San Jose State University is off to the Mountain West final, but it seems like they wish they had earned their place on the court.
The Spartans are off to the championship game after Boise State announced on Thursday that they would be forfeiting their semifinal match amid the controversy surrounding trans player Blaire Fleming.
The Broncos made the announcement shortly after defeating Utah State in the first round of the playoffs. Boise State forfeited both of their regular season matches against SJSU, while Utah State had forfeited its only one.
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In response to the Broncos’ forfeit, SJSU said they were “disappointed” by the move.
“In this time of Thanksgiving, we are especially thankful for those who continue to engage in civil and respectful discourse,” San Jose State’s statement said. “We celebrate and support all of our students, including our student-athletes as they compete for our community on this holiday weekend.
“While we are disappointed in Boise State’s decision, our women’s volleyball team is preparing for Saturday’s match and looks forward to competing for a championship.”
SJSU now awaits the winner of top-seeded Colorado State and No. 5 San Diego State; neither team forfeited against them in the regular season.
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Boise State, Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada were among the conference teams to cancel games against the Spartans amid Fleming’s presence on the team. They were aware the forfeiture would result in a loss on their records, which ultimately helped SJSU secure their high seed.
Earlier this week, Federal Judge Kato Crews in Colorado, appointed by President Biden in January, denied a motion for injunctive relief in a lawsuit by college volleyball players against the conference, in efforts to have Fleming not play in the tournament and their forfeit losses rescinded.
A dozen women jointly filed the suit against the Mountain West and its commissioner, alleging violations of Title IX and their First Amendment rights. Among the women are SJSU co-volleyball captain Brooke Slusser and two former Spartans as well as athletes from other Mountain West schools.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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