In a statement emailed late Wednesday night, Boise State Athletics announced the team was choosing to forfeit a third time this season to San Jose State.
"The decision to not continue to play in the 2024 Mountain West Volleyball Championship tournament was not an easy one. 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."
The decision ends the season, as Boise State (19-10) is unlikely to be selected to the 32-team NCAA Volleyball Tournament field.
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Boise State volleyball defeated Utah State 3-1 in Wednesday's opening round of the Mountain West Conference Championship Tournament in Las Vegas. It was the Broncos' first win of the season in three matches against the higher-seeded Aggies.
The win sets up a semifinal match Friday with 2-seed San Jose State. Boise State chose to forfeit both regular season matches against the Spartans. The school never publicly confirmed a specific reason for the forfeits, but records obtained by Boise State Public Radio and other media outlets via public records request showed the forfeits were due to concerns of a transgender player on the Spartans roster.
The school has not announced as of Wednesday evening if they will refuse the opportunity to play the Spartans for a third time this season. A forfeit would end Boise State's season.
The San Jose Mercury News reports Boise State Athletics volleyball spokesman Doug Link said he wasn't sure what would happen next.
“I think we’re playing, but at this point in time there’s nothing more to say," Link said according to the Mercury News. A postgame news release from the team made no mention of San Jose State and did not indicate whether the team would play or not.
The semifinal match is scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. PT. A Mountain West official this week did not say whether there was a deadline for a team to reach a decision on a potential forfeit.
"The 2024 Mountain West Volleyball Championship is set and scheduled for the six qualifying teams, and we are preparing accordingly until we are notified otherwise," Senior Associate Commissioner Javan Hedlund wrote by email.
Two Boise State players were among 11 Mountain West student-athletes and an SJSU assistant coach to sue the conference this month, alleging the conference allowing the transgender player to compete violated Title IX regulations, and the conference had violated their constitutional rights. A federal judge earlier this week refused to block the player from playing in the tournament or reverse forfeit losses on team records.
Utah State, Nevada and Wyoming also forfeited matches to SJSU this season, which all counted as wins for San Jose State. Nevada and Wyoming did not advance to the conference tournament.
Wednesday, first team all-conference senior Paige Bartsch led the way for Boise State with 14 kills. The Broncos clinched the match 25-19, 18-25, 25-20, 25-23 on a service ace from freshman Lilli Etter. Boise State improved to 11-24 all-time in conference tournament play.
This story will be updated.
