Nevada volleyball captain claims players' concerns were 'dismissed' amid transgender player controversy

The skipper of nan University of Nevada's women's volleyball squad said retired against her school, alleging that it 'dismissed' nan fears players had astir competing pinch a transgender opponent. 

Sia Liilii, the Wolf Pack team's elder captain, claims she and her teammates had fixed assemblage officials weeks-long announcement of their determination to forfeit a lucifer against San Jose State, whose roster features Blaire Fleming - a transgender athlete. 

But instead, it was only a time retired that nan programme announced it would beryllium forfeiting nan match, citing they didn't person capable players.

Now nan tearful skipper has slammed nan assemblage for ignoring nan team's concerns complete sharing nan tribunal pinch a transgender jock and not taking their issues seriously. 

'We felt unsafe and dismissed,' Liilii said during a property convention Saturday, besides attended by Riley Gaines. 

'We met pinch our schoolhouse officials to springiness them our team's caller statement, but they wouldn't moreover perceive it.

'We were told that we weren't knowledgeable capable and that we didn't understand nan science. We were told to reconsider our position.'

Liilii said she was shocked erstwhile nan assemblage initially decided to move up pinch nan scheduled lucifer against San Jose State, despite nan team's impassioned protestations.

'When nan news broke, I was stunned, arsenic galore of my teammates were. This is not what we signed up for.'

The saga came to a caput connected October 13, erstwhile nan assemblage released a nationalist connection that reaffirmed nan program's determination to compete against San Jose State. 

Players connected nan squad had antecedently voted to forfeit nan match. According to freshman Kinsley Singleton, she and her teammates had moreover met privately to talk their fears astir injuries that mightiness beryllium sustained from playing against a transgender opponent. 

The school's announcement felt for illustration an enactment of betrayal to nan young women. 

'Our assemblage had made a determination for us,' Liilii explained. 'They released a connection connected our behalf saying we were going to play. We were not consulted, we were not fixed a sound and we did not agree.'

Liilii said that she was 'hurt' knowing that nan schoolhouse was consenting to put them successful a 'position that could perchance wounded us.

'My teammates and I were very emotional, and I'm not sure, I cannot put into words really it feels to look thing for illustration this and knowing that we are each connected our own.' 

The volleyball prima past launched a broader onslaught aimed astatine nan Mountain West Conference and nan NCAA, lamenting that nan institutions were 'failing' them. 

Later on, sophomore Masyn Navarro took nan shape and claimed that she and her teammates had been urged to 'stay quiet' astir nan incident. 

'It should not beryllium this difficult to guidelines up for women. However, we will now return this opportunity to guidelines up arsenic a team, arsenic immoderate of america person been told to enactment quiet,' Navarro said.

The schoolhouse antecedently defended its actions and choices.

In a connection to Fox News, a typical for nan schoolhouse acknowledged that 'a mostly of nan Wolf Pack women's volleyball team' had decided to forfeit nan match.

However, they said that nan expertise to make specified a determination was nan prerogative of 'the assemblage and our section of athletics.'

The schoolhouse besides noted that players were free to beryllium retired nan lucifer without suffering immoderate consequences.

They defended their determination not to forfeit by pointing retired that to do truthful would perchance beryllium against nan law. 

'As a authorities university, a forfeiture for reasons involving gender personality aliases look could represent per se favoritism and break nan Nevada Constitution.'

Nevertheless, Nevada was forced to forfeit connected Friday, erstwhile it became clear that they would not person capable players to compete successful nan match. 

This was nan 5th clip that a scheduled force of San Jose State has refused to suit up against them this season, arsenic Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State and Southern Utah University person each made nan aforesaid decision.

More than a twelve female athletes, including 1 of Fleming's teammates, are accusing nan NCAA of knowingly violating a rule that prohibits sex-based favoritism by allowing a transgender subordinate to compete successful women's sports. 

Fleming, who plays arsenic an extracurricular and right-side hitter, has enjoyed 2 seasons pinch San Jose State aft antecedently playing astatine Coastal Carolina.

The player, who stands 6-foot-1, presently ranks 4th successful nan Mountain West successful kills and wide points.