A season of protests, losses and lawsuits ended quietly Saturday on the volleyball court when San Jose State lost the final of the Mountain West Conference women's tournament to Colorado State.
The loss deprived San Jose State of claiming the conference's automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA tournament, which could have extended the controversy centered on the team's transgender player. Instead, top-seeded Colorado State earned the automatic bid by winning in four sets.
Less than 200 spectators attended the game at UNLV, and fans were respectful and cheering on each player during pregame introductions and during the action. The players cheered each other on throughout the game and exchanged hugs when it ended.
The only political activity came when Colorado State star player Malaya Jones and teammates Kennedy Stanford and Naeemah Weathers kneeled during the national anthem. Colorado State coach Emily Kohan told reporters that players have been kneeling before games since 2020.
“They have been taking a knee since their freshman year when the Black Lives Matter movement was underway, and in this program, we develop critical thinkers to make decisions about what is important to them,” Kohan said. “And those three are black players and it's been important to them for five years. And they have been steadfast in saying that this is something they believe in and we have all supported them.”
The focus on volleyball and sportsmanship was a welcome departure from a rollercoaster season in which four Mountain West teams (Boise State, Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada-Reno) each opted to lose or cancel two volleyball matches. the conference before the state of San José. Boise State also lost its conference tournament semifinal game to the second-seeded Spartans, who had 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 a college on the East Coast, although this is the first season opponents have protested the player's participation. The Times is not naming the player because he has not publicly identified as transgender.
The issue became public when San Jose State co-captain Brooke Slusser joined a lawsuit in September 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 policies violate Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Slusser alleges in the lawsuit that the inclusion of a transgender player represents an unfair advantage and safety risks.
The NCAA adopted new rules a year ago related to transgender athletes, who must document sport-specific testosterone levels at the start of their season and again six months later. They must also document testosterone levels four weeks before championship selections.
“We are steadfast in our support of transgender student-athletes and in promoting equity in college sports,” said John DeGioia, chair of the NCAA Board of Governors and president of Georgetown. “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.”
However, the schools that lost the volleyball games have the support of their state politicians. Idaho's Republican Gov. Brad Little recently signed an executive order banning sports teams at Boise State and other public schools in the state from playing teams with transgender athletes.
San Jose State had to rebuild its season against opponents willing to play. The state of Colorado was one of them.
“Our team played its heart out today, as it has 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 have ever experienced and I know this is also true for many of our players and staff who have supported us throughout. “My priorities have been to maintain our focus on the court and ensure the safety and overall well-being of my players amid the external noise.”
Slusser, San Jose State associate head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose and 10 other current and former players filed another lawsuit on Nov. 13 seeking to remove the transgender player before the conference tournament, claiming her Inclusion violated Title IX rights for gender equity in federally funded institutions. But last Monday a federal judge rejected the lawsuit, and a day later, another judge rejected Slusser's appeal.
The transgender player took the court alongside Slusser and San Jose State was defeated, ending a turbulent season that Kress said included attacks on social media.
“Our team was prepared and ready to play each game in accordance with the rules of the game established by the Mountain West and the NCAA,” Kress said in his statement. “We do not take away anyone's opportunity to participate. Unfortunately, others who have played this same team for years without incident chose not to play us this season.
“To be clear, we did not celebrate a single win by loss. Instead, we prepare for the consequences. “Each loss announcement unleashed egregious, hateful messages that individuals chose to send directly to our student-athletes, our coaching staff, and many associated with our program.”
