Nevada volleyball players vote to lose to…SJSU, transgender Blaire Fleming

UPDATE: After this story was published, the University of Nevada sent a statement to OutKick saying it “intends to continue play as scheduled” and “the players' decision does not reflect the university's position.”

You can Read the full statement here.

Previous story:

The Nevada women's volleyball team held a vote among players and voted to forgo an Oct. 26 game against San Jose State and transgender player Blaire Fleming, OutKick has exclusively learned.

The Nevada athletic department told OutKick in an exclusive statement on Oct. 3 that the team would play the scheduled game. However, the school did not consult with the players before making this statement.

“The University of Nevada volleyball team remains focused on its upcoming games with UNLV and San Diego State and intends to play its remaining Mountain West schedule, including the game against San Jose State University on October 26,” it said the declaration.

“The university will continue to abide by the rules and regulations of the NCAA, the Mountain West Conference and USA Volleyball, as well as the laws and constitution of the state of Nevada.”

The University of Nevada issued a statement about its Oct. 26 women's volleyball game against San Jose State and transgender player Blaire Fleming without consulting members of the team.

(University of Nevada Athletics)

But most Nevada players disagreed with the school's decision and decided to take matters into their own hands.

“We, the University of Nevada Reno women's volleyball team, lose to San Jose State University and stand united in solidarity with the volleyball teams of Southern Utah University, Boise State University, University of Wyoming and Utah State University,” wrote the team in an exclusive statement to OutKick.

“We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the pitch be protected. We refuse to participate in games that promote injustice against female athletes.”

Riley Gaines, host of the OutKick podcast “Gaines for Girls” and one of the most influential pro-women voices in the country, praised the Nevada team for their courage.

“For college athletes to have to vote on whether to play the sport for which they received scholarships is a clear sign that the adults responsible for protecting them have failed,” Gaines said in a statement to OutKick.

“I applaud these athletes for setting boundaries and putting their safety above winning. You have shown far more courage and leadership than the president of the university and the president of this country.”

“A movement is emerging in which athletes are taking control of their future and reminding us that what is called 'progressive' is actually taking us back to the past.”

Sia Liilii, a senior and one of two captains on the team, told OutKick that players were frustrated when they learned the school had required them to play the game without speaking to them.

“The school released this statement without even consulting our team,” Liilii said. “We were quite upset that we were not informed that a statement would be issued.”

Nevada senior Sia Liilii told OutKick that players were upset and frustrated when the school required them to play against San Jose State and transgender player Blaire Fleming without consulting the team.

(University of Nevada Athletics)

The veteran outside attacker also noted that the timing of the statement couldn't have been worse.

“We were actually in Las Vegas preparing for our game against UNLV, our in-state rival,” she said. “It was a really frustrating time, especially because we were so close to playing a big game.”

Nevada lost to UNLV 3-2, although Liilii acknowledged that the release of the statement had no impact on the team's performance.

The senior told OutKick that players and coaches had a meeting the day after the game against UNLV to discuss the statement released by the school.

She said the players decided they wanted to take time to think about what they wanted to do.

This week the team reconvened and made the decision to forfeit the game against San Jose State.

“We have decided that we will show solidarity with other teams that have already lost and that we will not take part in a game that promotes gender discrimination or injustice against female athletes,” Liilii said.

Although University of Nevada officials said the volleyball team would face San Jose State and transgender player Blaire Fleming, the players voted to forgo the Oct. 26 game.

(University of Nevada Athletics and San Jose State University Athletics)

Nevada becomes the fifth school to cancel a game against San Jose State this season and the fourth Mountain West team to forfeit rather than face transgender opponent Blaire Fleming.

Southern Utah became the first school to cancel its game against San Jose State last month when it withdrew from a scheduled contest in the Santa Clara Tournament.

Nevada joined Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State as schools from the Mountain West to suffer a loss instead of playing their scheduled game.

RELATED: Brooke Slusser says SJSU tried to hide transgender volleyball player: 'It just gets swept under the rug'

While Liilii recognized the possibility of a negative reaction due to the team's decision, they concluded that what they believe in was worth standing up for.

“It's definitely something we've talked about as a team, but we've always come back to the fact that we believe women deserve fair competition and our right to opportunity,” she said.

OutKick reached out to the University of Nevada for comment on the players' decision. We will update if the school returns our message.

UPDATE: You can Read the University of Nevada's full statement here.

OutKick also reached out to San Jose State, which said in a statement:

“SJSU student-athletes fully comply with the rules and regulations of the NCAA and Mountain West. We remain committed to supporting all of our student-athletes during this challenging time – including their mental health and physical safety, both on and off the field. “We continue to work to ensure they can participate in an inclusive, fair and respectful environment,” the school wrote in an email.

The Mountain West Conference has repeatedly told OutKick that the cancellations were “institutional decisions” and that the conference has no current plans to adjust its procedures despite the multiple cancellations.

Things have remained relatively quiet in the Mountain West regarding San Jose State volleyball and transgender player Blaire Fleming, despite four schools foregoing conference play in the past two weeks.

(Getty Images and San Jose State Athletics)

The conference's latest statement to OutKick, sent on October 3rd:

“According to Mountain West policy, these are institutional decisions and questions should be directed to the institutions. The losses follow current policy and will be reflected in the conference standings,” wrote conference spokesman Javan Hedlund via email.

OutKick reached out to the Mountain West following the Nevada announcement and asked whether a fourth school forgoing a game changed the conference's position.

They did not immediately respond to our request.