Spalding, SLIAC postpone soccer, volleyball seasons to spring 2021 as COVID-19 precaution

Spalding University will join fellow members of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in postponing the seasons for men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball from fall 2020 to spring 2021. The SLIAC Presidents’ Council voted to approve the move as a safety measure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s golf will be allowed to have limited competitions during the fall of 2020 while following the directives of local, state and national health organizations, the SLIAC announced.

Spalding’s soccer and volleyball teams will be allowed to hold nontraditional seasons this fall while consistently following health and safety protocols. Nontraditional athletic activities may include individual and team skill instruction, practice, leadership development, strength training and scrimmages.

“The safety of our student-athletes will always be our top priority,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “Moving soccer and volleyball season to the spring is a responsible step by the SLIAC to protect students while still giving them the chance months from now to participate in the competitions that they love and that are at the heart of the college experience for so many in Division III.”

Spalding Athletic Director Roger Burkman said, “The SLIAC’s decision to move soccer and volleyball to the spring is a positive solution that keeps our student-athletes safe, preserves their ability to have a season and gives our country more time to get this pandemic under control. Our soccer and volleyball players can use this fall as an opportunity to focus on academics while using the nontraditional fall season to stay safely engaged with their teams and developing as individual athletes.”

Specific details on rescheduled seasons, contests and championships will be discussed by the conference and announced at a later date. Winter sports schedules currently remain unchanged but will be evaluated as the conference approaches their respective start dates.