisthenic game”.
1910 – Volleyball was incorporated into the physical training curriculum. There were still no leagues, just competition, and it was not considered an intercollegiate sport.
1928- Volleyball try-outs began, and it became one of the key sports of the Big Four Women’s Athletic Association, alongside basketball, tennis, and field hockey. There was still no University funding, and competition varied between class years, residence halls, and sororities. Teams were student-led, not university-led.
1933-1950 – Women’s intramural separated from the University of Texas Sports Association and moved to the Physical Education Department, run by Anna Hiss, allowing volleyball to grow exponentially in league play, standings, and a championship game. Anna Hiss Gym becomes the hub for volleyball. The gym was the true institutional start of competitive volleyball at Texas.
1950-1960- Volleyball becomes a social sport
1968-1972- Women’s volleyball started playing against other Texas colleges, but still under the direction of the Physical Education department, not the Athletic Department. Players had to pay for their travel expenses, uniforms, and equipment.
1972- women’s volleyball merged under Betty Thompson, preparing for extramural volleyball, controlled by the Athletic Department under the auspices of the AIAW, in 1974.
