Provincial A Boys Volleyball Championship

FORMATS: (see draw appendix on page 130-133 of 2024-2025 MHSAA Handbook)

“AAA” Varsity, and “A/AA”, “AAA” & “AAAA” JV Formats – Twelve (12) girls and Twelve (12) boys teams. The boys and girls championships will use the same format. There will be three power pools of four teams for round robin. Round Robin will be used to determine play-off seeding, as all teams will advance to single elimination play-off. All round robin matches will be best two out of three. The 1st and 2nd set is won by the first team to score 25 points via rally-point scoring, with a minimum lead of two points. The deciding 3rd set is played to 15 points with a minimum lead of 2 points. (no point cap). “AAAA” all play-off matches are a best three out of five. A set is won by the team which first scores 25 points via rally-point scoring, with a minimum lead of two points. The deciding 5th set, if required, is played to 15 points with a minimum lead of 2 points. (no point cap). “A/AA” & “AAA” all play-off matches are a best two out of three. A set is won by the team which first scores 25 points via rally-point scoring, with a minimum lead of two points. The deciding 3rd set, if required, is played to 15 points with a minimum lead of 2 points. (no point cap).

“A” & “AA” Format – Sixteen (16) boys and (16) girls teams will be selected for placement in one of four Provincial Qualifiers. Format will be round robin with the first team earning a qualifier spot for provincials and the 2nd and 3rd place teams advancing into a play-off for the remaining qualifier spot. The top two teams from each Provincial Qualifier, along with the Zone 11 Champion, and Host school will advance to the Provincial Championship. The Provincial Championship will see Ten (10) girls teams and Ten (10) boys teams. The boys and girls championships will use the same format. There will be two pools, each with five teams. The top four teams from each pool will advance to the Championship side. There is no Consolation side. All matches are a best two out of three. The 1st and 2nd set is won by the first team to score 25 points via rally-point scoring, with a minimum lead of two points. The deciding 3rd set is played to 15 points with a minimum lead of 2 points. (no point cap).

“AAAA” Varsity - Twelve (12) girls and twelve (12) boys teams will compete in Regional Playdowns for the first two (2) rounds. The winners will then advance to the Final Four Championship. All matches are a best three out of five. A set is won by the team which first scores 25 points via rally-point scoring, with a minimum lead of two points. The deciding 5th set is played to 15 points with a minimum lead of 2 points. (no point cap).

RULES: the playing rules of Volleyball Canada shall govern the competition unless specified below. Special playing rules approved by the MHSAA will take precedence over rules in the official rulebook.

Junior Varsity Eligibility Rule: to be eligible for the junior varsity competition the athlete must meet the following requirements:

a) Participating athletes must be under the age of 17 as of midnight of the current school year, August 31.

b) Students are eligible to participate in junior varsity for two years. In determining the two-year clause, member schools must count grade 9 as the first year. The athlete's eligibility begins upon enrolment in grade 9 and is allowed two consecutive years of competition from time of enrolment in grade 9

For “A” and “AA” schools students may compete in an unlimited number of matches at the varsity level and still maintain their eligibility to compete in the junior varsity Provincial Championships. Students must compete in a minimum of 6 games at the JV level in order to be eligible to compete in zone and provincial play-offs. Tournaments would count as two (2) games. NOTE: (the intent of this rule is to allow schools to utilize some athletes to form both teams NOT to better one and/or both teams)

For “AAA” and “AAAA” schools students may not compete in more than three matches at the varsity level. (league, exhibition, or tournament - Tournaments count as two matches). Rural “AAA” Junior Varsity teams are allowed to compete against rural varsity “A” and “AA” teams without these matches being counted as varsity level.

The libero number will be REQUIRED only on the rotation lineup card for each set and not on the player roster.

Teams will be allowed 12 substitutions per set. A player can be substituted unlimited up to the 12 substitutions per set.

The maximum number of coaches, trainers, etc. allowed on the bench will be 4.

The Official Ball is the Mikasa VQ200W-CAN (Red/White)

Tie Breaking Procedure: If two or more teams are tied at the end of the preliminary round, the following criteria will be applied, in order:

a. The team having the best ratio of won/lost matches, considering matches between the tied teams, will be ranked higher;

b. The team having the best ratio of won/lost games, considering matches played between the tied teams, will be ranked higher;

c. The team having the best ratio of won/lost games, considering all matches of the round, will be ranked higher;

d. The team having the best ratio of points for/against, considering games played between the tied teams, will be ranked higher;

e. The team having the best ratio of points for/against, considering all games played during the round, will be ranked higher;

f. Toss of coin

When you apply this rule to break a tie you should follow this sequence:

i. When two teams are tied, the tie-breaking criteria are applied one after the other until the tie has been broken.

ii. When three or more teams are tied, the tie-breaking criteria are applied one after the other until all the tied teams have been ranked.

