San Jose State University’s women’s volleyball team started the 2024/25 NCAA season on a high note. The Spartans went off a 9-0 undefeated run before something unexpected derailed their momentum. While the Spartans proved to be an immovable force on the court, accusations by former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines snowballed into four universities refusing to play against SJSU.

Gaines accused SJSU of hiding the fact that Blaire Fleming was a trans athlete playing against women. The former Kentucky state swimmer alleged that hiding the truth and allowing a biological male endangered the women on the court. Barely a week after her allegations, SJSU faced their first cancelation of the season. Now, four forfeitures later, SJSU coach Todd Kress revealed how it’s affected his team.

South Utah was the first university to forfeit the game against the Spartans on September 14. Since then, Boise State, Utah State University, and Wyoming have joined the list. “There have been outside forces who have sought to divide our team, our university, our conference and our sport. I know it’s been weighing on the players in our locker room who have put in years of hard work,” revealed the volleyball coach.

Unfortunately, the backlash against SJSU even spread to the players. Kress revealed that disgruntled fans have targeted players individually, further affecting their morale. “I’m more worried about our student-athletes and what they receive and how that’s impacting their mental health,” Todd Kress told The National Desk. However, despite the backlash and targeted hate mail, there’s a silver lining!

On Thursday, a San Jose State spokesperson clarified that they do not foresee any further cancellations. “We are scheduled to play home games tonight against San Diego State and Saturday against UNLV,” the SJSU representatives told Fox News. However, the wave of forfeitures seriously dented the volleyball team’s confidence.

The Spartans looked invincible in their first nine games. However, the forfeitures and backlash have taken their toll on the players. On Thursday night, SJSU lost their second game amid the controversy as San Diego swept them to a 3-0 victory. Unfortunately, the issue has also infiltrated the Spartans internally.

The move that made things worse for SJSU Volleyball

When Southern Utah forfeited their Santa Clara Tournament match against the Spartans, things still seemed under control. While Southern Utah didn’t comment on why they forfeited, Wyoming promised to face SJSU on the court on October 5. However, when Spartans member Brooke Slusser filed a lawsuit against Fleming, things went out of hand.

Slusser’s lawsuit claimed that Fleming’s power spikes reached “upwards of 80 mph,” faster than any woman she had played with or against. “One thing that’s important in this case is really the physical safety issues in volleyball,” Slusser’s attorney Bill Bock stated. The volleyball player’s lawsuit came as an addition to Riley Gaines’ Title IX lawsuit against the NCAA.

Gaines and a dozen other athletes had originally filed the lawsuit in May 2024. The former NCAA athlete alleged that the body violated Title IX rules by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas to compete in the women’s division. Following the escalation, three other universities followed Southern Utah. Even Wyoming walked back on its word and canceled.

While it’s clear that the wave of cancellations has affected Spartans as a whole, the future seems hopeful. Maybe Todd Kress and his team will bounce back if things return to normal for SJSU. However, only time will tell if the volleyball team is out of troubled waters.