The timing of menarche is regulated by genetic factors and it is influenced by a variety of environmental conditions. Elite adult athletes are known to have physical and physiological characteristics specifically suited to their sport; later sexual maturation is commonly observed in sportwomen. Menarcheal age in 210 elite volleyball players was obtained by retrospective method during the 1992-93 Italian A1 and A2 Championships. The mean age at menarche was 13,5+/-1,4 years. No statistical differences have been found between age at menarche in athletes of different level, game role and geographical provenience. The relationship of age at menarche with adult body dimensions indicated that athletes with late menarche are significantly lighter, less endomorphic and more ectomorphic than early maturers.