Nevada volleyball is not going to journey to face San Jose State volleyball for the 2 groups’ scheduled convention matchup on Saturday in San Jose, Nevada athletics introduced in a press release on Thursday evening. The assertion mentioned the match is not going to be performed because of Nevada “not having enough players to compete.”
The Wolf Pack thus forfeit the match, giving the Spartans a win in Mountain West play. That is the fourth convention match this season that SJSU has gained by forfeit amid controversy over the Spartans allegedly having a transgender participant on their roster.
The highway to this explicit forfeit had a number of twists and turns. On Oct. 14, Nevada’s gamers launched a press release studying, “We, the College of Nevada Reno girls’s volleyball staff, forfeit in opposition to San Jose State College and stand united in solidarity with the volleyball groups of Southern Utah College, Boise State College, the College of Wyoming, and Utah State College.
“We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld. We refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes.”
However later that day, College of Nevada officers launched their very own assertion, saying that the gamers’ resolution didn’t characterize the place of the college and the match would proceed as scheduled.
The college did be aware in its assertion that “players may choose not to participate in the match on the day of the contest. No players will be subject to any team disciplinary action for their decision not to participate in the match.”
Final Thursday, College of Nevada president Brian Sandoval launched his personal assertion, noting that “While our players are not authorized to forfeit the match — this decision is one that only the University and our Department of Athletics can officially make — the University continues to support the rights of the volleyball players who choose not to participate.”
Sandoval, a former governor of Nevada and federal decide, added later within the assertion, “As a public university, we are legally prohibited by Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution and other laws and regulations to declare a forfeit for reasons related to gender identity or expression.”
The match, initially scheduled to be performed in Reno, Nevada, was moved to San Jose on Tuesday “in the best interest of both programs and the well-being of the student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff and spectators.”
The controversy related to the forfeits is displaying no indicators of slowing down. San Jose State setter and co-captain Brooke Slusser praised the Nevada gamers for his or her resolution on the social media platform X, writing: “Round of applause to the girls of the @NevadaWolfPack volleyball team. Deciding to go against what the school was forcing on you as young women and taking a stand for what you believe takes courage! Another great step in the right direction for women’s sports!”
On Sept. 23, Slusser joined a class-action lawsuit difficult the NCAA’s transgender student-athlete eligibility coverage.
Although the forfeits by Mountain West groups are counted as wins for SJSU in convention play, they’re considered no-contests by the NCAA.
San Jose State should play 19 matches to qualify for a berth within the NCAA Match. The Spartans have performed 14 to this point and have eight remaining within the common season, plus potential matches within the Mountain West match.
SJSU spokesperson Michelle Smith McDonald informed this information group on Wednesday that the Spartans plan to use for a waiver if they don’t attain the 19-match threshold.
The Mountain West match is scheduled to start Nov. 27. Together with its forfeit wins, San Jose State is presently third within the convention with a 6-3 report and can enhance to 7-3 on Saturday with Nevada’s forfeit. The highest six groups within the Mountain West advance to the convention match.
