Girls volleyball: Lemont exceeds match limit, forfeits regional opener

A scheduling error has cost the Lemont girls volleyball team its postseason, per a news release sent Tuesday by the school.

“On Tuesday, October 24, the Illinois High School Association declared Lemont High School’s girls volleyball team ineligible to compete in the 2023 IHSA State Series,” the release read, stating that Lemont inadvertently played 36 matches this past regular season, one more than IHSA by-laws permit for girls volleyball teams.

Lemont has won three consecutive Class 3A regional championships and entered the postseason as the South Suburban Conference champions and with a 27-9 overall record — now 26-10 after forfeiting its final regular-season match to Chicago Christian on Oct. 18.

Lemont was scheduled to open the IHSA postseason Tuesday as a top seed in the Class 3A Lemont Sectional field. The team forfeited Tuesday’s opener of the Chicago Back of the Yards Regional to the hosts, officially scored a 25-0, 25-0 defeat.

“I am heartbroken for our players, coaches and families,” director of activities and athletics John Young said. “Understandably, they are very upset, and they have every right to be. Our student-athletes did nothing wrong.

“I am very sorry our players are forced to pay for my mistake. This was an inadvertent scheduling oversight, and not an intentional act made in an effort to subvert IHSA rules.”

Lemont also will be placed on probation by the IHSA for one year.