The Mountain West commissioner expresses deep sadness over the upheaval enveloping the San Jose State volleyball team.
Four teams have withdrawn from competing against San Jose State, these include Boise State, Southern Utah, Utah State, and Wyoming. None of these institutions have provided a clear reason for their withdrawal.
A group of Nevada athletes announced that they will not participate in their scheduled home match against San Jose State on October 26, citing their "right to safety and fair competition." However, their school asserted that the match is still underway and that state law prohibits forfeitures due to reasons related to gender identity or expression.
All the teams, except for Southern Utah, belong to the Mountain West. New Mexico, another MWC team, proceeded with its home match on Thursday, ending in a 3-1 victory for San Jose State, marking their first win since September 24.
"It's heartbreaking because these are human beings, young individuals, student-athletes, who are getting excessively negative attention on a national scale," expressed Nevarez, head coach of New Mexico, in an interview with The Associated Press at Mountain West basketball media days.
Republican government officials from Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming have publicly supported the withdrawals, emphasizing the importance of fairness in women's sports. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee for this year's presidential election, mentioned an unspecified volleyball match during a Fox News town hall discussion, suggesting that if a similar situation occurred, he would prohibit it.
"I saw the slam, it was a slam. I've never seen a ball hit so hard, hitting the girl in the head," Trump stated before being asked for his suggestions. "You just ban it. The president bans it. You just don't let it happen."
In response to Trump's remark, San Diego State issued a statement clarifying that no San Diego State student-athlete was hit by a volleyball during a match with San Jose State.
San Jose State has not issued any direct comments regarding the politicians' "fairness" remarks, and Nevarez declined to provide additional details.
"I'm learning a lot about the issue," Nevarez admitted. "I'm not yet familiar with the language, the science, or the national understanding of how this issue plays out. The external pressures are extremely one-sided, with political overtones. It's an election year, so it feels like a lose-lose situation based on all the external pressure."
The withdrawals from the matches could potentially affect these teams' qualification for the conference tournament, which is scheduled for November 27-30 in Las Vegas.
"The player in question meets the eligibility criteria, so if a team fails to compete against them, it results in a loss by forfeit," explained Nevarez.
New Mexico's coach, Jon Newman-Gonchar, noted that his team considered postponing the contest against San Jose State.
"We're a volleyball team that aims to compete and improve," he said after the team's loss in Albuquerque, New Mexico. "There wasn't much of a conversation about the opposing team's personnel. We simply asked if anyone was uncomfortable playing or had any concerns. Every player expressed eagerness to play and improve."
San Jose State's coach, Todd Kress, described the court as his team's "safe haven" and pointed out the increased security and police presence required during matches. He has refrained from publicly discussing specific players since the withdrawals began.
"It's definitely taken a toll on many of them. They're receiving messages of hatred, which is utterly absurd to me," Kress observed in Albuquerque. "Some of these individuals are the shameful underbelly of society. Attacking 18, 19, or 20-year-old females is deplorable, particularly when it comes to parents harshly criticizing young student-athletes."
San Jose State is scheduled to face Air Force on Saturday, a week before the planned October 26 match in Reno, if it proceeds as scheduled.
Nevada announced that "the majority of the Wolf Pack women's volleyball team" had opted to forfeit the match against San Jose State. The school clarified that only the university has the authority to make this decision, although any player choosing not to participate would face no repercussions.
"When we had our first forfeit, there was a lot of distress. Now, we're kind of used to it, although it still saddens our student-athletes when we can't compete in a match," Kress expressed. "Regrettably, they've come to accept it to some extent."
Despite the withdrawals of several Mountain West teams, San Jose State managed to secure a victory against New Mexico in their home match, demonstrating the resilience of the team. The ongoing controversy surrounding gender identity and expression in sports has led to numerous discussions and political involvement, potentially impacting the qualification of teams for the conference tournament.
