Utah State becomes latest to cancel volleyball match against team with alleged transgender athlete

LOGAN, Utah (KSL.com) — On Wednesday, Utah State University became the latest team to cancel a women’s volleyball match against a San Jose State team that reportedly includes a transgender athlete.

Utah State announced that it would “not participate” in a scheduled match on Oct. 23 against San Jose State, though no official reason was given for the cancellation. The university said it would “abide by Mountain West Conference policy regarding how this match is recorded,” which would be a forfeit and a loss.

The Aggies are the fourth team to cancel a match against San Jose State, joining Southern Utah, who was the first to cancel its match on Sept. 14, Boise State and Wyoming. The match, however, still shows up on the team’s website as a scheduled meeting.

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Blaire Fleming, who is alleged to be a transgender female based off a lawsuit filed by a former teammate, is on the San Jose State team and has been the focal point of the match cancellations for the other schools.

“It is disappointing that our SJSU student athletes, who are in full compliance with NCAA and Mountain West rules and regulations, are being denied opportunities to compete,” the university said in a statement. “We are committed to supporting our student-athletes through these challenges and in their ability to compete in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment.”

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox weighed in on social media platform X on Wednesday, saying: “I stand with the students, coaches and leadership at @SUUtbirds and @USUAggies in their decision to forgo their women’s volleyball matches against San Jose State.

“It is essential that we preserve space for women to compete fairly and safely,” he added. “Our female athletes are left grappling with this difficult issue because the NCAA has failed in its responsibility to protect female athletes and women’s sports. It’s time for the NCAA to take this seriously and protect our female student athletes.”

The NCAA recently amended its policy, which follows the “Olympic Movement,” to require transgender athletes to provide documentation that meets various NCAA policies to play, including “documented testosterone levels” ahead of competitions.

Though Utah State has canceled its match with San Jose State, the Aggies have played the Spartans four other times in the past two seasons when Fleming has been on the court, including the most recent meeting on Nov. 9, 2023, in which the Aggies swept the Spartans in three sets.

Fleming had a team-high seven kills while hitting .095 in the loss.

Utah State played San Jose State three times in 2022, including a Mountain West Conference tournament game on Nov. 25, with Fleming on the court for all sets in the three matches, in which Utah State held a 2-1 record against San Jose State that season.

At Wyoming, the university reportedly received pressure from political leaders to cancel the match, which was scheduled for Oct. 5. The university eventually chose to forfeit its match despite originally agreeing to continue with it after meeting as an athletic department with the volleyball team to review any potential “safety concerns.”

According to the Cowboy State Daily, a university spokesman told them “No student-athletes expressed any concern regarding their safety.”