Proposal to change state volleyball to a bracket format is getting a hard look

State volleyball Denver Coliseum venue generic

A proposal which seeks to change state volleyball’s format to a bracket is getting wide examination around the state as the sport’s committee meeting approaches.

Last November, the volleyball committee tasked a subgroup with exploring the possibility of changing the state tournament format from its current pool play setup. That subcommittee met in February and came up with the following plan:

The number of qualifiers per class would remain the same at 12 teams.
The top four seeds in each class would receive a first-round bye.
The bracket would be double-elimination until the semifinals, guaranteeing teams at least two matches. Once teams reach the semifinals, it would be single elimination.
The tournament would be expanded from its current two-day format to three days.

Ultimately, one major plus is that every match will mean something in the bracket format. Currently, in the pool play format, there is the possibility for pools to be decided before all matches have been played, meaning some of the matches on Saturday morning have no impact on the outcome of the tournament.

The proposal has been or will be presented to at least 11 leagues during their fall meetings, and more are likely to receive information.

The volleyball committee meets on Nov. 14, and they are expected to vote on this proposal. If passed, and later approved by the Legislative Council in January, it would go into effect with the 2018 season.

The full proposal is below.

CHSAA volleyball state format proposal

Background: Over the course of a few months, a volleyball subcommittee met to take a look at the current state format. The subcommittee was made up of a mix of coaches and athletic directors from all different sized schools in various locations around the state.

The goal of the subcommittee was to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the current state format to decide if there was a format that would be better for the schools, fans, coaches, and especially the players. With that goal in mind, the subcommittee started with a list of pros and cons and then explored many different format options to see which would contain the most strengths while also eliminating the most weaknesses.

Rationale: The subcommittee set out to find a format that would meet several characteristics.

Keeping all 5 classes playing at the same location
Keeping all 5 classes playing the finals at the same time
Keeping the number of teams at the state tournament at 12
Keeping all 12 teams playing multiple matches on multiple days
Eliminating matches between teams who are already eliminated
Eliminating tiebreaker matches
Creating a Saturday schedule that keeps the number of matches realistic for teams playing in the championship
Creating a Saturday schedule that will ensure that Championship matches begin on time
Creating a schedule that is simpler for fans to understand and easier to predict for game times

It should be mentioned that while all of these characteristics were important, the most emphasis was given to Saturday’s schedule. The last two years there have been limited tiebreakers and yet the championship match has still had to be pushed back. If there is a year of several tiebreakers, the starting time for the championship matches would have to start at an unrealistic time.

The Proposal:

It was very difficult to find a format that would meet all of the criteria listed above. After exploring several options that included pool play, single elimination brackets, consolation brackets, and double elimination brackets, the format on which the committee settled was one called an Olympic Crossover Bracket. Essentially, it is a double elimination bracket that becomes single elimination bracket once teams reach the semifinals. A copy of the bracket is available below, or by clicking here.

This format offers numerous advantages. The biggest change to the state tournament would come in the fact that this bracket requires 21 matches to complete (the current format has 15). Therefore, the state tournament would become a 3-day tournament taking place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Details of the bracket:

12 teams from each classification would qualify for state. Note: Regionals will remain the same pool play format (3A-5A: 12 regional winners, 1A-2A: 8 regional winners + 4 wildcards).
The top 4 seeds get a bye to the second round.
Every team is guaranteed at least two matches.
When a team loses, they are moved from the Winner’s Bracket to the Contender’s Bracket.
The semifinals will be made up of 2 teams who win their portion of the Winner’s Bracket and 2 teams who win their portion of the Contender’s Bracket.
Once the semifinals begin, and a team loses, it is out of the bracket.

Schedule

Thursday

8 a.m.: Match A
9:30 a.m.: Match B
11 a.m.: Match C
12:30 a.m.: Match D
2 p.m.: Match E
3:30 p.m.: Match F
5 p.m.: Match G
6:30 p.m.: Match H

Friday

8:00 Match I
9:30 Match J
11:00 Match K
12:30 Match L
2:00 Match M
3:30 Match N
5:00 Match O
6:30 Match P

Saturday

8 a.m.: Match Q
9:30 a.m.: Match R
12 p.m.: Semifinal No. 1
2 p.m.: Semifinal No. 2
6 p.m.: Finals

Strengths of this format

Every team is guaranteed to play at least two matches. Every team will play on Thursday and Friday, and only the final 6 will play on Saturday.
Every team has the ability to lose one match (before the semifinals) and still come back and win it all. This is different than pool play in which most teams who lose a match are eliminated. The advantage of offering this double elimination is that even if a team gets a “bad draw” on their seeding from RPI, they still have the ability to play it out at state.
Adding a third day will increase overall attendance, and therefore revenue, for the tournament.
The schedule for Saturday is very open and simple. With only 5 matches and no chance of a tiebreaker, the finals are sure to start on time. Additionally, teams will be able to have a longer break between matches and longer warmup times on the court, encouraging a higher level of play in the final 3 matches.

Summary

This new format is certainly a change from the current pool play format. However, this new format adds a new level of excitement and comeback ability for all the teams. Additionally, there are no longer any matches between eliminated teams, thus ensuring that every one of the 21 matches will be meaningful.

The biggest change is undoubtedly the addition of a third day. There is obviously an added cost for getting the Coliseum for another day, but that should easily be offset by increased attendance. There will also be an additional cost to most teams to spend one more night in Denver.

However, the many advantages of this format really seem to outweigh the additional costs. Plus, there are already several sports that conduct their state tournament across 3 days (boys and girls basketball, boys and girls track, boys and girls tennis, wrestling, etc.).

Overall, this format would provide a healthy change to current format. There are so many great things about the CHSAA State Volleyball tournament already, and this change would simply enhance the atmosphere, experience, and competition of the tournament.