NOTE: This means that if there is a tie among teams X, V and Z and criteria “b’ is able to determine X as first, Y as second and Z as third, then no further criteria are to be used. The tie is broken. However, if criteria “b’ determines X as first and there is still a tie between Y and Z. then the ranking of the remaining teams will be determined by proceeding to criteria “c and so on, if necessary. Do not start at (a) again. Continue through the sequence of criteria using the results of teams x, y, and z for criteria (d).

Interzones are to be determined by the MHSAA. If the zone/interzone championship is won by the host school, then another wildcard spot becomes open. Interzone and wildcard games will be the best 3 out of 5. There will be no interzones in the varsity “A” & “AA” category.

Teams are to bring their own warm up balls

Net Heights: JV Boys – 2.35m JV Girls – 2.20m

Varsity Boys – 2.43m Varsity Girls – 2.24m

Uniform Rule: Style and colour of uniform must be consistent throughout the team. Compression undergarments can be worn, with no restrictions on colour or length. Athletes are not permitted to wear headwear during competition.

Inappropriate bench conduct (i.e., changing tops, jerseys, uniforms, at the bench or on the playing field) is not acceptable. Any athlete, team member or coach deemed in violation may be subject to a fine in the amount of $200 assessed to the school.

All uniforms must be numbered 1-99, (whole numbers). (While MHSAA allows 1-99, it is preferred that the appropriate numbers of 1-15 be used).

Captain's bars are not required on uniforms.

Coaches should be advised that if the uniform rule is not adhered to, the team may not be allowed to compete and may be fined up to $200. The school may also be put on probation (probation being that if the school violates the infraction again, the school may be fined $200 and be suspended from all MHSAA activities). Advertising on uniforms must adhere to guidelines as outlined in MHSAA Handbook.

Game Limit - The maximum number of matches is 25 per season. Each tournament counts as 2 matches and the 25-match limit does not include league playoffs, zone playoffs, or provincial playoffs. It does include exhibition matches. Exceeding the game limit will result in a $200.00 fine to the school and possible exclusion from Provincial Championships.

ALL VARSITY “AAA” SCHOOLS INSIDE THE CITY OF WINNIPEG must play a minimum of 4 matches/games against AAA schools in areas outside of Winnipeg, two matches/games must be played outside city limits. Tournaments count as two matches. If the tournament is hosted by a "AAA" school, 2 matches will be awarded, regardless of the classification of participating teams. All matches must be completed prior to zone play-offs. Failure to fulfill the requirement will result in the school receiving an automatic $2500 fine with the school being placed on probation for two calendar years.

It is expected that all teams will attend opening ceremonies and related functions (Banquets, etc.). Non-attendance may result in fines and/or further sanctions against the school.

AWARDS: All teams that receive medals are expected to stay for the presentation of the awards. Teams may be fined for not being present for the awards.

In each division, the championship team will receive the Championship banner, first place medals and Championship T-shirts. The runner-up team in the championship event will receive a finalist banner and second place medals. The third-place team in the championship event will receive third place medals (excluding "AAAA").

Six All-stars and one MVP will be awarded. A Players Choice Award will be selected for Varsity only.

Schools with team rosters that exceed the allotted number of awards would be responsible for the cost of any additional awards required.

SUPERVISION: At all MHSAA Provincial Championships, interzone and wildcard games, participants must have a teacher from the school division in attendance as a supervisor, or they will not be allowed to compete. In individual sports where it may be unrealistic for one teacher to accompany one student, the zone may designate teacher supervisors for athletes. This must be a written request, signed by each principal involved, and approved by the MHSAA, well in advance. The designated teacher supervisor should have a copy of the letter with them during the championship.

Teachers employed in the school division where they are coaching a team, may be the supervisor for that team. The responsibility rests with the school to ensure that supervisor(s) are fully acquainted with all MHSAA rules, regulations, and consequences. Violation of this rule may result in a fine up to a maximum of $200.

INCLEMENT WEATHER PROCEDURE: The MHSAA, in cases of severe weather disruptions, may have to make decisions as to the possible rescheduling of Provincial Championships. MHSAA decisions will be based on Environment Canada weather reports, the Manitoba Highway reports and weather conditions at the host site.

Information on possible schedule changes will be posted on the host website between 6:30 and 7:00 am on the day of the Championship. Schools will also be emailed any changes. In case of inclement weather, schools should refrain from traveling to Provincial Championships until they receive notification from the MHSAA Assistant Executive Director with instructions and updated scheduling. Schools deciding to travel prior to receiving notification from MHSAA Assistant Executive Director do so at their own risk and will be responsible for their travel and hotel costs, should the event be postponed or changed.

Many schools travel to Provincial Championships on the day prior to the championship beginning. In cases where most schools are already at the host site, the convenor along with MHSAA assistant director will try to modify schedules to accommodate teams that will be arriving later due to weather conditions.