Volleyball player nearly forced to face transgender opponent cries, alleges school pressured team to compete

Players connected the University of Nevada, Reno women's volleyball squad held a property league Saturday to code their school's reluctance to forfeit a lucifer against a squad with a transgender player. 

Alongside erstwhile NCAA swimmer and OutKick contributor Riley Gaines, aggregate players spoke astir the concern connected the time they were scheduled to look San Jose State. The programme officially announced it would forfeit the lucifer Friday owed to not having capable players, but the players had told their diversion section they didn't privation to play San Jose State weeks earlier. 

Wolf Pack squad skipper Sia Liilii broke down successful tears from the infinitesimal she took the podium portion she recounted her acquisition telling schoolhouse officials she didn't privation to vie against a transgender player, adding she was pressured to bash truthful anyway. 

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"When the quality broke, I was stunned, arsenic galore of my teammates were. This is not what we signed up for," an affectional Liilii said. 

Liilii referenced a connection the assemblage released Oct. 13, assuring the programme intends to look San Jose State contempt players voting to forfeit.

"Our assemblage had made a determination for us. They released a connection connected our behalf saying we were going to play. We were not consulted, we were not fixed a dependable and we did not agree," Liilii said. "It wounded knowing our assemblage was putting america successful a presumption that could perchance wounded us. My teammates and I were precise emotional, and I'm not sure, I cannot enactment into words however it feels to look thing similar this and knowing that we are each connected our own." 

Nevada antecedently provided a connection to Fox News Digital confirming that the players had requested to forfeit the lucifer but did not person authorization to bash truthful themselves. 

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"A bulk of the Wolf Pack women’s volleyball squad issued a connection to the assemblage informing it that the squad had decided it was forfeiting the scheduled lucifer with San José State University. While players are not authorized to forfeit the match, this determination is 1 that lone the assemblage and our section of athletics tin officially make," the connection said. 

The assemblage added that immoderate subordinate was escaped to beryllium the lucifer retired without consequences.

Liilii said Saturday that erstwhile her teammates approached schoolhouse officials expressing their tendency to forfeit the match, they were lectured astir "not knowing science" and asked to reconsider their stance. 

"We felt unsafe and dismissed," Liilii said, sobbing. "We met with our schoolhouse officials to springiness them our team's caller statement, but they wouldn't adjacent perceive it. We were told that we weren't educated capable and that we didn't recognize the science. We were told to reconsider our position." 

Nevada Wolf Pack women's volleyball players with Sam Brown and Tulsi Gabbard. (Sam Brown Campaign)

In summation to her university, Liilii besides called retired the Mountain West Conference and the NCAA, saying the institutions "are failing us." 

Nevada sophomore Masyn Navarro alleged her teammates person been told to "stay quiet" astir the contention during the property conference. 

"It should not beryllium this hard to basal up for women. However, we volition present instrumentality this accidental to basal up arsenic a team, arsenic immoderate of america person been told to enactment quiet," Navarro said. 

Nevada freshman Kinsley Singleton said her teammates had aggregate meetings successful caller weeks and shared their fears of imaginable wounded if they had to play against a transgender opponent. 

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The programme antecedently said it could not forfeit the lucifer due to the fact that it would beryllium a usurpation of authorities law. Article I, Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution provides that "Equality of Rights nether the instrumentality shall not beryllium denied oregon abridged by this authorities oregon immoderate of its governmental subdivisions connected relationship of race, color, creed, sex, intersexual orientation, gender individuality oregon expression, age, disability, ancestry oregon nationalist origin."

However, that constitution was revised successful 2022 erstwhile Nevada voted to follow the Equal Rights Amendment, which added sex individuality to the database of protections. 

Nevada authorities Sen. Pat Spearman, a Democrat from North Las Vegas who co-sponsored the measure to get it connected the ballot, said the instrumentality has helped transgender radical support their identity.

"As a authorities university, a forfeiture for reasons involving sex individuality oregon look could represent per se favoritism and interruption the Nevada Constitution," the university's connection said.

However, aft the contention got nationalist attention, and it was announced the lucifer was moved from Nevada to the Bay Area successful California, the programme yet announced an authoritative forfeit erstwhile it became wide it wouldn't person capable players to compete. 

Nevada is the 5th squad to forfeit a lucifer against San Jose State, joining Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State. The cancellations travel with a San Jose State subordinate progressive successful a suit against the NCAA implicit being forced to vie with a transgender teammate who is inactive connected the team.

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San Jose State subordinate Brooke Slusser joined a suit led by OutKick big and erstwhile collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines against the NCAA implicit its policies connected sex identity. Slusser joined this suit due to the fact that she claims she has had to stock a court, a locker country and adjacent a country connected overnight trips with teammate Blaire Fleming without having ever been told Fleming was a biologic male. 

Blaire Fleming, a redshirt elder astatine San Jose State University, plays arsenic an extracurricular and right-side hitter connected the women’s volleyball team. (San Jose State University)

San Jose State responded to the forfeit successful a connection to Fox News Digital. 

"Our athletes each comply with NCAA and Mountain West Conference policies, and they are eligible to play nether the rules of those organizations. We volition proceed to instrumentality measures to prioritize the wellness and information of our students portion they prosecute their earned opportunities to compete," the connection said. 

Nevada players, including Liilii and Sierra Bernard, wrote an op-ed for Fox News Digital Friday, praising erstwhile President Trump for his stance advocating for a prohibition connected transgender athletes successful women's sports. 

"President Trump has our back, and this predetermination is much important than authorities but about leaders who volition be standing with women on and off the court, defending our close to vie safely and fairly," the players wrote. "As proud female athletes, we volition proceed to fight for fairness on the court and in women’s sports. But it shouldn’t be a fight we person to take on alone."

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