By james art LAS VEGAS — The University of Nevada, Reno and San Jose State have agreed to move their controversial volleyball game from Reno to Northern California.
The decision was announced Tuesday after UNR said it would not cancel Saturday’s home game, even though Wolf Pack players released a statement saying they would sit out in protest of transgender athletes participating in the sport.
UNR previously said state and federal laws prevent the university from closing its doors and not preparing for the game.
The Mountain West approved the venue change, the two universities said in a joint statement.
“The decision to relocate the game was made in the best interest of both programs and the well-being of the student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff and spectators,” the schools said.
San Jose State and UNR officials declined to comment further, though the move appeared to be made in an effort to protect each team from potential protests and political activity.
The development is another sign that the match is unlikely to take place. Based on the UNR players’ statement, San Jose State would have traveled for no reason, an expense for which UNR could be financially responsible.
Wolf Pack captain Sia Liilii told reporters that none of the players will participate in the game. UNR will need at least six players to field a team.
Several UNR players have hired conservative attorney Joey Gilbert, whose firm is reportedly considering suing the university. Gilbert did not respond to a request for comment. UNR does not make its players or coaches available for interviews.
UNR is scheduled to play at Fresno State on Thursday and must notify San Jose State of its plans between then and Saturday.
Spartans co-captain Brooke Slusser joined a lawsuit against the NCAA’s inclusion rules in September, adding to the ongoing scrutiny surrounding the team. The filing says Slusser no longer wants senior Blair Fleming on the team because of the accusation that she is transgender.
Four schools have lost games to San Jose State (11-3, 6-3 MW), a phenomenon that hadn’t happened before this season. The canceled games count as wins for seeding purposes for the conference tournament, set for Nov. 27-30 at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion.
Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez said last week that the biggest challenge to national attention surrounding conference volleyball is that “there are human beings on both sides of it.”
UNLV voted unanimously to play all of its scheduled games, including those against San Jose State. The Rebels went on the road and defeated the Spartans on October 12th and will play them again on November 7th at Cox Pavilion.