Changes and items of clarification from last school year to this school year are highlighted. Some sections have been reorganized/renumbered.

I. SCHOOL CLASSIFICATION A. The classification of each school participating in the IESA Volleyball state series will be determined by

enrollment. 1. Seventh and eighth grade enrollment from the previous school year as reported by the member school

shall determine the classification of each school after a tabulation of entries in each sport. 2. Volleyball will be split into four (4) classes each containing 25% of the participating schools.

a. The highest 25% of the schools entered in the activity is 4A, the next 25% of the schools entered in the activity is 3A, the next 25% of the schools entered in the activity is Class 2A, and the lowest 25% is 1A.

B. Each of the state tournaments is organized separately by geographical areas so there may be different schools in each regional tournament at each grade level.

II. VOLLEYBALL SEASON CALENDAR

7th Grade Girls Volleyball Activity/Deadline Date Entry Deadline October 2, 2017 Final Entry Deadline October 15, 2017 Practice/Tryouts May Begin November 27, 2017 Cooperative Agreement Due December 1, 2017 Matches May Begin January 1, 2018 Online Roster/Record Deadline February 12, 2018 Online Ranking February 14-15, 2018 Rosters Closed February 23, 2018 @ 4:00 pm

Regionals February 24, 26-28, 2018 March 1, 2018

Sectionals March 5, 2018

State Finals

7-1A Decatur Lutheran School HS 7-2A Pawnee JHS/HS 7-3A Downs Tri-Valley HS 7-4A Normal Kingsley JHS

March 9, 2018 (quarterfinals) March 10, 2018 (semifinals, third place and championship)

Season Must End March 28, 2018

8th Grade Girls Volleyball Activity Date Entry Deadline October 2, 2017 Final Entry Deadline October 15, 2017 Practice/Tryouts May Begin November 27, 2017 Cooperative Agreement Due December 1, 2017 Matches May Begin January 1, 2018 Online Roster/Record Deadline February 19, 2018 Online Ranking February 21-22, 2018 Rosters Closed March 2, 2018 @ 4:00 pm Regionals March 3, 6-8, 2018 Sectionals March 12, 2018

State Finals

8-1A Assumption Central A&M MS 8-2A Auburn HS 8-3A Tolono JHS 8-4A Mt. Zion HS

March 16, 2018 (quarterfinals) March 17, 2018 (semifinals, third place and championship)

Season Must End March 28, 2018

2017 Girls Volleyball Terms and Conditions

III. ENTRY FEES AND WITHDRAWAL FROM VOLLEYBALL A. Entry Fees

1. Schools must pay an entry fee of $55 by the initial entry deadline. 2. Schools may enter the activity after the initial entry deadline, but must do so prior to the final

entry deadline and the school may be subject to paying double fees. a. Late entry fees will be waived for schools designated as new members, or for current

member schools entering an activity for the first time, which petition to participate in an activity after the initial entry deadline.

3. Entry fees will be refunded only upon written request prior to the initial entry deadline. B. Withdrawal Fees

1. The penalty fee assessed to a school which does not participate in an athletic activity for which it is registered without notifying the IESA office or withdraws from the state series after the online ranking deadline for a given activity shall pay a $50.00 penalty, the cost of the officials for the contest which they forfeited, and that school's share for one contest for any deficit, and any other penalties (including monetary) as deemed appropriate by the Executive Director. The $50.00 penalty fee shall be paid directly to the host school.

IV. REQUIRED COACHING QUALIFICATIONS A. IESA Coaching Certification

1. To serve as a head, assistant or volunteer coach, athletic coaches in member schools in the sports in which the school participates in the IESA state series must:

a. be regularly licensed by the ISBE as a teacher, administrator, or school service personnel (i.e. counselor, social worker, speech therapist, etc.), or

b. be a retired teacher from an IESA or IHSA member school, or c. be a college student coaching as part of an official student teaching assignment, or d. be certified through an IESA approved coaches education program. The following courses have

been approved by the IESA Board of Directors: i. IESA/Human Kinetics Coaching Essentials

ii. IHSA/Human Kinetics Coaching Principles or Coaching Orientation iii. NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching, and

e. be a high school graduate or equivalent, and f. be officially employed by the local school board of the member school.

2. A person with a substitute-only license or a paraprofessional license must complete one of the IESA approved coaching education courses in order to serve as a coach.

3. High school students may be assigned to assist with the coaching of athletic teams in a member school provided they are under the direct supervision of an individual who is qualified to coach under the provision of Section 2.110.

