LAS VEGAS – The San Jose State women's volleyball team lost its bid for the Mountain West Conference championship on Saturday, ending a season filled with controversy, losses and protests.
Top-seeded Colorado State (20-10) defeated the second-seeded Spartans (14-6) in four sets (27-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-16) to claim the automatic bid to conference to the 64-team NCAA tournament in front of a sparse crowd of about 200 people.
Mountain West Player of the Year Malaya Jones led the Rams with 26 kills, 9 kills and 3 blocks. Colorado State point guard Emery Herman, who had 50 assists and 16 digs, was named MVP.
“I'm so proud of us,” Rams coach Emily Kohan said. “We stuck together through a lot of things and against a lot of negative energy. We controlled our own destiny and I think we made a statement in the process.”
Once the ball hit the court for Colorado State's final point, a San Jose State team that brought energy and togetherness throughout the game dispersed after a brief group hug. Coach Todd Kress was sitting on the bench looking at his clipboard. Co-captain and point guard Brooke Slusser, who is part of two lawsuits over the eligibility of a teammate she says is transgender, walked off the court and into the hallway.
“Our team played their hearts out today, as they have all season,” Kress said in a statement. “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 the staff who have been supporting us the entire time. Maintain our focus on the court and ensure overall safety.” “The well-being of my players amidst the external noise has been my priorities.”
Five teams, including four from the Mountain West, have canceled or forfeited games against the Spartans this season. Neither school explicitly stated a reason, but players from Nevada, one of the schools set to be disenfranchised, held a rally on Oct. 26 instead of playing their scheduled game against San Jose State to argue that transgender women They should be excluded from women's sports. .
The volleyball player has not discussed her identity and San Jose State has not commented on her identity due to federal privacy laws. ESPN is not naming the player.
“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' statement read. “We did not take away anyone's opportunity to participate. Unfortunately, others who for years have played this same team without incident chose not to play us this season. To be clear, we do not celebrate a single win by loss. Instead, we prepared for The fallout from each loss announcement triggered horrific, hateful messages that individuals chose to send directly to our student-athletes, our coaching staff, and many associated with our program.”
San Jose State advanced to the conference championship game after Boise State lost the semifinal game. The Broncos also lost both of their regular season games against the Spartans.
On September 23, Slusser joined a lawsuit against the NCAA where she said her teammate was transgender and posed a threat to the safety of her teammates and opponents. Slusser, along with San Jose State associate head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose and 10 other current and former Mountain West volleyball players, filed another lawsuit on Nov. 13, challenging the conference's transgender participation policy. The lawsuit sought an emergency injunction to prevent San Jose State from competing in the Mountain West tournament with its full roster.
Federal Judge S. Kato Crews ruled Monday that the player was allowed to play, and a federal appeals court upheld the decision the next day.
The first meeting of the season between the Rams and Spartans generated its own controversy. Batie-Smoose alleged in a Title IX complaint and lawsuit that the San Jose State player, who was said to be transgender, colluded with a Colorado State player during their Oct. 3 game. The Mountain West investigated those claims and closed its investigation on Nov. 15 after finding insufficient evidence to corroborate his claims.
Batie-Smoose hasn't been on the bench since the Title IX report was made public, but he sat stoically in the stands during Saturday's championship game. She declined an interview request with ESPN.
After the game, senior Alessia Buffagni came into the stands to hug Batie-Smoose. Buffagni was visibly crying when Batie-Smoose put an arm around Buffagni's shoulders. Other players also greeted her.
There were two protesters outside Cox Pavilion on Friday, but none on Saturday. Furthermore, there were no discernible signs of hostility from the approximately 200 fans who attended the final.