Crocheted Volleyball pattern

I made a crocheted volleyball last year for a Volleyball game that our local Middle School was hosting. The game was a fundraiser for cancer (relay for Life, I think, maybe).
All the girls loved it. Unfortunately, like a lot of my projects, I didn't write down how I made it. Mostly I like to just sit down and make something, no pattern, no preparation, Just Do It.
I was doing a lot of experimenting with Tunisian crochet at the time. I remember loving the look, but hating the work it took to get done. So this year, I decided to make a new one and make a pattern. It turned out just a fuzz bigger than an actual volleyball size, but I still love it.

I used a size J hook. I didn't pay to much attention to gauge. If you are wanting to get the exact size of an official volleyball, then you might want to use a size or two smaller hook. 
I used white, navy, and grey yarn. This happens to be the colors of my step-daughter's school (I homeschool my little girls but if I didn't, this would be their school colors too). The middle school volleyball coach happens to be a good friend of mine (and an all-around awesome lady), so this ball is for the South Central Lady Falcons!

Crochet Volleyball pattern

Crochet hook size J

With white, chain 27

Double crochet in 3^rd chain from hook, and continue to double crochet in each stitch across.

Row 2:  Chain 2, turn, double crochet in each stitch across

Row 3:  Chain 2, turn, double crochet in each stitch across

Break  yarn and finish off.

Turn strip upside down and slip stitch in bottom beginning chain. Single crochet in each stitch across and break yarn and finish off.

With Gray, slip stitch to join (on either end of the white strip)

Chain 2, double crochet in each stitch across.

Row 2: chain 2, turn, double crochet 2 together, double crochet across the row until you have 2 spaces left, double crochet2 together.

Break  off yarn (be sure to leave a long tail of yarn to stitch with)

Row 3: repeat row 2

With Navy, repeat what you did with the Gray, only on the other side of the white strip.

Make 6 of these sections and then sew them together with a yarn needle.

 Make sure you sew them facing opposite directions like a real volleyball.

I stuffed the ball with some fiberfill before I sewed up the last section. I was afraid that the fiberfill might poke through between the crochets, so I put some quilt batting around the inside (so of lining the ball). It ended up being a nice soft squishy ball. If you want a harder more bouncyish ball, you might try sewing your sections over a cheap kids rubber ball. the only downside to that would be that if your ball looses air or pops, then you are going to have to take the whole thing apart to replace it.
Well, I am off to make another one of these in the opposing teams colors!