4. Any coach who does not meet the IESA coaching qualifications as detailed above will be suspended for a minimum of two contests and will not be permitted to coach again until he/she completes an IESA approved coaching education course - this includes practices as well as contests. Additional sanctions may be applied by the Board of Directors to schools with multiple violations for non-compliance with the coaching education By-Law.

B. Illinois Senate Bill 7 - Youth Sports Concussion Safety Act 1. Per Illinois state law, all coaches for athletic activities (adults and high-school students, paid or unpaid)

are required to complete the state-mandated concussion certification every two (2) years. This is available to all IESA coaches through the member school's member center. Additional information can be found here: https://www.iesa.org/activities/concussion.asp.

V. STUDENT ELIGIBILITY To enter any of the state series tournaments, a student must be eligible under all of the eligibility rules and conditions of

competition of the IESA. These include but are not limited to: A. Scholastic Standing - IESA By-Law 2.040

2.041 All contestants shall be in grades five through eight (5-8) and shall not have passed eighth- grade standing. At no time, may a student who is in 4th grade or lower practice or participate with a member school. 2.042 A student shall be doing passing work as determined by the local school district in all school

subjects and the school shall certify compliance with this By-Law. Use of a player, contestant, or participant shall be deemed such certification. 2.043 For all IESA activities, athletic as well as non-athletic, passing work shall be checked weekly. Eligibility will be applied to the Monday through Saturday following the week that was checked. Students must be passing each subject each week to be eligible. Grades shall be cumulative for the school's grading period. 2.044 The eligibility check shall be the same day each week unless school is not in session; then it must be taken on the last day of student attendance that week. 2.045 For fall sports, the first eligibility check shall be made following the first full week of attendance at the beginning of the school year. During the succeeding weeks of the school year, the eligibility check shall begin the week prior to the first contest in an activity.

B. Residence and Transfer - IESA By-Laws 2.050 and 2.060 2.051 A student shall be eligible if he/she attends the member school in the district in which he/she resides. 2.052 If the parents of a student move from one school district to another during the school year, the student may retain eligibility for the remainder of the school year provided the student continues to attend the school in the district from which the parents moved. 2.053 In cases where ISBE has granted a legislative waiver for children of certified staff members to attend the school tuition-free, the student shall have eligibility at the school where the certified staff member is employed. 2.061 A transfer student is one who transfers from one school to another school after the first day of classes at his/her school. 2.062 A student who transfers from one school to another school shall become eligible upon the eleventh day of attendance at the new school provided all eligibility requirements have been met. 2.063 A student who transfers from one school to another is eligible immediately if the school from which he/she transfers is involved in a co-op with the school to which he/she is transferring.

C. Participation Limitations - IESA By-Law 3.040 3.041 No student is eligible to participate at the same academic grade level for two different school years in the same sport. This is true whether the student attended a member or a non-member school. Participation in one interscholastic contest in a sport constitutes one season of eligibility in that sport. 3.042 No student shall be a member of an interscholastic team using ninth grade or high school students. Athletic activities designated as seventh grade shall consist of contestants in grades five through seven. In all other athletic activities, fifth through eighth graders are eligible to participate. All contestants must meet required age eligibility standards as detailed in IESA By-Law 3.050.

D. Age Qualifications - IESA By-Law 3.050 3.051 For all seventh grade athletic activities sponsored by a member school, a student shall be eligible through age fourteen (14). If a student in a seventh grade athletic activity becomes fifteen (15) from the beginning date of practice in an activity as determined by the IESA standardized calendar through the final event in the seventh grade state tournament series, she is not eligible to participate. 3.052 For all athletic activities sponsored by a member school, other than activities designated as seventh grade activities, a student shall be eligible through age fifteen (15). If a student in an athletic activity becomes sixteen (16) from the beginning date of practice in an activity as determined by the IESA standardized calendar through the final event in the state tournament series, she is not eligible to participate. 3.053 A student shall be permitted to try out only for those activities for which she is eligible by age. 3.054 Each student must provide the school principal with birth certification before practice or participation in any athletic activity. This must be a birth certificate or hospital record or a thermostatic copy of such. A baptismal certificate is not acceptable. 3.055 The school administrator shall be responsible for having birth certification on file for each athletic contestant prior to any practice or participation in any athletic activity. 3.056 The Executive Director shall rule on certification of any student who cannot meet the birth certification requirement on file.

