SJSU gets 2 seed, bye in MW tourney amid forfeits
San Jose State’s volleyball team, which received six forfeit victories because of boycotts from Mountain West opponents, is seeded second in the conference tournament in Las Vegas and will receive a first-round bye.
The Spartans are scheduled to play in Friday’s semifinals against the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal match between No. 3 seed Utah State and No. 6 Boise State. Both schools forfeited to the Spartans during the regular season, so it’s unclear if the winner would take the floor on Friday.
Should either team sit out, San Jose State would face top-seeded Colorado State, No. 4 Fresno State or No. 5 San Diego State in Saturday’s championship. All three teams played the Spartans this season.
Mountain West members Boise State, Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada as well as Southern Utah canceled games this season against the Spartans. Nevada’s players stated they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details.
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 not to be allowed participation in the tournament, citing unspecified reports asserting there was a transgender player on the San Jose State volleyball team.
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.
SJSU has said that all of its players are eligible to compete on its women’s volleyball team. The NCAA policy on transgender athlete participation allows transgender women to compete in women’s sports if they meet the parameters set by that sport’s governing body. For volleyball, transgender women are deemed eligible if they suppress their testosterone under 10 nmol/L.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.