SJSU volleyball team with trans player clinches playoff meeting vs. team that forfeited amid controversy

San Jose State's volleyball squad is presently guaranteed to look a squad successful the upcoming Mountain West Tournament that has already forfeited to it during the regular season. 

San Jose State has had six of its league wins this play awarded via forfeit amid a nationalist contention implicit a trans athlete connected the team. With those wins, the squad finished with a 12-6 league grounds and has earned a first-round bye successful the upcoming tournament. 

Now, they are guaranteed to play the semifinal. And the hostile they are acceptable to look successful that lucifer is guaranteed to beryllium 1 of the 4 teams that refused to play them successful the regular season. Utah State and Boise State are acceptable to play successful the quarterfinal lucifer that volition find who faces the Spartans successful the adjacent round. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Blaire Fleming of the San Jose State Spartans reacts during the Air Force Falcons lucifer connected Oct. 19, 2024, successful Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

Boise State was truthful unwilling to play San Jose State during the regular play that it forfeited 2 scheduled matches against the Spartans, taking a brace of league losses connected its record. Meanwhile, Utah State, which lone forfeited 1 game, has joined a suit against The Mountain West implicit the beingness of Fleming arsenic it seeks to person that nonaccomplishment restored. 

On the different broadside of the bracket, Colorado State holds the No. 1 effect successful the tournament. Colorado State played some games against San Jose State this year, arsenic the teams divided the series. Fresno State and San Diego States, 2 different teams that played the Spartans amid the contention this year, volition look disconnected successful the quarterfinal for the close to look Colorado State. 

But determination is bound to beryllium uncertainty successful San Jose State's semifinal, careless of what squad advances to that round, nether the existent setup. 

SJSU WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL'S 1ST OPPONENT DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT TRASN PLAYER, SUGGESTS MATCH WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED

Blaire Fleming of the San Jose State Spartans attacks the nett against the Air Force Falcons astatine Falcon Court astatine East Gym connected Oct. 19, 2024 successful Colorado Springs. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

Spartans co-captain Brooke Slusser, who is engaged successful 2 lawsuits implicit the beingness of her trans teammate Blaire Fleming, antecedently told Fox News Digital that her squad doesn't adjacent cognize if their upcoming tourney opponents volition look them. 

"We're conscionable mostly wondering, are teams adjacent gonna play us, period, if we spell there? Because of conscionable everything that's happened this season," Slusser said. "It seems similar each fewer days it looks similar it'll beryllium a good time and everything's mean and past thing other happens. So, I genuinely bash deliberation everyone's conscionable benignant of taking things time by time and taking the punches arsenic they come."

A Mountain West spokesperson antecedently told Fox News integer that the league is preparing for San Jose State, and each of its opponents to compete, but besides has a program successful spot successful the lawsuit of forfeits. That program includes a willingness to admit the victor of the league last if their theoretical hostile successful that crippled were to forfeit, the spokesperson said. 

"If we get to a title game, and it's San Jose State vs. whoever, if that instauration forfeits the game, past San Jose State wins that match, and past they are tourney champions. And they would beryllium the automatic qualifier retired of the Mountain West," the spokesperson said. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Colorado State University police. down the San Jose State University Spartans bench, show Moby Arena during an NCAA Mountain West women’s volleyball crippled against the Colorado State Rams successful Fort Collins, Colorado, connected Oct. 03, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

However, that program could alteration pending a ruling by a national justice successful Colorado aft an exigency proceeding connected Thursday. Judge Kato Crews presided implicit a proceeding aft plaintiffs, including Utah State, contested that Fleming shouldn't beryllium allowed to vie successful the tournament.

Crews, who was appointed by President Biden successful January, dedicated the archetypal 45 minutes of the proceeding to a statement betwixt the plaintiffs and defendants implicit what pronouns to usage erstwhile describing Fleming and whether Fleming's sanction should beryllium utilized during the proceeding for the involvement of privacy. The justice yet decided to usage she/her pronouns erstwhile referring to Fleming but told everyone other they could usage immoderate pronouns they wished.

Crews concluded the proceeding by saying helium volition present a ruling connected the lawsuit successful a "timely fashion." The tourney is acceptable to statesman adjacent Wednesday. 

San Jose State has repeatedly defended the beingness of Fleming connected the team. 

"Our athletes each comply with NCAA and Mountain West Conference policies and are eligible to play nether the rules of those organizations. Our volleyball squad members person earned the close to compete, and we are profoundly disappointed for them and with them that they are being denied those opportunities done cancellations and forfeits. We are besides arrogant of however they person persevered done these challenges connected the court," a connection provided to Fox News Digital by a assemblage spokesperson said.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.