E. Physical Examination - IESA By-Law 3.060 3.061 No student shall be permitted to compete in a tryout, practice, or contest unless such student has filed with the school principal a certificate of physical fitness issued by a licensed physician, physician’s assistant, or nurse practitioner as set forth in the Illinois State Statutes not more than 395 days preceding such tryout, practice, or contest in any athletic activity. 3.062 Any student who is not allowed to participate in interscholastic activities as the result of a physician's directive may not return to play until they have received written clearance from a physician.

F. Amateurism - IESA By-Law 3.070 3.071 As the result of participating in the IESA state series (regional, sectional, state), a student in a member school may accept any award (except cash) which does not exceed $100.00 in fair market value in volleyball. 3.072 A student in a member school may accept a school letter for an interscholastic sport, regardless of cost. 3.073 Violation of the provisions of IESA By-Law 3.070 shall cause ineligibility in the sport in which the violation occurred. An official ruling must be secured from the Executive Director before any student who violates these rules may be reinstated to eligibility.

G. Participating Under an Assumed Name 3.081 In the event students participate in interscholastic competition under any other name than their own, the principal shall immediately suspend violators from further interscholastic participation. The future interscholastic participation of violators and/or persons contributing to a violation shall then be considered by the Board of Directors.

H. All-Star Participation 3.101 No athletic team from any member school may compete against an "all-star" team.

VI. LIMITATIONS A. Season Limitations

1. No member school participating in IESA Volleyball shall organize, hold tryouts, or practice prior to the date listed as to when practices/tryouts may begin.

2. A member school may conduct its first interscholastic contest in volleyball no earlier than the date listed for when matches may begin and its last interscholastic contest in volleyball no later than the date listed for when the season must end. Both of these dates are outlined in Section II.A of these Terms and Conditions.

3. Only schools which have an established school team that has participated in at least three (3) interscholastic contests prior to the online roster and record deadline in that sport during the current season, may participate in team competition in Association-sponsored meets or tournaments.

B. Individual Limitations 1. For regular season contests, students shall be limited to a maximum of six (6) sets per day.

Participation in a set shall mean that a student actually competes (regardless of the length of time) in any one set.

2. For all tournaments (regular season and state series), students may play in no more than four (4) matches per day.

3. Students may participate in either or both grade levels of the IESA state tournaments for which they are qualified, however, per the age qualifications, eighth graders are never permitted to play on seventh grade teams.

4. Students in fifth or sixth grade who play on the school's seventh and/or eighth grade teams must abide by all IESA rules and regulations.

5. In addition to automatic forfeiture of the contest, should a student exceed the individual limitations listed, the coach of the team shall be ineligible to coach for the next two interscholastic contests at the level where the violation occurred and all other interscholastic contests at any level in the interim.

C. Team Limitations 1. All interscholastic competition shall be considered a match. 2. No volleyball team representing a member school shall, in any one season and exclusive of the

IESA state tournament series, participate in more than 22 matches.

3. No team shall participate in more than four matches in one day in all tournament play. D. State Tournament Team Limitations

1. Each tournament team shall consist of a maximum of 15 uniformed girls whose names appear on the regional entry form.

2. All tournament play shall be single elimination with the winning team advancing from regionals to sectionals and from sectionals to state finals competition.

3. If an opponent incurs a violation in the state series that requires a contest or contests to be forfeited, the following policy will be followed:

a. If the violation affects only one round of competition, the opponent within that round will be advanced on to the next round of competition within the state tournament series.

b. If the violation affects more than one round of competition, no opponent from the preceding rounds of competition shall be advanced to the next round of competition within the state tournament series.

c. The advancement of opponents shall be determined by the IESA office.

VII. RULES OF PLAY, NFHS EXCEPTIONS AND IESA POLICIES A. Rules of Play

1. IESA Volleyball follows the National Federation of State High School Associations Volleyball Rules Book with the IESA Exceptions to NFHS Rules as noted in Section X.B of these Terms and Conditions.

2. When taking the floor for a contest, teams should take the shortest path to their own side of the court and not run through the area occupied by the opposing team, where the opponents are warming up, or split into two lines and circle their opponents.

