Newcomb ball Newcomb ball Newcomb ball (also known simply as Newcomb, and sometimes spelled Newcombe (ball)) is a ball game played as a variation of volleyball. Invented in 1895 by Clara Baer, a physical education instructor at Sophie Newcomb College, Tulane University in New Orleans, it rivaled volleyball in popularity and participation in the 1920s. The game is significant because it was invented by a woman and became the second team sport to be played by women in the United States, after basketball. In an article in the Journal of Sport in 1996, Joan Paul speculates that Newcomb ball may have been
Town ball with the A's, dropped out of major match play in 1864, and many of the members went back to playing town ball. New Englanders usually called their game "base" or "round ball" (from running 'round the bases). The "Massachusetts game" or "New England game" was a formalized version with many clubs active in the Boston area. A set of rules was drawn up by the Massachusetts Association of Base Ball Players at Dedham, Massachusetts in 1858. This game was played by ten to fourteen players with four bases 60 feet apart and no foul territory. The ball was considerably smaller