Boys volleyball will be a spring sport, MSHSL board determines

Boys volleyball will be played in the spring, the Minnesota State High School League Board of Directors decided Thursday.

The board approved a recommendation to play in the spring instead of the fall, settling a debate that became mildly contentious. Boys volleyball became an official MSHSL-sponsored sport last spring.

Osseo athletic director Bill Quan, who chaired the task force, said it considered a number of factors, including the availability of facilities, the projection of available athletes and coaches and the current shortage of officials across all sports. Quan said the committee's overriding principle was this: "Where will boys volleyball be the most successful?"

Boys volleyball has been played as a club sport in the spring since 2018 and has seen growth in popularity from 400 athletes in 2018 to 1,974 last spring. That number placed Minnesota 10^th in the nation for participation in boys volleyball despite it not being officially sanctioned, and it's a strongly diverse crowd. More than 50% of participants identify as persons of color (40.8% Asian, 5.7% Hispanic/Latino, 4.9% Black).

Supporters of a spring season cited availability of facilities in the spring, when sports are held outside, along with a greater availability of potential coaches and officials. The pointed out that more than 90% of boys volleyball players in 2023 did not previously compete in an MSHSL-sanctioned spring sport.

"Our biggest thing was that it wouldn't compromise what girls volleyball has established over the last 50 years," said Jenny Kilkelly, who, along with Krista Flemming, has run the Minnesota Boys High School Volleyball Association since its inception in 2018. "There was so much work that went into this and so many strong feeling that we were a little worried."

Those in favor of a fall season cited the potential for conflicts and overwhelmed facilities when spring weather turns sour in Minnesota, forcing teams to practice indoors. They also felt there was more room for boys volleyball to grow in the fall and that adding another sport in the spring would overburden transportation.

Also Thursday, the board approved a request to hold the softball state tournament across three days rather than two, meaning teams will play a single game each day.

"It makes it better for the players, who will know their schedule and won't have so much uncertainty," said Rockford softball coach Dawn Engebretson, who is a member of the board.

The board also approved a plan to allow each sport to choose how its state tournament field is seeded. Each sport can choose from among three four-year options:

* Continued to follow the current 1-through-5 seeding system, with a draw determining the first-round opponent for the three unseeded teams.

* Seed the entire field 1 through 8.