For the first time since 1990, San Jose State opened the 2024 volleyball season with a six-game win streak. By September, their undefeated streak jumped to 9-0 before disaster struck. Riley Gaines alleged that SJSU volleyball hid the fact that Blaire Fleming was a transgender athlete. The former NCAA swimmer said it was “unfair” and “dangerous” for Fleming to compete against women.

Gaines’ post coincided with Southern Utah abruptly forfeiting their match against SJSU. However, little did they know that it would be the first of five such cancellations and the start of a controversy that would take a toll on the entire team. However, despite several challenges, including a massive lawsuit, the Spartans celebrated a milestone victory.

SJSU volleyball continues to shine amidst legal trouble

“San Jose State get their first win of the year over the Colorado State Rams,” said an excited commentator in a clip from the November 16 game. SJSU volleyball, who are in touching distance of the Mountain West Conference post-season tournament, landed a huge victory against the Ram. The team avenged their 3-0 blowout loss against the Rams earlier in the season on October 3.

The clip also captured the player of the monument who made the winning, and it was none other than Blaire Fleming. “SERVICE ACE! Spartans with the win over Colorado State. Blaire Fleming with the ace” posted the official Spartans X-page. The entire team mobbed Fleming in celebration of the winning move. However, that is far from the athlete’s only contribution to the game.

The Outside Hitter led the SJSU volleyball team with 24 kills, once again showing consistency. Already scoring over 250 kills by November 9, despite the forfeitures, Fleming is now at the 276 mark ahead of the MWC Tournament. In a scene that created quite the contrast, co-captain Brooke Slusser also celebrated with the rest of the team as they notched another important victory.

With a win over Colorado State, the Spartans are now 14-5 overall and 12-5 in the league. And while the team has already secured a place in the post-season tournament, they still have to overcome one more hurdle, led by none other than Brooke Slusser.

Spartans co-captain and assistant coach lead federal lawsuit against the Outside Hitter

Just three days ahead of the Spartan’s match against Colorado, Brooke Slusser, assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, and women from other conference colleges filed a federal lawsuit against San Jose State and the Mountain West Conference. The lawsuit aimed to legally prevent Blaire Fleming from competing in the upcoming MWC Post-Season Tournament.

The Outside Hitter once again proved against Colorado that she is an invaluable player for the squad. Hence, losing Fleming could be a massive blow to the Spartans’ NCAA championship dreams. Winning the regional finals would allow SJSU volleyball to compete for coveted national championships. However, the lawsuit has made things precarious.

San Jose State has refused to comment on the lawsuit so far. “While we are unable to comment on the pending litigation of this particular situation, we take seriously all concerns of student-athlete welfare and fairness,” SJSU told The Athletic on Thursday, November 14. Notably, this isn’t Brooke Slusser’s first lawsuit against Blaire Fleming.

The SJSU volleyball co-captain, Brooke Slusser, had filed a lawsuit of her own in September. Following Riley Gaines’ statement, Slusser also raised safety concerns by allowing Fleming to continue playing. So despite SJSU celebrating their milestone win, there’s still doubt whether the lawsuit will cause issues about Fleming competing in the MWC Championship that starts on November 27.