Nevada volleyball cancels San Jose State game over transgender controversy | Other sports | sport

The controversial volleyball game between UNR and San Jose State is officially canceled.

“Due to an insufficient number of players to compete, the University of Nevada women’s volleyball team will not play its scheduled Mountain West Conference game at San Jose State,” UNR said in a statement late Thursday.

The statement cited Mountain West policy and stated that the result will be recorded as a loss for UNR. It is the fifth loss of the season for the Spartans.

The competition was originally scheduled to take place at noon Saturday in Reno, but both universities agreed to move the venue to San Jose on Tuesday “in the best interest of both programs.”

The move to Northern California came after Wolf Pack players released their own statement last week saying they would not compete in protest against the participation of transgender women in sports.

UNR responded that the university’s values ​​did not align with the players. UNR also cited laws prohibiting cancellation of the game, portraying the action as a form of discrimination, but offered support for athletes who did not want to play.

It’s no surprise that UNR couldn’t get the six players needed to field a team. Wolf Pack volleyball captain Sia Liilii shared a flyer on social media Wednesday promoting a rally to be held at the Little Waldorf Saloon in Reno an hour after the competition actually begins in San Jose.

Liilii was listed as a confirmed speaker along with “a dozen members of the UNR volleyball team.”

“Hey NCAA & Mountain West,” the flyer read. “Women’s sports are only for women.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X