Volleyball Team Faces Game Cancellations Amid Transgender Player Controversy

The girls’ volleyball team at Jurupa Valley High School in California has found itself in a challenging situation, with at least 10 scheduled games for the 2025 season canceled due to a national debate surrounding one of its players who is transgender.

Recently, Los Osos High School forfeited a tournament match against Jurupa Valley, while Patriot High School also forfeited a varsity game on Monday, marking the second forfeit for Jurupa Valley this season. Notably, Patriot High had previously forfeited a game on September 26 against them.

Maribel Muñoz, the mother of Jurupa Valley player Alyssa McPherson, shared a message from JVHS head coach Liana Manu that confirmed the forfeiture against Patriot High, although both junior varsity and freshman games proceeded as planned.

A California school commissioner familiar with the events verified that Patriot High’s varsity team did not participate in the match on Monday, but the lower-level games went ahead.

The recent forfeit happened after the teams played in a neutral tournament, and the game’s status is marked as a forfeit on the MaxPreps high school sports tracking site, though Los Osos has not provided an official reason for this decision.

Fox News Digital reached out to both the Jurupa Unified School District, encompassing both Jurupa Valley and Patriot High Schools, as well as the Chaffey Joint Union High School District, which includes Los Osos, for further clarity.

Manu’s message noted that while the varsity team would be forfeited, a lower-level team would still compete, something they had anticipated.

Due to this scenario, Jurupa Valley High now boasts a perfect 9-0 record in league play as they move toward the regular season finale, where they will face Norte Vista High School for a chance to reach the playoffs. Interestingly, Jurupa Valley previously defeated Norte Vista 3-2 on October 1.

It appears this isn’t an isolated incident. Schools such as Patriot High and Los Osos, along with several others in Southern California, including Riverside Poly and Orange Vista, have opted to avoid playing against Jurupa Valley this season, yet none have officially stated their reasons for the forfeitures.

Two senior players from Jurupa Valley, McPherson and Hadeel Hazameh, chose to leave the team in protest against their transgender teammate, AB Hernandez. They have gone a step further by filing a lawsuit against the Jurupa Unified School District, discussing their experiences in shared locker rooms over the past three years. McPherson’s sister, a former player herself, is also named as a plaintiff.

As Jurupa Valley prepares to head into the postseason, the concern of further forfeit situations looms, recalling last season when a Christian high school team lost to San Francisco Waldorf, which included a transgender player.

Despite winning a league championship with Hernandez in 2024, this year’s events have created significantly more discussion and media attention. Hernández’s participation in the state’s track and field championships drew national headlines, especially following President Trump’s social media statements criticizing California’s allowance of transgender athletes in women’s competitions.

The controversy led to changes by California’s high school sports league to permit female athletes competing against Hernandez to gain podium spots if they finish behind transgender athletes, a shift that has only added to the discussions around fairness and inclusion in sports.

The U.S. Department of Justice took action over these policies, filing a lawsuit against the California Interscholastic Federation and the state’s educational department, challenging their compliance with a federal executive order restricting male participation in women’s sports.

The California Governor’s office has stated that the schools in question operate independently, acknowledging the existing laws that were put in place by a previous administration and indicating that any change would require legislative action.

In recent discussions within the California legislature, proposed bills attempting to alter these laws were blocked, with some representatives drawing parallels to historical injustices, a point that sparked heated debate among legislators.

Governor Gavin Newsom, reflecting on the issue, expressed frustration at the divisive response from parents and the community, some of whom have raised concerns at their children’s sporting events. His remarks have elicited strong reactions from various stakeholders, highlighting the contentious nature of this situation.