Nevada volleyball will not travel to face San Jose State volleyball for the two teams’ scheduled conference matchup on Saturday in San Jose, Nevada athletics announced in a statement on Thursday night. The statement said the match will not be played due to Nevada “not having enough players to compete.”
The Wolf Pack thus forfeit the match, giving the Spartans a win in Mountain West play. This is the fourth conference match this season that SJSU has won by forfeit amid controversy over the Spartans allegedly having a transgender player on their roster.
The road to this particular forfeit had several twists and turns. On Oct. 14, Nevada’s players released a statement reading, “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.
“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.”
But later that day, University of Nevada officials released their own statement, saying that the players’ decision did not represent the position of the university and the match would proceed as scheduled.
The school did note in its statement 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.”
Last Thursday, University of Nevada president Brian Sandoval released his own statement, 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 judge, added later in the statement, “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, originally scheduled to be played 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 associated with the forfeits is showing no signs of slowing down. San Jose State setter and co-captain Brooke Slusser praised the Nevada players for their decision 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 challenging the NCAA’s transgender student-athlete eligibility policy.
Though the forfeits by Mountain West teams are counted as wins for SJSU in conference play, they are regarded as no-contests by the NCAA.
San Jose State must play 19 matches to qualify for a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans have played 14 so far and have eight remaining in the regular season, plus potential matches in the Mountain West tournament.
SJSU spokesperson Michelle Smith McDonald told this news organization on Wednesday that the Spartans plan to apply for a waiver if they do not reach the 19-match threshold.
The Mountain West tournament is scheduled to begin Nov. 27. Including its forfeit wins, San Jose State is currently third in the conference with a 6-3 record and will improve to 7-3 on Saturday with Nevada’s forfeit. The top six teams in the Mountain West advance to the conference tournament.
