Hey, folks, so, I got into this whole thing about volleyball the other day. You know, the usual, just chilling and watching some sports when a question popped into my head: how many sets are actually in a volleyball game? I mean, I used to watch it a lot, but I never really paid attention to the specifics.

So, I did what any curious person would do – I dove into the internet to get some answers. First, I just wanted a quick answer, you know? Like, is it three, four, five?
I started with a simple search. The first few results were pretty straightforward. They kept mentioning this “best-of-five” format. Apparently, in most volleyball matches, they play up to five sets. And to win, a team needs to take home at least three of those sets. It sounded simple enough, but I was like, “Okay, but how do they decide who wins a set?”
Diving a bit deeper, I found out that each set is like its own mini-game. Teams play until one of them reaches 25 points. But there was a catch – you can’t just win 25-24. You need a two-point lead. So, if it gets to 24-24, they keep playing until one team is two points ahead. That made things a bit more interesting.
Then I found out that if they need a fifth set, it’s a bit different. That one’s only played to 15 points, not 25. But the two-point lead rule still applies. I guess they do that to keep the game from going on forever.
I also stumbled upon some variations. Like, in some matches, especially in indoor volleyball, they stick to the best-of-five format. But in some other cases, they might play a best-of-three, where you only need to win two sets to win the match.
Here’s a little list I made for myself to keep things straight:

- Most common format: Best-of-five sets
- Sets 1-4: Played to 25 points (must win by 2 points)
- Set 5 (if needed): Played to 15 points (must win by 2 points)
- Alternative format: Best-of-three sets (each set to 25, win by 2)
After all that digging, I felt like I had a pretty good grasp on the whole sets situation in volleyball. It was kind of cool to go from just wondering about it to actually understanding the rules.
Anyway, that’s my little adventure into the world of volleyball sets. I thought it was worth sharing, especially for those who, like me, might have been a bit clueless about it before.