3. When and where possible, teams should only enter, jog or warm up on their own half of the court.

4. Volleyball warm-up periods shall be 2-6-6. a. The first 2 minutes are shared, the home team is given 6 minutes to have the entire

court and then the visiting team is given 6 minutes to have the entire court. a. When teams are off the court, ball handling is allowed as space allows. b. If space is limited teams shall be restricted to ball handling behind the end line. c. Ball handling is permitted on the court prior to the timed warm-ups. d. If both teams are present, each team shall be restricted to their side of the playing court

before the timed warm-ups and during the shared warm-up time. e. After the conclusion of shared warm-up time, practice jerseys or warm-ups with or

without numbers should be removed. 5. If the libero position is used, a libero tracker must be used and per NFHS rule, this individual

must be separate from the official scorer. a. In regular season play, the host school will provide the libero tracker. b. For IESA state series play, the host school will provide the libero tracker and this

individual must be at least 17 years of age. B. IESA Exceptions to National Federation Volleyball Rules

1. Rally scoring format shall be used. Teams will play a best two-of-three sets match in which a team is considered the winner of the match when it wins two sets. All sets shall be to 25 points (no cap). [1-2-1; IESA has adopted 1-2-1 Note 1]

2. For regular season tournaments only, the best 2 out of 3 sets to 25 format can be altered (Example: Coaches decide set #3 will be played to 15 points in regular season tournaments.). [1-2-1 Note 1]

3. During regular season play, court size shall be a minimum of 25 feet by 50 feet. [2-1-1] 4. The top height of the net shall be seven feet to the floor. [3-1-4] 5. Shorts may be rolled when done for allowing a better fitting uniform. Strings must be tucked in

to the shorts, pants, or skirts. [4-2-1 c] 6. All sections of NFHS Rule 4-2-4 must be followed regarding the numbers on the uniform. A

number of 0, 00, or any number 0-99 is a legal number. For clarification purposes, the number on the uniform cannot be 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, or 09. [4-2-4]

7. The libero position may be used. [6-4-2] C. Special Awareness Night Policy

1. The following guidelines give each member schools guidance when wishing to hold a special

awareness night in the activity of volleyball: a. All uniforms worn during the special awareness match must meet the standard uniform

regulations: i. This includes having the number on the front and back of the shirt/jersey.

ii. Headband colors are not required to be the same for team members. iii. A school may put their school name on the shirt/jersey as they would any other

uniform. iv. There can be no logo endorsement on the shirt other than that of the uniform

manufacturer. v. There can only be a single manufacturer’s logo on the uniform and

undergarment. A commemorative patch may be worn but must adhere to NFHS rules.

b. Any equipment that in the judgement of the first referee increases a player’s advantage or presents a safety concern is prohibited.

c. Officials may wear colored tops for any special awareness match but they are not required to do so.

d. A colored ball may be used for this match as long as it meets the NFHS guidelines for such volleyball. All panels of the ball shall be a maximum combination of three colors, with each panel being a solid color, and if which at least one-third of the panels shall be solid white.

D. Varsity and Non-Varsity Contests Policy 1. Both Varsity and Non-Varsity

a. Designation of Contest i. The level of competition for a contest is regularly specified on the contract

which schools enter into for a given contest. ii. Unless otherwise mutually agreed upon by the principals/official

representatives of all competing schools prior to the contest, the level of competition specified on the contract designates the level of the competition.

b. Season, Team, and Individual Limitations and Eligibility Standards i. The school season ends for varsity athletes and non-varsity athletes on the date

of the school’s last contest at their level in the particular sport. ii. Team limitations apply to varsity and non-varsity teams.

iii. Individual player limitations apply to both varsity and non-varsity teams (per day limitations).

iv. Eligibility standards and requirements apply to both varsity and non-varsity athletes.

2. Varsity Only a. A varsity contest may be played only if the required number of licensed officials can be

obtained. b. Only varsity contests count toward a teams required minimum and maximum number

of contests. c. The varsity team is identified by the school at the start of the season and that team

fulfills a schedule of contests arranged for the varsity team. d. This team is considered to be the team that comprises the most skilled competitors in

the sport and is the team which is the school’s representative at its highest level of competition, including the state series.

3. Non-Varsity Only a. A non-varsity contest may be officiated by members of the coaching staff, faculty and/or

administrative staff from any of the competing schools if the contracted official does not show or the school could not obtain a licensed official for the contest.

b. By agreement of the participating schools, the format of the contest may be altered.

VIII. ONLINE FORMS A. Regional Entry Form

1. The regional entry form for volleyball is available only on the IESA website and schools may access this form from the member center. This form shall be used to list up to 15 certified contestants for state tournament series play. Only those individuals on the regional entry form

may sit on the team bench during state series play (regionals, sectionals and state finals). 2. The regional entry form information is to be completed by the date(s) listed in Section II.A of

these Terms and Conditions. Schools may make changes to the regional entry form by going online, updating the form, and clicking on “Update Entries.” No substitutions or changes to the roster may be made after the Roster Closed deadline as outlined in Section II.A of these Terms and Conditions.

