Volleyball player almost forced to face transgender opponent cries, blames team pressured by school to compete

Players from the University of Nevada, Reno women's volleyball team held a press conference Saturday to address their school's concerns about losing a game against a team with a transgender player.

Along with former NCAA swimmer and OutKick contributor Riley Gaines, several players addressed the situation on the day they were scheduled to face San Jose State. The program officially announced it would play on Friday due to not having enough players, but players told their athletic department they didn't want to play at San Jose State weeks ago.

Wolf Pack captain Sia Liilii broke down in tears a minute after taking the field as she recounted her experience telling school officials she didn't want to compete against a transgender player, adding that she was pressured to do so anyway.

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“When I heard this news, I was surprised, as were many of my colleagues. This is not what we signed up for,” said a frustrated Liilii.

Liilii referred to a statement the university issued on October 13, confirming that the program intends to face San Jose State despite the players voting for the boycott.

“Our university has made a decision, issued a statement that we will play. “It hurts to know that our university is putting us in a situation that could hurt us. My colleagues and I were devastated, and I'm not sure, I can't put into words what it's like to face something like this and know that we're all alone.”

Nevada previously gave a statement to Fox News Digital confirming that the players asked to forfeit the game but did not have the authority to do so themselves.

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“The majority of the Wolf Pack women's volleyball team released a statement from the university informing them that the team has decided to forfeit a scheduled game against San José State University. Although the players are not authorized to forfeit the game, this decision is one that only the University and our athletic department can legally make,” said the statement.

The university added that any player is free to sit out without consequence.

Liilii said on Saturday when his teammates spoke to school officials and expressed their desire to lose the game, they were taught “not to understand science” and were asked to reconsider their position.

“We felt unsafe and kicked out,” said Liilii crying. “We met with the officials of our school to give them a new statement of our team but they didn't even listen to us, we were told that we didn't study enough and we don't understand the science, we were told to think carefully. position.”

Outside of his university, Liilii also called out the Mountain West Conference and the NCAA, saying the institutions are “failing us.”

Nevada sophomore Masyn Navarro alleged that her teammates were told to “keep quiet” about the altercation during a press conference.

“It shouldn't be this difficult to stand up for women. However, we will take this opportunity to stand up as a group as some of us have been told to be quiet,” said Navarro.

Nevada freshman Kinsley Singleton said her teammates have had several meetings in recent weeks and shared their fears about possible injuries if they had to play with someone of the opposite sex.

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Previously, this program said that it will not lose in this game because it would be a violation of government law. Article I, Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution provides that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this state or any of its political subdivisions because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or nationality.”

However, that constitution was revised in 2022 when Nevada voted to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment, which added gender identity to the list of protections.

Nevada state Sen. Pat Spearman, a Democrat from North Las Vegas who sponsored the bill to be put on the ballot, said the law helped transgender people maintain their identities.

“As a public university, withholding funds for reasons involving gender identity or expression may constitute discrimination and violate the Nevada Constitution,” the university said in a statement.

However, after the controversy gained national attention, and it was announced that the game would be moved from Nevada to the Bay Area in California, the program eventually declared an official loss when it became clear that it would not have enough players to compete.

Nevada is the fifth team to lose a game against them San Jose State, joining Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State. The cancellation comes with a San Jose State player involved in a lawsuit against the NCAA for being forced to compete with a transgender teammate.

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San Jose State player Brooke Slusser has joined a lawsuit led by OutKick host and former swimmer Riley Gaines against the NCAA over gender identity policies. Slusser joined the lawsuit because she says she had to share the court, the locker room and even a room on a night trip with teammate Blaire Fleming without being told that Fleming is male.

Blaire Fleming, a redshirt senior at San Jose State University, plays outside and right hitter on the women's volleyball team. (San Jose State University)

San Jose State responded to the loss in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“All of our athletes abide by the rules of the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference, and are eligible to play under those organizations' rules. We will continue to take steps to prioritize the health and safety of our students as they pursue their earned competitive opportunities.” ” said the statement.

Nevada athletes, including Liilii and Sierra Bernard, wrote an op-ed for Fox News Digital Friday, praising former President Trump for his decision to advocate for the banning of transgender athletes from women's sports.

“President Trump has our back, and this election is more important than politics, but it is about leaders who will stand with women on and off the court, protecting our right to compete safely and fairly,” the players wrote. “Like proud female athleteswe will continue to fight for justice on the field and in women's sports. But it shouldn't be a war that we have to fight alone.”

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