The 10 Best Swimming Pool Volleyball Sets

For most inground pools, the GoSports Splash Net PRO gets a proper net across the water with little fuss. Plastic bases sit on the deck and fill from a garden hose, and adjustable straps fit the net to pools of any shape. You also get two water volleyballs and a pump, and setup takes about ten minutes. It isn't made for above-ground pools, and the straps that join the net to the posts can come apart.

Heavy bases set the Dunn-Rite AquaVolly apart. Once filled with water they hold the net tight through rough rallies, and the posts are powder-coated aluminum rather than plastic. Dunn-Rite makes it in Indiana, and the net adjusts for both width and height, so it suits a wide pool or a narrow one. A bright pink water volleyball comes with it. Expect each base to claim a good patch of deck, and plan to drain both before winter.

If your deck already has sockets for a ladder or a built-in net, the Dunn-Rite ProVolly Retrofit drops in and stays put. Its aluminum posts fit the common pool-deck anchors, the net adjusts to span a wide pool, and the brass and stainless hardware suits salt pools. The posts are U.S.-made. The catch is that the anchors are sold separately, and setting new ones in concrete is a job for a pool contractor.

Families who want basketball one afternoon and volleyball the next get both from the GoSports Splash Hoop 2-in-1. Two water-weighted stands each carry a hoop for full-court games, and a strap-adjusted net clips between them when it's time to switch. The box holds a pair of water basketballs, a pair of volleyballs and a pump. It needs deck space at an inground pool, and GoSports backs it for just six months.

Long pools and hard hitters are what the GoSports Splash Net Elite was built for. Powder-coated steel uprights stand in big water-filled bases, and the straps stretch the net across pools up to about 32 feet wide. It ships with two neoprene volleyballs and a pump. It's a heavy box to carry to the backyard, and since the set is fairly new, there's little owner history yet on how it holds up over several summers.

A basketball hoop and a volleyball net share one box in the SwimWays 2-in-1 Pool Sport Combo, and nothing needs tools. Fill the bases with water or sand, slide in the posts, and the net expands to fit most backyard pools. A volleyball, a basketball and an inflation needle are included. The plastic bases are light for the job, so the net can sag or shift in hard play, and SwimWays lists no warranty.

The SwimWays Multi-Sport Volleyball Set is a no-frills net for families who play a handful of times each summer. Weighted posts stand at the pool edge, the net reaches across a wide pool, and one ball comes in the box. Beyond filling the bases, there's nothing to put together. Durability is uneven: some sets last for years, while others lose tension within days because a base leaks or sits too light.

Above-ground pools have no deck for freestanding bases, so the Poolmaster 72786 clamps to the pool's top rail instead. Brackets hold the posts, side ties keep the net tight, and badminton rackets and birdies come along for a second game. The rail needs to be at least four inches wide for the brackets to fit, and Poolmaster says it's meant for players 15 or older.

Kids who want a game that floats anywhere in the pool get a lot of play from the GoSports Splash Net Air. The inflatable frame spans close to ten feet, a quick valve fills and empties it with the included pump, and a standard ball rides along with an oversized one that's easier for small hands. GoSports rates it for ages six and up. It can lose air slowly over a long afternoon and need a top-up.

Cheap and quick to blow up, the Intex Pool Volleyball Game has been a backyard staple for years. The vinyl frame floats with the net strung between tall uprights, a ball and a repair patch come with it, and grommets let you tie on weights to keep it from drifting. It's small, so it suits shallow ends and modest pools. Without weights it wanders around the pool, and some sets split a seam early.