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The following is an editorial by Content Manager Travis Wilson and does not reflect the views or opinions of Wisconsin Sports Network, its employees, or its sponsors.

The WIAA along with the National Federation of High Schools have placed an increased emphasis on student-athlete safety, correctly so. The WIAA has multiple pages on its website devoted to safety and health-related situations, with a heavy emphasis on preventative care and avoiding dangerous or hazardous situations.

This makes a recent WIAA decision regarding a state volleyball team all the more confusing, and downright disappointing.

The Richland Center girls volleyball team traveled to McFarland for the McFarland Invite back on Saturday, September 3rd. The Hornets played well that day, winning their pool and advancing to the championship of tournament play. It was in the championship match against the host Spartans that things got messy, or slippery as it were.

Temperatures had been in the upper 80's and low 90's in the days leading up to the tournament, with rain on Friday night and Saturday morning. With dozens of players competing in the gym and spectators lining the bleachers, the facility soon saw an increased humidity. According to the Richland Observer, Richland Center coach Laura Selgeby indicated the floor began to become quite slippery in spots.

Prior to the championship match, Selgeby requested that the match official move the contest to another court that did not have moisture problems. The official indicated he did not have the authority to do so. As the match progressed, players had difficulty maintaining their footing due to slippery conditions. It became worse as the match progressed, until the final set resulted in several players going down, and two athletes suffering injuries that required them to be removed from the contest.

With the teams tied at one set apiece, Richland Center trailed McFarland 10-7 in the final set when a near injury to a Hornet player led Selgeby to inform the match official that she was withdrawing her team from the court and would not be continuing. Richland Center was therefore forced to forfeit.

Selgeby immediately informed the WIAA, RCHS principal Heather Fitzloff, and athletic director Jon Bosworth. The Richland Center staff supported her decision to place her team's safety ahead of a possible early season tournament victory. Hornet players and parents also supported the decision.

The WIAA saw it differently. They indicated the match official was the only person with the authority to move or end the match, and placed the Richland Center volleyball team on probation.

The probation does not carry any immediate penalties, but according to Bosworth is "...a black eye on an otherwise respected program," as he told the Observer. Also, the probation decision could have larger repercussions and possible penalties if there were other problems in the future.

The WIAA does allow the decision to be appealed, and the Richland School District recently voted to proceed with an appeal to the WIAA Board of Control.

While an appeal process is welcomed, it simply should not have come even close to that. Common sense would dictate that safety, as the WIAA has stressed so often, should be paramount when it comes to high school student-athletes. Considering injuries had already occurred, the Hornets' decision to withdraw should have been commended, not punished. Furthermore, there is nothing accomplished by placing a probationary tag on the program; it was an early season tournament where no one was harmed or otherwise effected by the withdrawal.

Hopefully the WIAA Board of Control recognizes this, and not only removes the probation tag, but issues a much deserved apology to Coach Selgeby and the program.