The University of Nevada, Reno released a statement on Monday confirming that the decision has been made to forfeit an upcoming women’s volleyball match against San Jose State, which has been the center of controversy due to a transgender player on its roster.
OutKick originally reported on Monday that the Wolf Pack players voted on whether they would face the Spartans on Oct. 26 or not. Despite a previous statement to OutKick from the athletic department, which stated the school would play the scheduled match, the players voted for a forfeit.
The university’s statement on the matter solidifies the forfeit. However, it says the players were the ones who made the decision — one that does not "represent the position of the University."
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On Oct. 13, 2024, the majority of members of the University of Nevada, Reno women’s volleyball team sent a statement to the University advising the institution that they were forfeiting its scheduled match with San Jose State University on Oct. 26, 2024.
"The players’ decision and statement were made independently, and without consultation with the University or the athletic department. The players’ decision also does not represent the position of the University," the statement read.
"The University and its athletic programs are governed by the Nevada Constitution and Nevada law, which strictly protect equality of rights under the law, and that equality of rights shall not be denied or abridged by this state or any of its subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin. The University is also governed by federal law as well as the rules and regulations of the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference, which include providing competition in an inclusive and supportive environment.
"The University intends to move forward with the match as scheduled, and the 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."
So, unlike other universities that forfeited against the Spartans, the Wolf Pack will not be forfeiting before players step on the court. It will happen the day of, which is at their home Virginia Street Gym in Reno.
The team wrote OutKick an exclusive statement of their own on the matter, in which they demanded "our right to safety and fair competition on the court."
"We, the University of Nevada Reno women’s volleyball team, forfeit against San Jose State University and stand united in solidarity with the volleyball teams of Southern Utah University, Boise State University, the University of Wyoming, and Utah State University," the team’s statement read.
"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."
Sia Liilii, a senior on the Wolf Pack, also told OutKick that the team wasn’t happy when the university committed to the match against the Spartans without consulting with them.
"We were actually in Las Vegas preparing for our match against UNLV, our in-state rival," she said. "It was a really frustrating time, especially because we were about to go and play a big game."
Despite the university’s stance, it’s safe to assume this game will end up in a forfeit, which would make the Wolf Pack the fifth school to do so. They would join Southern Utah, the first school to forfeit, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State.
The forfeits are due to San Jose State having Blaire Fleming, a transgender player, on the roster. Fleming, who is in her third year with the Spartans, has been a key contributor to San Jose State’s 9-3 start to the season.
They went 9-0 to begin the year before suffering three straight losses to Colorado State, San Diego State and UNLV.
San Jose State’s head coach Todd Kress recently told members of the media that his players have been receiving hate mail during this controversy, calling it "disgusting."
"Concentrating on what we can do on the court has, quite frankly, been very tough lately," Kress said. "There have been outside forces who have sought to divide our team, our university, our conference and our sport. I know it’s been weighing on the players in our locker room who have put in years of hard work. We have an incredible group of young women who are trying to put the controversy aside."
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