The Colorado State women's volleyball team will face San Jose State in the Mountain West Conference championship game on Saturday as the Spartans spark a national controversy over transgender players.
Colorado State head coach Emily Cohan confirmed the Rams will play in the finals at 5pm ET on Saturday after defeating No. 5 seed San Diego State in four sets on Friday. Ta.
“It's been a really complicated and emotional situation this whole season,” Cohan said. “And I don't think you can really understand what this feels like unless you're in that room having difficult conversations and making difficult decisions.
“I also think that, whatever your opinion, there is room to acknowledge that many young people have shown courage in different ways throughout the season.”
SJSU has been embroiled in controversy this season due to transgender player Blair Fleming on the team. Several teams had their games against SJSU forfeited, and Fleming is the subject of a lawsuit that includes Spartans team members and staff.
After Boise State was the last team to forfeit a game, SJSU advanced to the finals, this time in the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Broncos' athletic department released a statement Wednesday night saying the team “doesn't have to miss out on this opportunity while waiting for a more thoughtful and better system that serves all athletes.”
In addition to Boise State, Mountain West members Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and Southern Utah have also canceled games against the Spartans this season. Nevada players said they would “refuse to compete in any game that promotes injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details.
However, Cohan, who spoke to members of the media on Friday, supported Colorado State's decision to play in the final.
“This was a far cry from the regular season. Tomorrow we have a chance to play in another championship, but at the same time we say, 'We're going to go there, we're going to show courage with the way we play.' He also shows courage to be part of the team. We can stop this. ”
“We are not going to hand over this difficult conversation to the NCAA committee or another team to have a tearful conversation in a hotel,” she continued.
The final match is scheduled for 5pm ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