3. It is the ultimate responsibility of all competing teams for all athletic activities to ensure that each participant listed on its regional entry form is eligible. When completing the online process, the individual completing the form will be asked to submit his/her name and email address; doing this certifies that each student on the school's roster has a birth certificate on file and each student meets the eligibility guidelines as put forth by the IESA.

4. Teams shall be ruled ineligible to compete in any state series contest unless the regional entry form has been completed and submitted online via the IESA website. The following penalty is in effect for schools that fail to submit their regional entry form, season record, and ranking information by the posted deadlines:

a. First offense: School will be placed on probation. b. Second consecutive offense: School will be able to participate in the state series of the

current year but will not be able to participate in the state series the following year unless the school pays a $250 fee for reinstatement to the state series.

B. Regular Season Contests 1. Schools will enter the results of all regular season varsity contests - non-varsity contests do not count as

part of the team record. 2. As a reminder, schools must participate in a minimum of three (3) matches and schools are only

permitted to participate in a maximum of 22 matches. 3. A forfeit counts as a match played.

C. Comments on Regular Season 1. This area is used to include information schools want other schools in the regional to consider when

completing online ranking. D. Rank Teams

1. A school that has not completed any of the online seeding procedure steps has no say regarding seed. It is that school’s responsibility to enter the appropriate material online by the deadline.

2. In the second step, schools will rank all participating schools in their regional except their own, based on the information each team submitted online in the previous steps. Each school will have two days to complete this step of the online seeding process.

3. Factors to consider in seeding (Listed in Random Order) these factors are all available to each online coach.

a. Season record, head-to-head competition, record against common opponents - see regular season contests and team records

b. Quality of team’s competition, smaller schools competing against larger schools (1A/2A vs. 3A/4A) - see comments on regular season

c. Roster of post-season team- see regional entry form and comments on regular season i. A team has a seventh grader who has played on the eighth grade team all year

but will play on the seventh grade team in the state series. ii. A team has a seventh grader who has played only seventh grade all year but will

play on the eighth grade team in the regional. 4. The computer will tabulate the votes and the IESA will view all ranking results and confirm seed

results online. If two or more teams are tied for any seed, the computer will denote the teams that are tied and the IESA will break the tie by a coin flip.

5. A team withdrawing from the competition following the online ranking deadline will be declared as a forfeit and the remaining teams shall not be re-seeded.

6. All schools in a given regional will be able to see how other schools in the regional ranked them.

IX. STATE SERIES STRUCTURE A. Advancement of Teams

1. In each of the four (4) classes, there shall be 16 regional tournaments. a. Where possible, at least four (4) schools shall be assigned to each regional tournament. b. In each class, the winners of the 16 regional tournaments will advance to one of eight

(8) sectional contests consisting of two (2) teams in each sectional contest. c. The winners of the eight (8) sectional tournaments will advance to the state finals.

2. All tournament play shall be single elimination with the exception of the losers of the state semifinal matches. Losers of state semifinal matches will play a consolation match.

3. All matches are to be played in the proper order and shall not be changed unless permission is granted by the IESA - the sample brackets with the correct playing order are available online.

4. Matches should not be played during school hours. B. Regional Tournament Pairings

1. All regional hosts will post brackets online. The host school should enter dates, times and locations for the regional tournament so the bracket is automatically created.

a. Sample brackets for regionals with 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 teams are available on the IESA Volleyball website under "Documents and Links" and the subsection "Forms."

b. All quarterfinal matches on the same side of the bracket (top or bottom) must be played on the same day.

c. All semifinal matches must be played on the same day. 2. The team listed at the top of the bracket shall be considered the home team. 3. Regional matches held on weeknights may not begin before 4:30 pm. 4. Host schools will enter match result information to advance the winners as regional

tournaments and sectional contests are played. C. Sectional Matches

1. The odd-numbered regional team shall be considered the home team. 2. All sectional matches will begin at 6:30pm.

D. State Finals 1. All quarterfinal matches will be played on Friday. 2. All semifinal matches, followed by the third place match and the championship match, will be

played on Saturday. 3. The team listed at the top of the bracket shall be considered the home team.

X. STATE SERIES POLICIES A. Authority

1. By authority of the IESA Constitution and By-Laws, the Board of Directors shall interpret and enforce the IESA Volleyball Terms and Conditions.

B. Failure To Appear And Forfeiture Of Contest 1. Any team which fails to play a scheduled state tournament series match and forfeits such match

is subject to action of the Board of Directors, including penalty, assessments, suspension, or expulsion.

