Boise State volleyball ends tournament run with another forfeit to San Jose State
The Boise State athletic department announced Wednesday night that its volleyball team will forfeit its semifinal match against San Jose State in the Mountain West Tournament. The decision means Boise State will finish the season with a record of 19-11 and likely not make the NCAA Tournament.
The Broncos defeated Utah State 3-1 in the tournament’s first round Wednesday night, setting up a Friday matchup with the Spartans, who had received a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed.
Boise State forfeited its two regular-season matchups with San Jose State this season, on Sept. 28 and Nov. 21. It was one of several Mountain West schools to forfeit games against San Jose State this year after reports of a transgender player on the Spartans roster.
The athlete was outed in a federal lawsuit by a teammate as transgender.
“The decision to not continue to play in the 2024 Mountain West Volleyball Championship tournament was not an easy one,” the Boise State athletic department said in a statement. “Our team overcame forfeitures to earn a spot in the tournament field and fought for the win over Utah State in the first round on Wednesday.
“They should not have to forgo this opportunity while waiting for a more thoughtful and better system that serves all athletes.”
Wednesday night’s first-round matchup was under the spotlight, as both Boise State and Utah State had forfeited matches against San Jose State.
Two Boise State players joined a lawsuit last week alleging that allowing the transgender player to compete violated Title IX and the players’ First and 14th Amendment rights. The lawsuit demanded that the player not be allowed to compete in the Mountain West Tournament and that San Jose State’s wins via forfeit be taken away.
A federal judge in Colorado ruled against them, allowing the player to compete and for San Jose State to remain the No. 2 seed.
San Jose State will play in the Mountain West Tournament championship game against Colorado State or San Diego State on Saturday in Las Vegas.
This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 11:19 PM.
