Second school loses volleyball game to San Jose State

San Jose State's women's volleyball program is under attack from people who disagree with rules that allow transgender women to compete in women's sports. Two schools refused to play the Spartans, and a team co-captain this week joined a lawsuit against the NCAA over the issue.

Spartans senior Brooke Slusser said in court documents that one of her teammates is transgender and that she no longer wants her on the team. Slusser presented no evidence of violations of NCAA rules and San Jose State confirmed that all of its players were eligible to play.

Boise State University on Friday became the second team this month to lose a game against San Jose State. Boise State gave no reason for not playing its scheduled game on Saturday, but Idaho Gov. Brad Little, who led Idaho to become the first state to enact a ban on transgender athletes, applauded the decision in a post on X and wrote: “We must ensure the safety of all our athletes.”

Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, posted on

The loss of games comes as anti-trans rhetoric has escalated across the country, led by powerful voices on the right. The world's richest person, Elon Musk, said his transgender daughter was “killed,” while presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke of “transgender madness” and falsely claimed that children were undergoing transition surgeries during the school day.

“Boise State’s decision not to play San Jose State … is a disappointing example of fear-mongering and discrimination,” said Tom Temprano, executive director of external affairs for Equality California, an LGBTQ advocacy group. “This contradicts the values ​​of fairness and dignity that sport should uphold.”

It is “hate comments from transphobic extremists” that “actually raise real concerns about student safety,” he added. “Boise State’s actions distract from real safety issues and fuel the dangerous anti-transgender rhetoric that is on the rise across the country.”

Southern Utah refused to play San Jose State during a tournament on September 14th.

Slusser was contacted by the Chronicle through a friend and did not respond to requests for comment.

The San Jose State player, who Slusser said is transgender, has not commented on the matter. She declined to comment through a university spokesman, and the Chronicle is not mentioning her name.

Slusser transferred to the school from Alabama for the 2022-23 season and has shared living space with the woman and two other teammates since last fall. At the end of the season, Slusser alleged in the lawsuit, she overheard a conversation that claimed the player was transgender but did not use the information.

Then in April, Slusser said the player told her she was transgender after the player was named in a right-wing news story about the team. Slusser said when the player said she was transgender, she decided she wasn't comfortable with being on the team, the lawsuit says.

Months later, Slusser told the team's coach and other San Jose State officials that she was concerned about the safety of other players because of the player's strong spines. Slusser said she was told the team was following NCAA rules and would not make any changes.

There have been no reports of opponents or teammates being significantly injured by the player in the last two seasons, the school said.

Under NCAA guidelines, transgender athletes are allowed to compete on women's teams if they have been taking testosterone-suppressing medications for at least a year.

Slusser, who played high school volleyball in Texas, also says in the lawsuit that the team was told not to discuss the other player's gender identity, nor to speak publicly about their safety concerns. The university told players that speaking about their identities would “take away their power” and that they had “no right to tell (their) story,” the claim says.

On Monday, Slusser joined a lawsuit filed last March in federal court for the Northern District of Georgia challenging the NCAA's policy. The lawsuit, filed by more than a dozen athletes, alleges and states that the rule discriminates against cisgender women and is inconsistent with Title IX, which provides protections for women and girls in academic institutions also applies to transgender women.

Slusser's complaint repeatedly misrepresents the San Jose State player in addition to mentioning her name.

San Jose State is 9-0 before Boise State's loss becomes official on Saturday. The university declined to comment on the situation other than to confirm that Boise State lost the game and that its players all met NCAA and conference eligibility rules.

Reach Erin Allday: [email protected]; Twitter: @erinallday