The University of Nevada’s women’s volleyball team has announced that it will not compete against San Jose State because the “female” team includes a male player.
On Monday, Nevada released a statement confirming that the decision has been made to forfeit an upcoming women’s volleyball match against San Jose State University.
San Jose State has been the center of controversy due to a male player on its roster who claims to be a “transgender woman.”
However, officials from the University of Nevada, Reno asserted that they wanted the game to go ahead but the players refused.
On Monday, OutKick reported that the Wolf Pack players voted on whether they would face the Spartans on October 26.
Nevada had previously issued a statement to OutKick from the athletic department, which stated the school would play the scheduled match.
Nevertheless, the players voted for a forfeit, despite the previous statement.
The university’s statement on the matter solidifies the forfeit.
However, the university says the players were the ones who made the decision.
Nevada officials insisted that the decision does not “represent the position of the University.”
On October 13, 2024, the majority of members of the Nevada women’s volleyball team sent a statement to the University.
The letter advised the institution that the players were forfeiting its scheduled match with San Jose State University on October 26, 2024.
“The players’ decision and statement were made independently, and without consultation with the University or the athletic department,” the statement read.
“The players’ decision also does not represent the position of the University.
“The University and its athletic programs are governed by the Nevada Constitution and Nevada law, which strictly protect equality of rights under the law, and that equality of rights shall not be denied or abridged by this state or any of its subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin.
“The University is also governed by federal law as well as the rules and regulations of the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference, which include providing competition in an inclusive and supportive environment.
“The University intends to move forward with the match as scheduled, and the players may choose not to participate in the match on the day of the contest.
“No players will be subject to any team disciplinary action for their decision not to participate in the match.”
So, unlike other universities that forfeited against the Spartans, the Wolf Pack will not be forfeiting before players step on the court.
It will happen the day of, which is at their home Virginia Street Gym in Reno.
The team wrote OutKick an exclusive statement of their own on the matter.
In the statement, the players demanded “our right to safety and fair competition on the court.”
The team’s statement reads:
“We, the University of Nevada Reno women’s volleyball team, forfeit against San Jose State University and stand united in solidarity with the volleyball teams of Southern Utah University, Boise State University, the University of Wyoming, and Utah State University.
“We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld. We refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes.”
Sia Liilii, a senior on the Wolf Pack, also told OutKick that the team wasn’t happy when the university committed to the match against the Spartans without consulting with them.
“We were actually in Las Vegas preparing for our match against UNLV, our in-state rival,” she said.
“It was a really frustrating time, especially because we were about to go and play a big game.”
Despite the university’s stance, it’s safe to assume this game will end up in a forfeit, which would make the Wolf Pack the fifth school to do so.
They would join Southern Utah, the first school to forfeit, Boise State, Wyoming, and Utah State.
The forfeits are due to San Jose State having transgender Blaire Fleming, a male player, on the roster.
Fleming, who is in his third year with the Spartans, has been a key contributor to San Jose State’s 9-3 start to the season.
They went 9-0 to begin the year before suffering three straight losses to Colorado State, San Diego State, and UNLV.
San Jose State’s head coach Todd Kress recently told members of the media that his players have been receiving hate mail during this controversy, calling it “disgusting.”
“Concentrating on what we can do on the court has, quite frankly, been very tough lately,” Kress said.
“There have been outside forces who have sought to divide our team, our university, our conference and our sport.
“I know it’s been weighing on the players in our locker room who have put in years of hard work.
“We have an incredible group of young women who are trying to put the controversy aside.”