2. A team failing to field the required number of starting players in volleyball within thirty (30) minutes of the scheduled match time shall forfeit the match. A match that is played even though the school failed to field the required number of starters within thirty (30) minutes of the scheduled match time cannot be protested for that reason.

3. No state tournament series contest shall be forfeited due to weather conditions. If the administrator of any participating school determines he or she cannot reach the tournament site due to weather conditions, the host school shall reschedule that particular match as soon as possible. The IESA and the opposing schools shall be notified of the rescheduling; other contests scheduled on that particular date may still be held.

4. Any coach or school official who withdraws a team from the field of play under any circumstances prior to the official completion of the match shall forfeit all rights to protest, except when the principal of the forfeiting school believes circumstances which affected the health, safety, or welfare of the students required such action, he or she may file a protest.

C. Volleyballs 1. Rawlings volleyballs model #IESA VB202 must be used at the regional, sectional and state final

level of play. a. Each regional and sectional host will receive one (1) Rawlings IESA VB202 volleyball to

be used in the contest. b. Each state finals host will receive two (2) Rawlings IESA VB202 volleyballs to be used in

competition. c. State series host schools (regionals, sectionals and state finals) shall provide two (2) ball

1

carts and a minimum of 15 balls per cart. If a host school cannot provide this requirement, they shall notify the schools attending their site in advance.

D. Players And Team Personnel 1. Team personnel are defined as those individuals listed on the regional entry form.

a. No team will be allowed more than 15 players in uniform and those individuals' names must appear on the regional entry form to be considered team personnel.

b. These individuals are allowed on the court during warm-ups and introductions and they are allowed on the team bench during the state series matches.

c. Member of a school's seventh grade team are not permitted to sit on the bench during the eighth grade state series. Likewise, members of a school's eighth grade team are not permitted to sit on the bench during the seventh grade state series.

d. Only team personnel listed on the regional entry form are permitted in the playing area (on the court, on the competition floor).

e. Non-team personnel may be present around the perimeter of the court. 2. Ball handling will be permitted 45 minutes prior to scheduled match time on the competition

floor in regional and sectional play. If both teams are present, each team shall be restricted to their side of the playing court.

3. At the state finals, ball handling will not be permitted prior to the timed warm-up and coin toss and teams are permitted to stretch on the court prior to the timed warm-up.

E. Ticket Gate Admission Prices 1. Limits on free passes to the state series shall only include those individuals listed on the schools

regional entry form as of the "Roster Closed" deadline. 2. Regionals

a. 1 round of play per day (quarterfinals, semifinals and championship are all played on separate days)

i. $2.00 K-8 Students and Senior Citizens (62+) ii. $4.00 High School Students and Adults

b. 2 rounds of play per day (quarterfinals/semifinals on same day OR semifinals/championship on same day)

i. $3.00 K-8 Students and Senior Citizens (62+) ii. $5.00 High School Students and Adults

3. Sectionals a. $2.00 K-8 Students and Senior Citizens (62+) b. $4.00 High School Students and Adults

4. State Finals a. Friday - Quarterfinals

i. $2.00 K-8 Students and Senior Citizens (62+) ii. $5.00 High School Students and Adults

b. Saturday - Semifinals and Finals i. $3.00 K-8 Students and Senior Citizens (62+)

ii. $7.00 High School Students and Adults F. Awards

1. A championship plaque shall be awarded to regional and sectional winners. 2. A trophy is awarded to each state champion, runner-up, and third and fourth place team

finishers at the state finals. 3. 23 individual medallions will be presented to each state champion, runner-up, and third and

fourth place team finishers at the state finals. G. Facilities

1. The playing court shall be set up and ready for play 45 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the first match.

2. The host school shall not make its gymnasium available to the competition teams for practice sessions prior to the warm-up.

3. In regional, sectional, and state final tournament play, the host school shall not make its gymnasium or playing fields available to the visiting teams for practice sessions.

H. Media 1. Space shall be made available for news media personnel covering the state tournament series

and host schools should make every effort to accommodate the media. 2. Reporting information to the news media shall be the responsibility of each tournament

manager and is strongly recommended. I. Signs, Banners, and Noisemakers

1. During IESA state series (regional, sectional, state finals) matches, the displaying of signs, banners, placards, balloons, or constructed frames through which players run is prohibited. Such devices obstruct the view of spectators, are unsightly, and in many instances may become safety hazards. Local tournament managers should not permit these devices to be brought into the playing areas.

2. All mechanical noise-making devices shall be excluded from playing areas for all IESA state series play. Tournament managers should not permit spectators to bring megaphones, radios, or tape players into the playing area of any IESA state series tournament contest.

