Controversy surrounding the San Jose State women’s volleyball team is ramping up as the Mountain West tournament approaches.
The Spartans (13-5, 11-5 MW) are second in the conference behind Colorado State (16-8, 12-2). Six of San Jose State’s conference wins came from four schools forfeiting in protest against the participation of transgender athletes in sports.
The latest cancellation came from Wyoming (14-10, 6-9) on Friday for a match scheduled for Thursday. It was Wyoming’s second forfeiture to San Jose State this season, all but eliminating the Cowgirls’ postseason chances.
The top six of 11 teams will advance to the conference tournament Nov. 27 to 30 at Cox Pavilion.
UNLV is hosting the tournament but unlikely to play. The Rebels (12-13, 5-9) have defeated San Jose State twice but are eighth in the standings, one spot behind Wyoming.
Forfeitures
Boise State has already issued its second forfeiture to San Jose State before the regular-season finale scheduled for Nov. 21. Utah State and UNR are the other Mountain West schools that refused to play the Spartans.
Southern Utah also withdrew from a match against the Spartans during a tournament Sept. 14.
The forfeitures started to grow when Spartans co-captain Brooke Slusser joined a lawsuit against the NCAA’s inclusion policies on Sept. 23, saying she wants teammate Blaire Fleming removed from the team on the allegation she is transgender.
Fleming, a 6-foot-1-inch senior outside hitter, has not spoken publicly about her gender identity. Neither has San Jose State.
The NCAA’s and Mountain West’s athletic eligibility standards do not exclude transgender athletes from competing. The policies mirror Olympic standards.
Outside pressure
Emails obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle show that Wyoming initially forfeited its Oct. 5 match to San Jose State after being pressured by outside sources.
A thread between Wyoming assistant coach Becky Baker and coach Nicole Prigge on Oct. 2 said players voted in favor of playing the match.
Before that, Mountain West school officials and athletic personnel reportedly received a two-page email from a redacted sender who urged against playing the Spartans, in part due to player safety. The email was sent on the same day Slusser joined the lawsuit.
On Sept. 26, a former Wyoming player reportedly also sent a similar email to the school.
Emails continued, leading Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman to respond to one and say there is no safety issue because the team had played against the alleged transgender player for the past two seasons.
An open letter from Wyoming Sen. Cheri Steinmet, distributed by the Wyoming Press Association, was sent to the university and Burman on Oct. 1, asking the team not to play.
Players were eventually asked by university officials to vote again. The next morning, an athletic official sent an email saying the players were split in a 9-9-1 vote but would forfeit.
Further emails between team officials discussed influence from higher-ups and politicians, as well as discontent from players about the decision and a subsequent statement from the university regarding the forfeiture.
“Don’t think it’s going to go over well … essentially saying we chose this,” Burman wrote in an email. “I imagine several girls are going to find me because they are pissed.”
Protests
At least 15 protesters showed up when San Diego State played Saturday at San Jose State, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Aztecs won 3-1.
Some held up a large “Save women’s sports” banner, while others chanted “No men in women’s sports,” reportedly becoming louder and more frequent when Fleming served.
Dave Noll, San Diego State’s associate athletic director of operations and events, reportedly had a tense interaction with one of the protesters, which led to a fan intervening in Noll’s defense before a police officer got involved. The group stopped chanting afterward.
The Rebels dealt with less intense protests when they visited the Spartans on Oct. 12. When they hosted San Jose State on Thursday, there wasn’t a single controversial sign or chant.
UNLV captain Chloe Thomas said after the home match that she hoped the conference had seen the last of the protests, which now seem likely to continue.
Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at [email protected]. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
