Season over for suburban Chicago volleyball team, disqualified over counting error
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Game over.
Actually, it's season over for a suburban high school volleyball team.
A judge late Thursday afternoon served up the final blow.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports from Lemont High School where it all comes down to a counting error.
Playing one game too many led to the end of the season for Lemont High School Girls Volleyball.
The team's quest to compete in the 2023 Illinois High School Association State Series is no more.
The IHSA declared the girls' team ineligible for violating the IHSA's contest limitation by-law, which said teams can't play more than 35 matches in a season.
Lemont High School played 36.
The judge said the team violated the rules. The lawyer for the IHSA said this was an issue of the school not following the rules.
The lawyer representing the school's interest said there was a clerical error and a mistake made in a handwritten document.
And now the book is being thrown at the girls, so they're not allowed to be in the state playoffs.
"I agree with the IHSA lawyer in that we did violate the rules. But I also agree with our lawyer in that it was a clerical error made by the adults, the administration, not the players. And the players are the ones being punished. This is just a terrible ending to an amazing season," said Lemont High School volleyball player Lydia Pelen.
"We're a strong group of parents, a strong group of players, student-athletes. And I think we're going to continue fighting for not only our team but all the teams in the IHSA who deserve better than what happened today," said Scott Swiderski, father of a Lemont High School volleyball player.
Lemont High School issued a statement saying they respect the judge's decision but they are disappointed with the outcome, adding that the school pursued every reasonable option to give their student-athletes the opportunity to continue their season.
And they're really sorry that did not happen.
CBS 2 received a statement from the parents of the Lemont Girls Volleyball Team:
We are saddened by the Judge's ruling this afternoon and the finality that it brings to our magical season and that of our seniors. We are further saddened by the continued decision of the IHSA to punish the children for the actions and errors of adults.
We pursued this so passionately not only for our athletes but also for EVERY Illinois HS athlete. We seek fairness, equity, and consistency in the IHSA governance of the rules and the consequences they put forth. Through this process, it has come to light that gross inconsistencies exist in the way the IHSA issues consequences. This impacts every High School athlete in Illinois.
The IHSA's reason for being should always come back to what is best for student-athletes.
The IHSA needs to reflect on their decision and what it does to our students' well-being, mental health, and continued interest in athletics.
Changes need to be made.
We at Lemont will ensure that this situation never happens to another student-athlete in the state of Illinois. We are grateful for the support we have received locally, within the State of Illinois, and throughout the country.
The complete statement from Lemont High School sent to CBS 2:
We respect the judge's decision, but of course are disappointed in this outcome. We have pursued every reasonable option on behalf of our student-athletes to give them an opportunity to continue their season. We are truly sorry that despite these efforts, they will not be able to do so.