Today, the ITA and the NCAA have announced a one-year, joint pilot of the 7-point dual match scoring format for Division III tennis during the 2024-25 season. The pilot will be mandatory for all 2024-25 ITA non-conference dual matches and will also take place at the 2025 NCAA Division III Championships. As per ITA rules, individual conferences will continue to determine which scoring format (9-point or 7-point) they will use during conference play. At the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, a survey of the membership will be conducted with both the ITA and NCAA then making a final decision on whether to make the proposed format an official rules change.
For several years the ITA Division III Operating Committee has been exploring potential changes to the Division III scoring format. These efforts have been aimed at addressing dual match duration and the growing calls from Division III coaches, administrators, and conference officials to consider scoring format changes aimed at reducing the overall time it takes to complete a collegiate tennis dual match. The ITA Division III Operating Committee has also placed additional focus on the issue of assigning appropriate value to all segments of a dual match. More specifically, addressing the current over-valuing of the doubles segment compared to the singles segment and establishing consistency across both the doubles and singles segments where winning 2 out of 3 sets constitutes one team point.
Following extensive work on this issue during the 2024 spring semester, including a survey of Division III stakeholders, the NCAA and ITA have agreed that a joint pilot will provide a great opportunity for the entirety of the Division III membership to experience the format and will ultimately result in a membership better equipped to process and provide feedback on this issue moving forward.
Therefore, during the 2024-25 season, the following format shall be used for all ITA Division III non-conference dual matches and for the 2025 NCAA Division III Tennis Championships:
Dual Match Team Score: Seven team points. The team that wins two of the three doubles matches receives one point. Each singles match is worth one point. Four or more points are required to win the dual match.
Order of Play: Three doubles followed by six singles. The format is three 6-game set doubles matches with a 7-point tiebreak at 6-all. Doubles will be followed by six best-of-three set singles matches.
Play-Play Format (ITA Division III Non-Conference Dual Matches Only)
Doubles – For Division III, all doubles matches shall be played to completion unless both coaches agree otherwise prior to the start of the dual match.
Singles – For Division III, all singles matches shall be played to completion unless both coaches agree otherwise prior to the start of the dual match.
Note: The “play-play” format will be the default format for all non-conference play. Conferences and team tournaments (ITA Team Indoor Championships, NCAA Championships, etc.) can still set their own policies related to play-play, clinch-play, or clinch-clinch formats. Reasons both coaches might opt-in to the clinch-play or clinch-clinch format include situations involving the need to further preserve time (double-headers, playing on less than 6 courts, long-distance travel, etc.) or preserve player energy (team championships playing on consecutive days). The ITA office will look to confirm the format intentions of each Division III conference during the month of August.