J. Videotaping 1. Videotaping is allowed in all IESA Volleyball state series contests. 2. Any taping for the purpose of reviewing during the contest is prohibited.

K. Miscellaneous 1. All fans that attend IESA state series contests must wear shirts at all times. 2. No alcoholic beverages shall be served at any IESA activity where there are students

participating. 3. No cell phones or electronic devices are permitted at the scorer's table during a match by bench

personnel. 4. Limits on free entry into the state tournament series shall be to those individuals listed on the

school's regional entry form. 5. All cheers, performances, routines, or other activities conducted by a school's spirit squad

(cheerleaders, pom-poms, flags, and drill team) shall be conducted in accordance with the NFHS Spirit Rules Book.

6. If a host school has a band capable of contributing to the entertainment, such as playing before matches and during intermission of state series matches, this is encouraged. Members of the band may be given free admission. Under no circumstances may the band instruments be used for cheering purposes. The use of band instruments for cheering purposes will be considered evidence of discourteous conduct and upon receipt of substantiating evidence of such conduct; the Executive Director will instruct the local manager to exclude the band from the gymnasium. No band other than the one from the local school shall be admitted as an organization except by special permission of the Executive Director who will act only upon petition of the local manager.

7. Prayer at an IESA state series contest that takes place over a public address system is prohibited.

XI. HOSTS - REGIONALS, SECTIONALS AND STATE FINALS A. Host Selection

1. Schools interested in hosting a regional, sectional or the state finals should complete the "Host Interest" survey in the school's member center and/or email the IESA Volleyball administrator in order to be considered.

2. Regional and sectional assignments for each school are designated by the IESA and will be posted to the IESA website.

3. State finals hosts are approved by the IESA Board of Directors. 4. Playing sites will be designated by the IESA office and will be posted to the IESA website as

those designations are made. 5. Schools serving as a host must have signage in accordance with the Concealed Carry Act 430

ILCS66 - this includes an IESA event held on school property and IESA events held off school property.

6. Host schools are required to hang official IESA and Rawlings banners. B. Regional Tournament

1. Each school hosting a regional will receive a Rawlings volleyball at no charge. 2. Regional matches held on weeknights may not begin before 4:30 pm. 3. The playing schedule for regionals is determined by the host school but must be played within

the dates outlined in the season calendar in Section II.A for each grade level. 4. The regional host is responsible for contracting 2 IHSA-licensed officials for each match in the

regional tournament.

a. The payment is provided to these regional tournament officials by the regional host. b. The payment to the officials is considered an allowable expenditure on the regional

financial report form. C. Sectional Match

1. Each school hosting a sectional match will receive a Rawlings volleyball at no charge. 2. Sectional contests will begin at 6:30 pm. 3. If no school offers to host a sectional, the regional winners for the unset sectional will be

determined by a coin flip in the IESA office if both schools wish to host the sectional. 4. IESA contracts 2 IHSA-licensed sectional officials for each sectional match.

a. The payment is provided to the sectional match officials by the sectional host. b. The payment to the officials for the sectional match is considered an allowable

expenditure on the sectional financial report form. D. State Finals

1. State finals hosts are required to send state final information packets to the IESA office to pass on to sectional winners.

2. IESA contracts and pays IHSA-licensed officials. E. Financial Arrangements

1. Regional Tournaments and Sectional Matches a. The regional tournament/sectional match financial report form outlines allowable expenditures

and which expenditures are not allowed. b. Each member school hosting a regional tournament/sectional match shall send the IESA 30% of

the gross receipts for admissions along with the completed financial report form as soon as possible and no later than within two weeks of the conclusion of hosting.

c. Allowable expenditures shall be detailed on the financial report form. d. If there is a deficit in regional tournament/sectional match finances, participating

schools may be assessed by the host school on a per-match basis. i. Assessments shall be paid directly to the host school and shall not be sent by

participating schools until the IESA Executive Director approves the financial report form.

2. State Finals a. All tournament receipts, the completed state finals financial report and the state

expense summary form shall be sent to the IESA office as soon as possible and no later than within two weeks of the conclusion of the state finals.

i. 1/3 of the profit shall be returned to the host school ii. 2/3 of the profit will be retained by the IESA

iii. Any deficit expenditures will be paid by the IESA b. The host school will also receive:

i. An amount approved by the IESA Board of Directors as their share of merchandise sales no matter the amount of money generated

ii. All concession revenue c. Outside vendors shall be contracted at least one month in advance through the IESA.

