LAS VEGAS — Colorado State coach Emily Kohan said her team will take the floor rather than become the latest team to forfeit against San Jose State after the top-seeded Rams advanced to the Mountain West volleyball tournament final Friday.
An automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA tournament is on the line in Saturday’s final.
Colorado State made the final by beating fifth-seeded San Diego State 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23.
Boise State, which twice boycotted regular-season matches with San Jose State, pulled out of the conference tournament Wednesday night, hours after it defeated Utah State to secure a spot against the Spartans in Friday’s semifinals.
While the Broncos didn’t announce explicitly why they withdrew, a lawsuit was recently filed in Colorado by players from various schools against the conference and San Jose State officials calling for a Spartans player to be blocked from participating in the tournament. They cited unspecified reports asserting there was a transgender player on the San Jose State volleyball team, even naming her.
U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver ruled Monday that the player was allowed to play, and a federal appeals court upheld the decision the following day.
“It’s been a really complex and emotional situation for us this season,” Colorado State’s Kohan said. “Unless you’re in those rooms having those hard conversations and making those hard decisions, I don’t think you truly know how this feels. I also think regardless of your opinion on it, there’s some room here to acknowledge that there’s been a lot of young people showing courage all season long.
“This can stop with us. We’re not going to pass these difficult conversations on to the NCAA committee or any other team to have those crying conversations in the hotel.”
San Jose State, which received six forfeit victories because of boycotts from opponents during the regular season, is seeded second in the conference tournament and received a first-round bye.
Boise State was the latest school to forfeit. The Broncos’ athletic department released a statement Wednesday night saying its team “should not have to forgo this opportunity while waiting for a more thoughtful and better system that serves all athletes.”
In addition to Boise State, Mountain West members Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada as well as Southern Utah canceled matches this season against the Spartans. Nevada’s players said they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details.
The volleyball player has not spoken about her identity, and San Jose State has not commented on her identity due to federal privacy laws. ESPN is not naming the player.
Participation of transgender women in women’s sports became a hot political topic ahead of the recent election.
Two protestors from Davis, California, stood outside Cox Pavilion before and during the Colorado State-San Diego State semifinal match Friday. They supported those teams that forfeited matches against San Jose State, arguing the Spartans had an unfair athletic advantage.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
