In response, the U. S. Volleyball Association designated the Holyoke Public Library as the official repository for memorabilia of the sport. Plans for a physical site didn't begin to move forward until 1985, when volleyball's inventor, William G. Morgan, was inducted as the hall of fame's first member. The hall formally opened to the public on June 6, 1987. The sport's centennial celebration in 1995 greatly accelerated interest in the hall of fame project. Plans were developed for an independent museum complex and for a new interim location, which opened in the fall of 1997.
Fund raising is still underway to build a permanent home for the hall of fame.