Blaire Fleming failed to sign off from college volleyball on a high after suffering defeat with San Jose State in the Mountain West tournament final.
The transgender volleyball star, who has been at the center of fierce controversy this season, and their school were beaten by Colorado State 27-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-16 in Saturday’s all-important final.
It means Fleming has now played college volleyball for the very last time, with the Rams instead receiving the conference’s automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Tournament.
San Jose State’s season was marred by forfeits from rival schools and limited protests amid the outrage over Fleming, who is a biological male.
And after their defeat to Colorado State, Spartans head coach Todd Kress hit out at the ‘appalling and hateful’ abuse many associated with the team have been subjected to over the course of the season.
‘I have immense pride in the fact that we competed as a team all season long. These players put their love for the game above all else to play as a team each and every match,’ Kress said.
Blaire Fleming and SJSU were beaten by Colorado State in the Mountain West tournament final
‘This has been one of the most difficult seasons I’ve ever experienced and I know this is true as well for many of our players and the staff who have been supporting us all along.
‘Maintaining our focus on the court and ensuring the overall safety and well-being of my players amid the external noise have been my priorities. I would especially like to thank Chief – who has been here with us for this tournament.’
Multiple opponents refused to play against Kress’ team this season amid concerns over Fleming, with SJSU advancing to the conference tournament with a 12-6 record after earning seven of those wins via forfeit.
Boise State, who forfeited three games in total against the Spartans in 2024, even withdrew from a semifinal matchup with them earlier this week.
‘I will not sugarcoat our reality for the last two months,’ Kress continued. ‘Our team prepared and was ready to play each match according to established Mountain West and NCAA rules of play. We did not take away anyone’s participation opportunities.
‘Sadly, others who for years have played this same team without incident chose not to play us this season. To be clear, we did not celebrate a single win by forfeiture. Instead, we braced for the fallout. Each forfeiture announcement unleashed appalling, hateful messages individuals chose to send directly to our student-athletes, our coaching staff, and many associated with our program.
‘I am thankful for those of you who took the time to share your support and messages that recognize our players and their fortitude. Like you, I am enormously proud of this team and I am enormously proud to be the coach of these resilient women.’
Fleming, who is a biological male, has been at the center of fierce controversy this season
Multiple opponents have refused to play against the transgender player and their team
A host of players from colleges in the same conference as SJSU recently filed a lawsuit seeking to block Fleming from the Mountain West tournament, before some of the player’s teammates even hopped on board.
The lawsuit argued that allowing them to participate would knowingly violate a law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in women’s sports.
However, Judge S. Kato Crews – an appointee of President Biden to the US District Court in Colorado – ruled last week that Fleming could continue to compete on SJSU’s women’s team despite that accusation.
Amid the controversy, which has sparked national debate, some of the Spartans’ own players even turned on the school; filing a lawsuit against their head coach, the college and the Mountain West Conference.
The lawsuit asked for Fleming to be declared ineligible for the tournament, SJSU’s wins to be vacated and the team to be deemed ineligible for the conference tournament.
A host of players recently filed a lawsuit seeking to block Fleming from the tournament
According to the filing, team captain Brooke Slusser, who previously backed Nevada women’s volleyball players for fighting against playing SJSU, demanded that officials remove Fleming from the roster ahead of the Spartans’ conference championship game in Las Vegas.
Slusser along with 10 other current or former Mountain West players and SJSU associate head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose claim the university and conference officials violated their Title IX rights.
Batie-Smoose has been suspended indefinitely by the school after raising complaints over Fleming, leaving players ‘distraught.’
The lawsuit also alleges that the plaintiffs’ free speech rights were infringed upon because they were discouraged from speaking about their opposition to her participation.
