University of Nevada, Reno Athletic Director Stephanie Rempe addressed a recent national controversy regarding its women’s volleyball program in a statement to Fox News Digital.

A dispute between volleyball players and the athletics department over whether to compete against a team with a trans athlete resulted in a last minute loss for not having enough players to participate on Friday. The players had told the university they did not want to play the game, but the program refused to cancel it until the day before it was scheduled.

Team captain Sia Liilii then alleged that the school told her and her teammates that they “didn’t understand the science” and to “reconsider their position” at a news conference Saturday.

On Sunday, Liilii alleged that she and her teammates were told that the trans opponent “was at a disadvantage” due to the medication he was taking to transition from male to female, during the “Support Women” Event in Philadelphia.

Sophomore Masyn Navarro alleged that her teammates had been told to “stay quiet” about the controversy during Saturday’s press conference, but did not specify who told her.

“It shouldn’t be so difficult to defend women. However, we will now take this opportunity to defend ourselves as a team, like some who have been told to stay silent,” Navarro said.

Rempe said she has “no knowledge” of the incidents cited by Liilii or Navarro, but confirmed that she and assistant athletic director Merlene Aitken-Smith held at least one private meeting with the players.

“The assistant athletic director and I met with the volleyball team and coaching staff on October 7, where each team member had the opportunity to share their feelings about the situation, ask questions, give their opinion on next steps, and give them feedback. we provide the opportunity to obtain resources,” said Rempe.

“I did not say, and I am not aware of, any member of the athletics administrative team telling members of our women’s volleyball team that ‘they were not educated enough,’ that they ‘didn’t understand the science,’ that they should reconsider their position.” or that they should ‘remain silent’ regarding their participation in a scheduled Oct. 26 game against San Jose State University.”

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Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown (left) poses with Sia Liilii (center right) of Nevada and former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. (Sam Brown campaign)

The university has also announced several times that players would be free to sit out the game without consequences.

Rempe said he apologized to the players for how they were informed that the university planned to continue with the game, even after the players voted to abandon the game. The team originally approached management to tell them they wanted to forfeit the match, but the program later issued a statement stating that they would not forfeit it.

“On October 14 and 22, I spoke to the team for less than five minutes each time and those meetings were operational in nature. In all three meetings, I shared our genuine apology for not sharing the statement published on October 3 in advance of its game against UNLV As has been stated on multiple occasions, we continue to support the rights of volleyball players who choose and choose not to participate,” Rempe said.

INSIDE THE SAN JOSÉ STATE POLICE BATTLE TO PROTECT ATHLETES THREATENED BY A TRANSGENDER CULTURAL WAR

“The focus of our athletic department has always been the well-being and success of our student-athletes, including their ability to learn and grow from their personal and competitive experiences at our University. This remains our top priority with respect to all the members of our women’s volleyball team.”

Nevada previously said it couldn’t lose the game because it would be a violation of state law. Article I, Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution states that “This state or any of its political subdivisions shall not deny or abridge equal rights under the law on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin.” However, the constitution was amended in 2022, when Nevada voted to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment, which added gender identity to the list of protections.

However, that law was not enforced on Friday, when the university announced it would forfeit because it did not have enough players to compete.

“The University of Nevada, Reno’s decision not to play its scheduled Mountain West Conference game at San Jose State on Saturday, October 26 was based on not having enough players to compete and not on gender identity or expression. “This does not violate the Nevada Constitution,” read a separate statement from the university provided to Fox News Digital.

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Blaire Fleming, a redshirt senior at No. 3 San Jose State University, plays outside hitter and right hitter on the women’s volleyball team. (San Jose State University)

Nevada became the fifth team to lose a game against San Jose State, joining Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State. The cancellations come with a San Jose State player involved in a lawsuit against the NCAA alleging she had shared a locker room and dorm room with a transgender teammate, who is still on the team, without ever being told that person was a man. biological.

San Jose State player Brooke Slusser has joined a lawsuit led by OutKick host and former college swimmer Riley Gaines against the NCAA over its gender identity policies. Slusser joined this lawsuit because he claims that he has had to share the court, locker room and even a room on overnight trips with teammate Blaire Fleming without ever being told that Fleming was a biological man.

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