MSHSL making changes to playoffs in football, girls tennis, volleyball

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A football on the sidelines before the start of the game. High School football, the Wilson Bulldogs vs. the Exeter Eagles at Don Thomas Stadium in Reiffton Friday night September 10, 2021. (Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty I

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MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota State High School League held its Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, and some changes are coming in football, girls tennis and girls state volleyball.

MSHSL approves boys volleyball

The Minnesota State High School League voted Tuesday to add boys volleyball as a fully sanctioned sport in the state.

Here’s a look at what’s coming starting in the 2024-25 school year:

Starting in the fall of 2024, the high school football state playoffs are changing their seeding process between 9-Man and Class 5A. Teams in the state quarterfinals would be seeded 1-4 North, and 1-4 South. The semifinals would be the highest quarterfinal seed in the North against the lowest in the South, and highest in the South against the lowest in the North. The process for Class 6A is not changing, where the 32 teams are seeded and placed in four brackets.
The biggest change is coming in girls tennis. Starting in 2025-26 school year, the state tournament will switch from two classes to three. The boys tennis tournament will remain at two classes. According to the proposal, there are currently 194 girls’ tennis programs in Minnesota. Under MSHSL guidelines formed in 2018, there needs to be at least 192 to divide the tournament into three classes. It provides a competitive balance for enrollment standards across the state.
The girls state volleyball tournament, starting next fall, will be seeded 1-8 for all classes. In the past, the top five teams have been seeded, and opponents 5-8 determined by a random draw. Under the old policy, the No. 1-seeded team could face the No. 6 seed in the quarterfinals and therefore, not have the clearest path to appearing in the state championship.

MSHSL board members also heard information on competitive section seeding for boys volleyball, which will be a sanctioned sport in the spring of 2025. It was officially approved in May of 2023 by a vote of 39-9. It failed in 2022 over Title XI concerns, school budget issues and space availability. Minnesota is the 25th state to have boys volleyball as a sanctioned high school sport.