Nevada volleyball players defy school, forfeit match against trans opponent

San Jose State Spartans feature transgender athlete Blaire Fleming on roster

Published Oct 15, 2024  •  3 minute read

San Jose State outer hitter Blaire Fleming returns the ball to Colorado State in the first set of an NCAA college volleyball match. AP Photo

Another U.S. university women’s volleyball team has made the decision to forfeit its match against San Jose State, which fields a transgender player.

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According to OutKick, players from the University of Nevada, Reno voted on Monday over whether they would compete against the Spartans for their scheduled match before deciding to forfeit.

While the school released a statement confirming the decision, it also said the players made the decision and that does not “represent the position of the university.”

The majority of Wolfpack team members had sent a message to the school, advising the institution that they were forfeiting the match set for Oct. 26.

“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 school’s statement about the players’ decision said.

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“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, colour, 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.”

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However, the school also said that the match will “move forward … as scheduled.

“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.”

This also puts San Jose State in the bind of having to travel to the Nevada school for a match the hosts have no intention of playing.

The player at the root of the issue is Blaire Fleming, a redshirt senior who is in her third year with the Spartans.

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Concerns for players’ safety were raised again last week when Fleming sent a ferocious spike off a female opponent’s face during their game against San Diego State.

During the second set of the match, Fleming was set up by teammate Brooke Slusser before rocketing a spike off the face of the Aztecs’ Keira Herron.

“Keira Herron has some pink in her hair and her face is starting to look like she’s matching that as obviously she took the contact,” an announcer says in a video of the incident.

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In a statement to OutKick, the players on the team 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 said.

“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 the outlet that the team wasn’t happy that 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.”

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