Colorado State advances to the MW volleyball finals to face San Jose State

LAS VEGAS – Colorado State coach Emily Kohan said her team will take the floor rather than become the latest team to lose to San Jose State after the top-seeded Rams advanced to the finals of the Mountain West volleyball tournament on Friday.

An automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA tournament is at stake in Saturday’s final.

Colorado State reached the final by beating fifth-seeded San Diego State 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23.

Boise State, which twice boycotted regular-season games with San Jose State, withdrew from the conference tournament Wednesday night, hours after beating Utah State to secure a spot against the Spartans in Friday’s semifinals.

Although the Broncos did not explicitly announce why they were withdrawing, a a lawsuit was recently filed in Colorado by players from several schools against the conference and San Jose State officials who called for a Spartan player to be blocked from participating in the tournament. They cited unspecified reports claiming there was a transgender player on San Jose State’s volleyball team, even naming her.

U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver ruled Monday that the player was allowed to play, and a federal appeals court upheld the decision the next day.

“It’s been a very complex and emotional situation for us this season,” Colorado State’s Kohan said. “Unless you’re in those rooms having those tough conversations and making those tough decisions, I don’t think you really know what this feels like. I also think that regardless of your opinion on it, there is some room to recognize that there is a Many young people are showing courage all season long.

“This can stop with us. We’re not going to pass these tough conversations off to the NCAA committee or another team to have those tearful conversations in the hotel.

San Jose State, which has six forfeit victories because of boycotts of opponents during the regular season, is seeded second in the conference tournament and receives a bye in the first round.

Boise State was the last school to forfeit. The Broncos athletic department released a statement Wednesday evening saying their team “cannot miss this opportunity pending a more thoughtful and better system that serves all athletes.”

In addition to Boise State, Mountain West members Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada and Southern Utah canceled games against the Spartans this season. Nevada’s players said they “refuse to participate in any competition that promotes injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details.

While some media outlets have reported these and other details, San Jose State has not confirmed that the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity and declined an interview request through school officials.

The participation of transgender women in women’s sports became a hot political issue ahead of the recent elections.

Two protesters from Davis, California, stood outside Cox Pavilion on Friday before and during the semifinal between Colorado State and San Diego State. They supported the teams that lost games against San Jose State, arguing that the Spartans had an unfair athletic advantage.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports