A season of protests, forfeitures and lawsuits came to a quiet end Saturday on the volleyball courts, with San Jose State losing to Colorado State in the Mountain West Conference women’s tournament finals.
The loss stripped San Jose State of its conference’s automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Tournament and could have further escalated the controversy surrounding the team’s transgender players. Instead, top-seeded Colorado State won in four sets to earn the automatic bid.
Although fewer than 200 people attended the game at UNLV, the fans showed their respect and cheered on every player during pregame introductions and during the game. The players encouraged each other during the game and hugged each other after the game.
The only political act occurred when Colorado State University star Malaya Jones and teammates Kennedy Stanford and Naima Weathers knelt during the national anthem. Colorado State coach Emily Cohan told reporters that her players have been kneeling before games since 2020.
“They’ve been taking a knee since first grade when the Black Lives Matter movement was happening. This program develops critical thinkers who can decide what’s important to them,” Cohan said. . “And for these three Black players, they’ve been important for five years. And they’ve said this is what they believe in, and we’ve all supported them.”
The focus on volleyball and sportsmanship was a roller coaster that saw four Mountain West teams (Boise State, Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada-Reno) each forfeit or cancel two conference games against San Jose State. It was a welcome departure from the season. Boise State also forfeited its conference tournament semifinal game against the second-seeded Spartans, who received a first-round bye and only played one game in the tournament.
The transgender player has been on San Jose State’s roster for three seasons after transferring from an East Coast university, but this season marks the first time an opponent has protested his participation. The athlete’s name is not being published because the Times does not publicly identify him as transgender.
The issue became public in September when San Jose State co-captain Brooke Slusser joined a lawsuit against the NCAA filed by former All-American swimmer and anti-trans athlete activist Riley Gaines. The lawsuit alleges that the NCAA’s transgender eligibility rules violate Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Slusser argued in his lawsuit that transgender athletes’ participation would provide an unfair advantage and pose a safety risk.
A year ago, the NCAA introduced new rules regarding transgender athletes, requiring them to document their sport-specific testosterone levels at the beginning of the season and six months later. Testosterone levels must also be recorded four weeks prior to championship selection.
“We are steadfastly committed to supporting transgender student-athletes and promoting equity across college sports,” said NCAA Board of Governors and Georgetown President John DeGioia. “It is important that NCAA member schools, conferences, and college athletes compete in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment and can move forward with a clear understanding of the new policy.”
Nevertheless, schools that canceled volleyball games have support from state politicians. Idaho’s Republican governor, Brad Little, recently signed an executive order banning Boise State and other public school sports teams in the state from playing teams with transgender athletes.
San Jose State had to put together a season against an opponent willing to play. Colorado State University was one of them.
“Today’s team played as hard as they have all season,” San Jose State coach Todd Kress said in a statement after the conference tournament loss. “This has been one of the most difficult seasons I’ve ever experienced, and I know it’s the same for many of our players and the staff who have supported us all along. Court My priority was to maintain focus and ensure the overall safety and well-being of our players despite the outside noise.”
Slusser, San Jose State associate head coach Melissa Batty-Smooth, and 10 other current and former players filed a lawsuit Nov. 13 arguing that her participation violated Title IX rights for gender equality. , filed a separate lawsuit aimed at excluding transgender players ahead of the conference tournament. A federally funded agency. But a federal judge dismissed the case last Monday, and a different judge rejected Slusser’s appeal the next day.
The transgender player took the court with Slasher, ending a tumultuous season that included a loss to San Jose State and, according to Kress, attacks on social media.
“Our team prepared for each game and was ready to play in accordance with established Mountain West and NCAA competition rules,” Kress said in a statement. “We did not deprive anyone of the opportunity to participate. Sadly, other players who have played with the same team for years without incident have chosen not to play with us this season.
“To be clear, we have never celebrated a victory by forfeit. Instead, we prepared for the fallout. Every time a disqualification is announced, individuals, student-athletes, A horrifying and hateful message was unleashed that he chose to send directly to the coaching staff and many others associated with the program.”
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