LOGAN, Utah — The Utah State women's volleyball team became the fourth program to cancel a game against San Jose State for unspecified reasons.
The Aggies announced Wednesday the decision to forfeit their Oct. 23 Mountain West Conference game. Boise State already lost its Sept. 28 game against the Spartans, and Wyoming did the same this week, announcing that Saturday's scheduled game was now a 3-0 win for San Jose State.
On September 14, Southern Utah became the first school not to take the floor against San Jose State, with the result listed as “cancelled” on the conference website. An email sent to Southern Utah was not returned. In follow-up emails to Boise State and Wyoming, the schools referenced their original statements.
Political figures from Wyoming, Idaho and Utah have weighed in and suggested the losses center around protecting women's sports.
The Spartans finally took the field Thursday night against Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colorado. They looked rusty in their return to action for the first time in over a week, losing 25-18, 25-20, 25-20.
“I went up to (Colorado State coach) Emily (Kohan) and said, 'Should I thank you for playing against us tonight?'” said San Jose State coach Todd Kress, whose team had won nine games in a row to start the season. before the three-set loss to the Rams. “I meant it because, of course, we are disappointed because we are losing opportunities to play. But it is not just us who are losing opportunities to play, it is the people who choose not to play against us. That is very unfortunate when “It's about these young women who have earned the right to step on the field and play.”
Before playing Thursday, the Rams (7-6, 3-0) had a team conversation about the situation.
“We decided to prioritize our unity and our pursuit of a conference championship and try to make our mark by playing,” Kohan said.
The Spartans won't play again until Oct. 10 at home against San Diego State.
“This team is one of my favorites, as far as who they are as human beings,” Kress said. “They are amazing people. I love each and every one of them, and they have bonded with each other.
“I'm not sure any team I've coached in the past will be able to handle some of the external pressures we've had to deal with, but we've done an incredible job of doing it.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
