Rankings in orange circles compare this sport with nine other sports offered for this gender before customization – meaning each of the three health categories is given an equal one-third weighting. The ranking is comprised of data collected or developed from various sources (75% of score) and expert opinion (25% of score). The healthiest sports in each of the three categories – physical activity, safety and psychosocial benefits – and in each data measurement are ranked No. 1. Note: Some sports did not have significant differences between each other in the data. Learn more about our methodology.
4th
out of 10
Physical Activity
Expert Opinion Rank: 8th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Volleyball physical activity at practices ranks fourth among the 10 girls sports studied by North Carolina State University. Volleyball has 48 percent vigorous activity; the 10 girls sports average 39.6 percent. Forty-eight percent of volleyball practice time focuses on skills compared to 12 percent on fitness.
1 North Carolina State University research observing high school athletes in North Carolina, 2017-18.
6th
out of 10
Safety
11.5
Injury Rate2(6th out of 10)
9.8%
Injury Time/Loss3(7th out of 10)
0
Catastrophic Rate4(T-1st out of 10)
2.7%
Injuries Requiring Surgery5(4th out of 10)
3.1
Concussion Rate6(6th out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: T-5th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Volleyball is in the middle of the pack for injury rates among girls sports, according to the Nation High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study. Ankle, head/face, knee and shoulder are the most common injuries. Volleyball fares well compared to other sports for injuries that require surgery.
2 Injury rate per 10,000 exposures, National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, 2016-17.
3 Percentage of all injuries resulting in greater than three weeks of time loss from the sport, National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, 2016-17.
4 Non-fatal catastrophic injury/illness rate per 100,000 exposures, National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, 1982-2016.
5 Percentage of all injuries requiring surgery, National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, 2016-17.
6 Concussion rate per 10,000 exposures, National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, 2016-17.
5th
out of 10
Psychosocial
Aspen Psychosocial Survey7
3.711
Personal Social Skills(1st out of 10)
2.674
Cognitive Skills(7th out of 10)
3.672
Goal-Setting(5th out of 10)
3.776
Initiative(4th out of 10)
3.708
Health(4th out of 10)
1.636
Negative Experiences(8th out of 10)
Substance Abuse
Cigarette Use8
11.6%
(7th out of 10)
Binge Drinking9
18.4%
(5th out of 10)
Marijuana Use10
16.7%
(3rd out of 10)
Academic Achievement
Cut Class11
28.2%
(8th out of 10)
A/A- Student12
49.3%
(4th out of 10)
Graduate From College13
72.5%
(7th out of 10)
Psychological health14
How We Define Our Metrics
4.12
Self-Esteem(8th out of 10)
2.13
Fatalism(6th out of 10)
3.86
Self-Efficacy(T-6th out of 10)
2.81
Loneliness(9th out of 10)
2.07
Self-Derogation(9th out of 10)
4.23
Social Support(T-7th out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: 6th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Volleyball rates fourth among the 10 girls sports in the Aspen Institute/University of Texas psychosocial survey, though the gap isn’t far behind No. 1 softball. Social skills are a strength for volleyball. The sport has some of the worst scores for loneliness, self-esteem and self-derogation, according to Women’s Sports Foundation data.
7 Aspen Institute/University of Texas psychosocial benefits survey of high school athletes nationally, 2018. Scoring ranges from 1-4, with 4 being the best except for the Negative Experiences category.
8 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport smoking cigarettes in the past 30 days. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
9 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport binge drinking alcohol in the past two weeks. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
10 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport using marijuana in the past 30 days. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
11 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport who cut class for a full day in the past month. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
12 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport who have an average grade of an A or A-. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
13 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport who expect to graduate from a four-year college. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
14 Average scores of high school seniors in the sport in psychological health report card. Data for these six categories came from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters. Scoring ranges from 1-5, with 5 being the best for self-esteem, self-efficacy and social support.