We continue to receive inquiries about the status of volleyball in IREVA. Some of these are of the nature of “what is IREVA’s policy?” The answer is, as Kelly McGillis once said, “this is going to be complicated.”

Here’s what we can tell you:

IREVA doesn’t have a policy per se. Each County has its own policy on group and sport activities, all subject to State guidance and limitations. Furthermore, each facility owner will have their own policy, all subject to State and local limitations. [NFHS and NYSPHSAA guidelines do not directly affect our clubs, but they may be factors that facility owners consider.] What’s worse, those policies are subject to change day-to-day based on State and local conditions. Clubs are responsible for determining what is applicable to their situation and staying up-to-date.

We disagree with the NYSDOH decision to classify volleyball as high risk, apparently without consideration of mitigation strategies, but it is what it is. Inquiries were made and rejected.

IREVA will sanction events on request. We assume that clubs requesting a sanction will comply with all State and local mandates and take all appropriate precautions. Given the wide variety of situations in our area, it’s no surprise that some clubs are active and some are not.  If you have questions on sanctioning a practice or a tournament, please contact Scott Wilhelm at tournament@ireva.org.

Here are some events that are being planned, to keep in mind:

• IREVA will host Junior Regionals May 15-16, 2021

• USAV will host Girls Junior Indoor Nationals

• USAV will host Boys Junior Indoor Regionals

• USAV will host Adults Indoor Nationals

• USAV will host Junior Beach Nationals – TBA. The BNQ schedule is available.

• IREVA has not yet made a decision about our BNQ or HP programs for 2021.

FYI – in case you’re not aware, some D-I college conferences are proceeding with volleyball as a fall sport. If your cable provider offers ESPNU, ACC, SEC, Longhorn, and/or various FoxSports networks, take a look. You’ll see a variety of masks, sanitation, and spectator policies, as well as some quality volleyball.

Links to: 
NYSDOH guidelines 
USAV guidelines and resources, 
NFHS guidelines, 
NYSPHSAA guidelines, 

[all information as of 11/20/2020]