LAS VEGAS — Colorado State coach Emily Cohen said her team would rather take the court than become the latest team to lose against San Jose State when the top-seeded Mountain West Conference women’s volleyball tournament finals on Friday. The Rams advanced.
An automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Tournament is on the line in Sunday’s finale.
Colorado State defeated fifth-seeded San Diego State 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23 to advance to the finals.
Boise State, which twice boycotted regular-season games with San Jose State, was eliminated from the conference tournament Wednesday night, hours after it clinched a spot in Friday’s semifinal against the Spartans. Defeated Utah State.
Although the Broncos did not specifically announce why they withdrew, a lawsuit was recently filed against the conference by players from various schools in Colorado, and San Jose State officials banned a Spartans player from the tournament. Demanded to stop participation. He cited unspecified reports claiming there was a transgender player on the San Jose State volleyball team, even naming him.
U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Cato Crews in Denver Ordered on Monday that the player was allowed to play, and a federal appeals court Judgment upheld the next day.
“It’s been a really complicated and emotional situation for us this season,” Colorado State’s Cohan said. “Unless you’ve been in those rooms having those tough conversations and making those tough decisions, I don’t think you really know what it feels like. I also think your perspective on it is. Regardless of opinion, there’s some room to admit that a lot of young guys have shown grit throughout the season.
“It can stop with us. We’re not going to send those difficult conversations to the NCAA committee or any other team to have a sob conversation in a hotel.”
San Jose State, which had a six-game losing streak during the regular season due to shutout opponents, is seeded second in the conference tournament and has a first-round bye.
Boise State was the latest school to forfeit. The Broncos’ athletic department released a statement Wednesday night saying the team “should not pass up this opportunity while waiting for a more thoughtful and improved system that serves all athletes.”
In addition to Boise State, Mountain West members Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada, as well as Southern Utah, canceled games against the Spartans this season. The Nevada players, without providing further details, said they “refuse to participate in any match that promotes injustice against female players”.
The volleyball player has not released her identity, and San Jose State has not commented on her identity due to federal privacy laws. ESPN is not naming the player.
Transgender women’s participation in women’s sports became a hot political topic ahead of the recent election.
Two protesters from Davis, Calif., stood outside Cox Pavilion before and during the Colorado State-San Diego State semifinal game on Friday. He supported teams that lost games against San Jose State, arguing that the Spartans had an unfair athletic advantage.
This report used information from The Associated Press.