UNLV volleyball team travels to San Jose State amid transgender issue

Amid online and political controversy, the UNLV women’s volleyball team enters Saturday’s road match against San Jose State on one accord.

The team “voted unanimously” to play all of its scheduled matches this season, including against San Jose State, the Rebels’ athletic department said in a statement.

This comes after four schools forfeited matches against the Spartans this season in apparent protest against the participation of transgender women in NCAA sports.

UNLV issued its statement in response to interview requests for coach Malia Shoji and her players.

“We understand that this topic generates a range of opinions, and we feel strongly that our student-athletes should have a voice and that their decision should be respected,” the statement said. “UNLV athletics will continue to operate within the laws of the state of Nevada and the guidelines established by the NCAA and Mountain West.”

Southern Utah, Boise State and Wyoming have forfeited matches against San Jose State, and Utah State announced last week it would forfeit its Oct. 23 match. None of the schools gave a reason for the forfeiture.

UNR said last week it plans to play its match against the Spartans on Oct. 26.

Gov. Joe Lombardo has not spoken publicly on the matter, and his office did not respond to a request for comment. Political officials in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming have publicly supported the forfeitures as efforts to “protect women’s sports.”

Teammate joins lawsuit

The controversy began after Brooke Slusser, a junior at San Jose State and co-captain on the team, joined a lawsuit against the NCAA’s inclusion rules, saying she no longer wants Spartans senior Blaire Fleming on the team on the allegation that she is transgender. Slusser claims she roomed with Fleming for road trips in 2023 and was never informed about Fleming’s gender identity until she overheard someone call her a “dude.”

Fleming, a 6-foot-1-inch outside hitter, is in her third season with San Jose State. Fleming and the school have never spoken publicly about her gender identity. The NCAA revised its policies to match “transgender student-athlete participation with the Olympic Movement” in 2022.

When reached Friday, a spokesperson for Wyoming said: “We are not having any further comment on that. The statement is all we’re going to put out.”

Boise State also referenced the statement it issued Sept. 27, saying it would not be answering questions.

Each school cited the Mountain West’s policy in their statements to explain why the canceled games would be registered as losses. The forfeitures won’t be included in the teams’ NCAA records.

MW tournament at UNLV

The unfolding situation could create an interesting dilemma at the Mountain West tournament, which UNLV will host from Nov. 27 to 30 at Cox Pavilion.

League play began Sept. 24, and each team plays 18 conference games. Forfeitures could mean the end of a team’s season.

The conference said Thursday it was not at liberty to discuss those implications.

“Per MW policies, these are institution decisions, and questions should be directed to the schools,” a spokesperson said.

San Jose State is 9-2 overall and 4-2 in the Mountain West. The team released a statement expressing “disappointment” in the early cancellations and has actually played only three conference matches, going 1-2.

The Rebels are 9-7 and 2-3. They have lost two consecutive matches.

Contact Callie Fin at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X