XII. SPORTSMANSHIP A. It is the clear obligation of students, school staff, boards of education, and all other official

representatives of member schools in all interscholastic relationships to practice and promote the highest principles of sportsmanship and the ethics of competition, and it is the obligation of the member school to maintain proper crowd control at all interscholastic activities.

1. The Association shall have no responsibility for crowd control or for the actions of school representatives.

2. The Board of Directors shall have full authority to penalize any member school, any of whose representatives or spectators may be adjudged upon competent evidence to have violated these obligations.

3. Students participating in the state tournament series in violation of IESA By-Laws, or other persons found to be in gross violation of the ethics of competition or the principles of good sportsmanship may be barred by the Executive Director from the remainder of the state tournament series and future interscholastic activities.

4. If players or representatives of any school entered in a tournament are found guilty of carelessly

or maliciously breaking, damaging, or destroying property or equipment belonging to the host school or other visiting schools, the players or representative's school shall be held responsible for costs incurred in repairing or replacing such property or equipment.

B. IESA Ejection Policies 1. Any player ejected from a contest for unsportsmanlike conduct shall be ineligible for the next

interscholastic contest at that level of competition, and all other interscholastic contests at any level in the interim, in addition to other penalties the IESA or school may assess. Any player ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct a second time in any activity during the school year shall be ineligible for all remaining interscholastic contests the day of the ejection and the next two (2) interscholastic contests at the level at which the ejection occurred, in addition to other penalties the IESA or the school may assess.

2. Any coach ejected from a contest for unsportsmanlike conduct shall be ineligible for the next two (2) interscholastic contests at that level of competition, and all other interscholastic contests at any level in the interim, in addition to other penalties the IESA or school may assess. Any coach ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct a second time in any activity during the school year shall be ineligible for all remaining interscholastic contests the day of the ejection and the next five (5) interscholastic contests at the level at which the ejection occurred (and all other interscholastic contests at any level in the interim), in addition to other penalties the IESA or the school may assess.

a. If a coach is ejected from the contest and he or she is the only person responsible for the supervision of the students, the contest would have to be forfeited as no one would be available to coach and/or supervise the team.

3. Any fan ejected from an IESA state finals tournament may not return to the tournament if there are games remaining to be played in that tournament.

XIII. OFFICIALS A. General Rules

1. It is required that member schools use Illinois High School Association (IHSA) officials licensed in volleyball for all regular season contests. Coaches from participating teams should never be the contest officials.

a. A school's first violation for hiring a non-licensed official will result in a written warning. With a second violation, the Executive Director shall have the full authority to determine and impose a monetary penalty equivalent to the cost of one regional official for that activity.

2. A pre-match conference with officials, head coaches, and captains is required to take place prior to all contests involving member schools.

3. All contest officials shall be familiar with IESA contest regulations/exceptions and the National Federation Rules for volleyball.

4. Contest officials shall make all decisions regarding the rules of play. Their judgments and decisions cannot be protested.

B. Contracting and Payment Toward Officials 1. Regular Season

a. Two (2) officials shall be hired and paid by the host school for all regular season matches, both of whom shall be licensed by the IHSA. The rate of pay is determined by the school.

2. Regionals a. Two (2) IHSA-licensed officials shall be hired for each regional match (neither may have

an affiliation with the participating schools). These officials are paid by the regional host at the rate of $45 each per match (no mileage).

b. This is an allowable expenditure on the regional financial report form. 3. Sectionals

a. Two (2) IHSA-licensed officials shall be hired by the IESA for each sectional match. These officials are paid by the sectional host at the rate of $55 each per match (no mileage).

b. This is an allowable expenditure on the sectional financial report form. 4. State Finals

a. Two (2) officials and two (2) line judges shall be hired by the IESA for each state level

match. The officials shall be IHSA-licensed and are paid by the IESA at the rate of $65 each per match as a referee and $25 each per match as a line judge.

b. The IESA will also contract and pay an IHSA-licensed official to be the Coordinator of Officials for each state finals location at the rate of $30 per match. This individual is responsible for coordinating and evaluating all state finals officials.

5. Line Judges a. For regular season matches, regionals and sectionals, the host school has the option to

use qualified line judges. If the host school uses line judges, the line judges: i. Must be at least 17 years of age; and

ii. Two (2) line judges (no more, no less) must be provided; and iii. Line judges must adhere to the following regarding proper dress:

Black slacks, all white shirt, and black or white athletic shoes. Line judges must not wear black and white striped official's shirts.

b. If a regional and/or sectional host chooses to use line judges at the regional and/or sectional level, this is not an allowable expenditure on the financial report form.