The Utah State Aggies are the latest women’s volleyball team to choose not to participate in a scheduled match against San Jose State University due to a biological male playing on its women’s team.
The university issued a statement saying it would not be participating in its Oct. 23 volleyball match at SJSU.
“The University will abide by Mountain West Conference policy regarding how this match is recorded,” the statement said.
The Aggies are the fourth program to boycott against the Spartans this season … after it was claimed in a lawsuit, filed by former college swimmer Riley Gaines, that a member of the SJSU roster is a biological male.
A San Jose State spokeperson also confirmed to Fox News Digital that the Aggies informed the team the match has been canceled, and Utah State will be assessed a loss due to forfeit.
Utah State would be the fourth team to forfeit a match with SJSU if it’s made official. Southern Utah, Boise State and the University of Wyoming all did so. None of the three schools previously provided a reason behind the forfeit other than understanding the consequences to their win-loss records.
When Boise State forfeited its match with SJSU, the NCAA provided OutKick with a statement in response.
“College sports are the premier stage for women’s sports in America, and the NCAA members will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports and ensure fair competition for all student-athletes in all NCAA championships.”
Blaire Fleming, a transgender redshirt senior at SJSU, has been at the center of the controversial forfeits. SJSU is undefeated this season, and Fleming, at 6-foot-1, has helped the Spartans in their efforts.
Brooke Slusser, Fleming’s teammate, joined former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines and other female athletes who are suing the NCAA over policies regarding transgender athletes, claiming the current system is compromising the fairness and integrity of women’s sports and putting women at risk.
Gaines said she commended Boise State’s athletic department and everyone involved in the decision to forfeit its match, and she praised Utah State when seeing the statement before it was taken down.
