San Jose State’s volleyball team, the subject of a national debate about women in sports, was defeated by Colorado State 27-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-16 in the final of the Mountain West tournament on Saturday. , ending the Spartans’ season.
The Rams (20-10) received the conference’s automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Tournament.
San Jose State’s season was marked by forfeits, limited protests and the topic of gender identity becoming a political issue in an election year. The Spartans were 14-6.
The controversy didn’t end at the Mountain West tournament.
Boise State, which twice boycotted regular-season games with San Jose State, withdrew from the conference tournament Wednesday night, hours after beating Utah State to secure a spot against the Spartans in Friday’s semifinals .
Although the Broncos did not explicitly announce why they withdrew, a lawsuit was recently filed in Colorado by players from several schools against the conference and San Jose State officials, calling for a Spartan player to be blocked from participating in the tournament . They cited unspecified reports claiming there was a transgender player on San Jose State’s volleyball team, even naming her.
U.S. Magistrate Judge S Kato Crews in Denver ruled Monday that the player could play, and a federal appeals court upheld the decision the next day.
San Jose State, which had six forfeit victories due to opponent boycotts during the regular season, was seeded second in the conference tournament and received a bye in the first round.
In addition to Boise State, Mountain West members Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada and Southern Utah canceled games against the Spartans this season. Nevada’s players said they “refuse to participate in any competition that promotes injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details.
While some media outlets have reported these and other details, San Jose State has not confirmed that the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity and declined an interview request through school officials.
The participation of transgender women in women’s sports became a hot political issue ahead of the recent elections.
Although there were two protesters outside Cox Pavilion on Friday, there were none on Saturday. There were also no noticeable signs of hostility from the approximately 100 spectators during the championship game.