Volleyball three-class system implemented for 2025 season
For the first time since volleyball was implemented as a high school sport before the 1988-89 term, North Dakota will have three classes for the sport. The North Dakota High School Activities Association approved a plan for a three-class system in volleyball in September 2023, and the plan will be implemented for the start of the 2025 season.
The system will mirror the three-class system the NDHSAA has used for boys and girls basketball since the 2023-24 term, where it created a new class (AA), made up of 19 high schools with the highest enrollments (650 or higher). Class A, which served as the highest class for volleyball in North Dakota for 37 seasons, is now the “middle class,” and it will consist of high schools with an enrollment of 162.5 to 649 students. This includes five schools that remained in Class A, and 23 schools that moved up from Class B. High schools with enrollments from 100-399 students that are situated in a city with at least one Class AA school will also be included in the Class A division.
The remaining high schools (enrollments of 162.5 or lower) will make up the Class B division. Former Region 5 teams—Center-Stanton, Central McLean, Flasher, Garrison, Mandaree, New Salem-Almont, Standing Rock Community, Washburn, White Shield and Wilton-Wing—are among 75 schools that will remain in Class B, but the district, region and state format they are accustomed to will change dramatically this season.
The number of regions in Class B was reduced from eight to four, and the number of districts will be reduced from 12 to eight (four regions did not have districts last season).