IHSA: Boys volleyball, boys lacrosse will now have a full state tournament series

The Illinois High School Association board of directors voted virtually on Wednesday to conduct full postseason state series tournaments in boys lacrosse and boys volleyball. The decision comes as the state of Illinois prepares to enter the Bridge Phase and Phase 5 in its pandemic recovery plan on May 14 and June 11, respectively.

The Illinois Department of Public Health's COVID-19 regions and all-sports policy previously limited travel by region in both sports, preventing them from having a full state tournament. Both sports were previously scheduled to play their first round of postseason competition (regionals in volleyball, sectionals in lacrosse), but will now culminate by crowning state champions on June 19.

"We are excited to be able to offer the same state tournament opportunities to boys volleyball and boys lacrosse student-athletes that we were already offering in sports like girls lacrosse, track & field, and girls soccer," said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. "We are confident in our ability to conduct all IHSA sports safely under the mitigations set forth by the IDPH all-sports policy, and appreciate the efforts of all Illinois citizens who have helped us reach the Bridge Phase and Phase 5 very soon."

IHSA staff are currently in the process of updating information and securing hosts for both tournaments and will be posting updated information on the website and communicating with coaches in the near future.

To see a full list of IHSA state tournament dates for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, go to ihsa.org.