New WIAA rule allows for much better flexibility in Washington high school volleyball scheduling

In the next few months, you can add a little more set, spike and dig to your high school volleyball diet.

Starting in 2020-21, high school volleyball programs in the state of Washington can now add two more matches to their regular-season schedule, bringing the total to 18.

That was one of the 18 amendments ratified by the WIAA representative assembly for the upcoming season. It passed by a 22-12-1 vote.

"It's pretty cool ... because most of us (volleyball coaches) were geared up that is was a 'No,'" longtime Puyallup High School volleyball coach Tony Batinovich said. "But this helps."

The two additional matches should give volleyball coaches more flexibility it scheduling, whether it is picking up a pair of non-league matches, or gives them the green light to play league opponents a second time around - or even opens the door to the possibility of entering multiple in-season invitational tournaments.

Increasing the scheduling capacity was on the minds of 4A SPSL volleyball coaches at the preseason meeting. They asked league commissioner Suzanne Vick, the athletic director at Curtis High School, to write up an amendment draft.

The 4A SPSL submitted the proposal to the WIAA representative assembly in December. Vick made a presentation at the winter coalition - and it passed last Friday.

"I'd totally utilize every single match available now that we have 18 of them," said Sabrina Dobbs, coach of Class 2A state champion Ridgefield High School. "I am glad we are doing things to make our sport better."