The University of Nevada's women's volleyball team has forfeited its upcoming Saturday match against San Jose State, as announced Thursday night. Citing the lack of the necessary six players to field an official team, the match at San Jose is a no-go and will count as a Mountain West Conference loss for Nevada, according to a statement from the university. "Due to not having enough players to compete, the University of Nevada women’s volleyball team will not play its scheduled Mountain West Conference match at San José State on Saturday, Oct. 26," the NevadaSportsNet reported.
Earlier, there was a controversial cloud surrounding the match as the Wolf Pack players had expressed concerns over competing against San Jose State, which has a transgender woman on its roster. These concerns were reported to be rooted in "a right to safety and fairness." Despite a venue change from Reno to San Jose made "in the best interest of both programs and the well-being of the student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff and spectators," the Wolf Pack players have ultimately opted out of the match, with the team's shortfall happening less than an hour after its five-set match loss at Fresno State, as reported by NevadaSportsNet.
This marks the fourth instance within the Mountain West Conference where a team has forfeited against San Jose State this season; Boise State, Wyoming, and Utah State are the other schools, with Southern Utah also foregoing a scheduled non-conference match. What's notable is that none of these schools have explicitly clarified the reasons behind their forfeitures, as highlighted in a report by FOX5 Vegas.
Instead of stepping onto the court Saturday, members of Nevada's volleyball team plan to attend a "Women's Sports Are For Women Only" event, coinciding with the erstwhile scheduled match time, as per FOX5 Vegas. The decision to cancel the match will affect Nevada's standing within the conference, now recording a 4-6 in MW play, which places them in jeopardy for qualifying for the conference tournament - only the top-six teams get the nod, and currently, the Boise State occupies the sixth spot with a 5-4 record.
