2024/25 NDHSAA Tennis Regulations

NDHSAA Tennis Regulations

New regulations for 2024/25:

Play #2

Regional and State Tournaments #7

USTA Rules are in effect for all NDHSAA tournaments with the exception of the following NDHSAA regulations

Administrative

1. Participating schools/coops are placed in one class of tennis in two regions. Region assignments are by Board action.
2. Each season begins on the date set by the Board and concludes with the State Tournament. Each season shall be no less than 9 weeks in length.
3. There shall be at least 9 daily practice sessions prior to the first meet.

1. Individual participants must have participated in at least 9 daily practice sessions before being permitted to participate in an interscholastic contest.

4. Each head coach of girls and boys tennis is required to complete the NDHSAA rules clinic within the clinic window. Failure to complete will result in a $50 fine.
5. Participants are required to wear appropriate school/coop identifying uniforms. Appropriate attire is expected including unaltered top with sleeves or sleeveless top if tailored by the manufacturer. Team members are not required to dress identically, though school/coop identification is expected, and similar colors are desirable. Attire deemed inappropriate includes: ragged or cut-off jeans or shorts, tank tops (including tops that do not cover the waist), torn shirts, tennis dresses and/or shirts with spaghetti straps.
6. In the event indoor facilities are used for regional competition, rent will be paid by NDHSAA.

Play

1. Sportsmanlike conduct is expected. The penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct shall be:

1. First offense - Point penalty
2. Second offense - Game penalty
3. Third offense - Disqualification.
4. Following the 3rd offense - NDHSAA Constitution and By-Law rules concerning player/coach ejection shall be implemented.

2. No ad scoring will be used for team and individual region and state tournaments. All championship and consolation matches will be two of three set matches with a super tiebreaker in lieu of third set with the following exceptions:

1. Full third sets will be played out for region and state individual tournament semifinal matches and championship match. A player optional 10-minute break between the second and third set is allowed.
2. Tournament formats should change to be within USTA match restrictions. Tournament formats may change based on weather, timeframe to include rest restrictions, unusual circumstances, etc. The tournament manager shall make the determination when warranted on alternative match formats following these progressions while attempting to keep the same format for each match round:

1. Clinched Team Matches:

1. Short sets (score starts at 2-2) for new first and second sets.
2. Terminate remaining matches.

2. Championship Brackets:

1. Super tiebreaker in lieu of third set.
2. Short sets with super tiebreaker in lieu of third set.

3. Consolation Brackets:

1. Short sets with super tiebreaker in lieu of third set.
2. Elimination of the consolation bracket.

3. A player may not use or wear any technology within a match unless for medical reasons. If a player is wearing technology, that player will be asked to remove it. A player using technology will be penalized as per unsportsmanlike conduct.
4. Suspended dual matches are to be finished as soon as possible with the same lineups and scores. If time between start and conclusion is significant, line-ups may change with mutual consent of head coaches.
5. If a regular season or play-in match line-up is disputed, the NDHSAA office shall be notified of the protest within 24 hours of the completion of said match. NDHSAA will provide the line-up in question to coaches within the region, with the exception of the coach of the disputed line-up. Coaches will vote on the protest and if upheld by a majority, the offending team will forfeit all matches in question. This will be reflected in the seeding for team day. Records of challenge matches may be used to verify line-ups and shall supersede the protest leaving the line-up to stand as originally listed.
6. Regions form their own tie-break criteria.

1. If no criteria is formulated, ties will be decided by the total number of matches lost by each team in only the three matches involving tied teams.

7. In case of ties in regional and state matches, a 12-point tie-breaker will be used.

Regional and State Tournaments

1. The region tournaments will be 3-day event with the following schedule:

1. Region play begins Thursday morning with team play. All team play to be completed on Thursday and individuals to be completed on Friday and Saturday. Friday and Saturday play begins at 9:00 am.

2. The state tournament will be a 3-day event with team competition play being held no earlier than 10:00 AM on the first day and singles and doubles competition following team competition.

1. Schedule for the state tournament – State play begins Thursday with coaches’ meeting at 9:00 AM and play at 10:00 AM. Friday and Saturday play begins at 9:00 am.

3. Practice may be held prior to the time of the coaches’ meeting on the first day of the state tournament.
4. New balls shall be provided for all matches at region and state tournaments.
5. Host tournament management will provide portable score cards at all court sites for region and state tournaments.
6. Regional/state rosters are limited to a maximum of 12 players. Team rosters including head coach(es) and assistant coach(es) shall be electronically submitted on the prescribed form to the NDHSAA office and the region tournament manager by NOON Wednesday of the week preceding the week of the region tournament (a week and a half before region tournament). Any changes in the individual entry or the team roster from the listing on the original entry form must be submitted to the meet manager in writing prior to the seed meeting of the individual or team tournament.

1. NOTE: School/coop authorized coaching staff must be included on the entry form. Only coaches listed will be authorized to approach players for the purpose of coaching during the allowable times in a match.

7. Minimum rest time offered after a regular singles match set is 60 minutes. Minimum rest time offered after a short sets singles match or a doubles match is 30 minutes. Minimum rest time offered between the individual singles semifinals and championship/3rd place match is two hours if the semifinal match lasted more than two hours. Tournament managers can lengthen the rest time offered. Players with their coaches can choose to not use the full offered rest time.
8. The championship match in each respective division shall begin 1 hour after the start of the consolation championship and third place matches, unless inclement weather alters the tournament schedule.
9. Unless unusual circumstances influence scheduling, awards presentations shall take place upon completion of all competition on individual day.
10. If a member of a state qualifying team becomes ineligible between qualifying for the state tournament and the beginning of the state tournament for any reason, the player may be replaced with a player of equal or lower ranking.
11. Team Competition

1. Region and State team competition will consist of two doubles teams and three singles from each school/coop.
2. Region tournament winners of consolation semifinals cross bracket and play the losers of the championship semifinals. The winners of these two matches receive a state tournament berth. Of these two teams, the team that came into the region tournament as the higher seed will receive the higher seed placement for the state tournament.  If the 3rd and 4th place state qualifying teams at the Region tournament met in the first round, the winner of the first round will receive the higher seed in the State Tournament.
3. In the event that a team cannot play all five matches simultaneously, court assignments shall be in the following order: #3 singles, #2 doubles, #2 singles, #1 singles, #1 doubles.
4. Line-ups for regional and state team competition may be changed from match to match as follows:

1. Line-ups shall be submitted at the time of court assignments for that particular round. These line-ups will not be revealed until both have been received.
2. Line-ups submitted must be selected from the seven to twelve participant roster submitted to the NDHSAA and/or Tournament Manager prior to the start of the regional or state team competition.
3. Substitutions on the original team roster may be made by notifying the NDHSAA or Tournament Manager prior to the start of the regional or state competition.
4. Coaches must place their best singles player in the number 1 singles spot, their best doubles players in the number 1 doubles spot, etc. in the line-up submitted for a match.
5. Once line-ups are submitted, no substitutions may be made for that round.
6. At the coaches’ meeting prior to the first round of team competition at the state tournament, the head coach of each participating team shall present their rosters for exchange and review. Submitted ranked rosters will be used on all subsequent matches for checking team line-up. Majority vote of the seven coaches reviewing each team shall prevail.

5. For the first-round team-day court assignments of the state tournament, the #1 East seed shall have their choice of indoor or outdoor courts, if used, in even years and the #1 West seed shall have their choice of indoor or outdoor courts, if used, in odd years.

12. Individual Competition

1. Each school/team is permitted three singles-event entries and two doubles team-event entries in the individual portion of the regional tournament, with all groups competing against one another. The doubles will be one group and singles will be one group, not separate divisions for No. 1, 2 and 3 singles nor for No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Coaches must place the best of their three singles players in the No. 1 singles spot, the best of their two doubles team in the No. 1 doubles spot, etc. Contestants may not enter both the singles and doubles events. Schools/coops may enter contestants in the singles or doubles competition on individual day without entering a full team on team day.

13. Officials

One USTA Official will be hired for each region and state tournament (insofar as possible).  The region/state official will work with the region/state manager to provide a safe and secure environment and assist in maintaining appropriate conduct standards by spectators, coaches and participants.  The duties of the region/state official will be that of a roving umpire.  They will exercise jurisdiction over all courts and their duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. ensure assigned courts are ready for play;

2. enforce warm-up and change-over times;

3. enforce the NDHSAA Conduct Point Penalty System;

4. resolve scoring disputes;

5. overrule line calls and call foot faults when in direct observation of a court;

6. avoid staying on one court, and officiate all courts uniformly;

7. be highly visible, but don't spy on the player.  

NOTE: If the NDHSAA is not able to secure a USTA official, a qualified tennis professional will be available at the region/state site. The region/state official will not be assigned to call lines during a match. They will be responsible to assign an assistant coach or other qualified, uninvolved individual to call lines, if needed.