University of Nevada, Reno women’s volleyball co-captain Sia Liilii on Sunday, Oct. 13, said the majority of the team had voted to forfeit its match against San Jose State University later this month rather than play against a team with an alleged transgender member. That decision runs afoul of UNR’s non-discrimination policy, and it could lead to penalties for the student athletes.

Liilii announced the team’s vote to OutKick, a right-wing sports and culture news site owned by Fox Corporation. Her announcement came after Nevada Athletics last week confirmed the team would compete against the SJSU team in a home game on Oct. 26. 

“We decided that we’re going to stand in solidarity with other teams that have already forfeited and that we wouldn’t participate in a game that advances sex-based discrimination or injustice against female athletes,” Liilii told OutKick. 

Four other schools in the Mountain West division have forfeited their matches against SJSU including Utah State University, Southern Utah University, Boise State University and the University of Wyoming. Those four schools didn’t provide a reason for forfeiting, but Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on X, formerly Twitter, praised the schools in his state for preserving “a space for women to compete fairly and safely,” and Idaho Gov. Brad Little tweeted, “I applaud @BoiseState for working within the spirit of my executive order, the Defending Women’s Sports Act.” 

The UNLV women’s volleyball team went ahead with its match against SJSU on Oct. 12, beating the Spartans on their home court 3-1.

The SJSU player at the center of the controversy has not come out as transgender, but, according to USA Today columnist Dan Wolken, was outed by an anti-trans website earlier this year. (This Is Reno is not linking to those stories nor naming the player.) Since then, anti-trans activists have used the story to urge athletes and teams to boycott matches against the team. 

Liilii said the Nevada team was frustrated UNR had committed them to the match without first speaking to them. The Mountain West conference schedule was announced in March.

UNR officials said the players’ decision doesn’t represent the university and it would move forward with the match as scheduled. 

“The players’ decision and statement were made independently, and without consultation with the University or the athletic department,” the university released in a statement. “The players’ decision also does not represent the position of the University.”

“Any violations of the University’s Student Code of Conduct will be investigated and adjudicated by the University’s Office of Student Conduct.”

UNR and Nevada System of Higher Education both follow a non-discrimination policy that bans discrimination on the basis of gender identity, gender expression or genetic information. 

Additionally, as the recipient of federal funding, both UNR and SJSU must follow the provisions of Title IX, a portion of the Education Amendments of 1972. An update to Title IX that went into effect Aug. 1 added gender identity discrimination to the types of sex discrimination prohibited under the law. 

To continue receiving federal funding, including federal financial aid for students, SJSU cannot block a transgender player from participating on a team if they meet sport regulations, and UNR cannot boycott a game on the basis of that player’s participation. 

Nevada Athletics’ own mission includes promoting “a diverse and inclusive environment.” The most recent available handbook for the Nevada Athletics code of conduct also requires student athletes to follow all NSHE and UNR policies, as well as those of the NCAA, Mountain West Conference, athletics department and team. 

“Any violations of the University’s Student Code of Conduct will be investigated and adjudicated by the University’s Office of Student Conduct,” the handbook notes. Students found in violation of the policies could face penalties including community service, loss of access to practice and competitions, suspension, loss of financial aid or dismissal from the team. 

The university’s statement said SJSU is still scheduled to play at UNR’s Virginia Street Gym on Oct. 26. 

“The university intends to move forward with the match as scheduled, and the players may choose not to participate in the match on the day of the contest,” UNR officials said. “No players will be subject to any team disciplinary action for their decision not to participate in the match.”

This Is Reno asked if players would face disciplinary action from UNR for potential school, NSHE and Title IX violations but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Eleven of the team’s 17 members receive scholarships or athletic aid totaling $408,830. 

Transgender players aren’t prohibited in college sports. NCAA updated its rules in 2022 taking a sport-by-sport approach and following the policies for the national governing body for each sport. For volleyball, transgender athletes need to meet sport-specific testosterone levels at three intervals throughout the year, including the start of the season, six months later and four weeks before championship selections. 

USA Volleyball is the governing body for the sport and states, “Testosterone levels must not exceed the upper limit of the normal female reference range for their age group.”

This is the second time this year transphobic comments have put Nevada higher education in the spotlight. In March, NSHE Regent Patrick Boylan questioned university athletic directors about “men masquerading as women” in athletics. He faced calls to resign following that March 1 meeting. 

Readily available online resources show Boylan’s remarks to be uninformed and misleading.

A University of Kansas factsheet indicates transgender athletes have been participating on sports teams for decades and that, “States that have transgender-inclusive sports policies demonstrate consistent or increased participation of girls in sports, unlike those states that exclude transgender youth from sports.”

The American Civil Liberties Union said excluding those who are transgender from sports hurts all women.

“It invites gender policing that could subject any woman to invasive tests or accusations of being ‘too masculine’ or ‘too good’ at their sport to be a ‘real’ woman,” the ACLU notes. Such was the case during the 2024 Summer Olympics when Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was accused of being transgender despite supplying documentation that she was assigned female at birth.  

This story has been updated to include the number of players receiving financial aid and the amount.