For the third time this season, the San Jose State women’s volleyball team saw its opponent forfeit rather than take the floor.
The team from the University of Wyoming announced that it would forfeit its match instead of facing the Spartans, who field a transgender player on their squad.
“After a lengthy discussion, the University of Wyoming will not play its scheduled conference match against San Jose State University,” the volleyball program said in a statement on Tuesday. “Per Mountain West Conference policy, the conference will record the match as a forfeit and a loss for Wyoming.”
Wyoming joined Boise State and Southern Utah to forfeit instead of facing SJSU, but none of the three schools gave a specific reason for the forfeit.
Blaire Fleming, a transgender female, competes on San Jose State’s team. She is a redshirt junior who plays as an outside and right-side hitter. Fleming has played two seasons at SJSU after previously playing at Coastal Carolina.
“It is disappointing that our SJSU student athletes, who are in full compliance with NCAA and Mountain West rules and regulations, are being denied opportunities to compete. We are committed to supporting our student-athletes through these challenges and in their ability to compete in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment,” the statement said.
San Jose’s opponents apparently aren’t the only ones seemingly at odds with the team fielding a transgender player — a member of the Spartans is part of a lawsuit against the NCAA over its current gender identity policies.
Brooke Slusser, who transferred to San Jose, says that she felt concerned for her safety after learning one of her new teammates was transgender.
According to court documents, Slusser claims she was not aware that Fleming was transgender despite sharing rooms together on team trips and also expressed safety concerns for opponents playing against Fleming.
“Brooke estimates that Fleming’s spikes were traveling upward of 80 mph, which was faster than she had ever seen a woman hit a volleyball,” Slusser’s complaint said. “The girls were doing everything they could to dodge Fleming’s spikes but still could not fully protect themselves.”
The latest forfeit drew a rave response from Riley Gaines, an activist against allowing transgender competitors into women’s sports.
“LETS GOOOO. University of Wyoming is the third school to forfeit their match against SJSU because they have a man on their women’s team,” Gaines wrote on X. “This is the way. Do not comply. Major kudos to @WYO_Volleyball, @BroncoSportsVB, @SUUVolleyball”
Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis.