Colorado State will advance to the MW volleyball finals and will face San Jose State

Las Vegas – Colorado State coach Emily Kohan said her team would speak up rather than become another team to lose a game to San Jose State after the top-seeded Rams advanced to Friday’s finals of the Mountain West volleyball tournament .

Saturday’s final will include automatic candidacy for the NCAA tournament, in which 64 teams will take part.

Colorado State reached the finals, defeating fifth-seeded San Diego State 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23.

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

Although the Broncos did not clearly announce why they withdrew, a a lawsuit was recently filed in Colorado by players from various schools against the conference and by San Jose State officials calling for a Spartan player to be banned from the tournament. They cited unspecified reports that San Jose State had a transgender player on the volleyball team and even named her.

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

“It’s been a really complex and emotional situation for us this season,” Colorado’s Kohan said. “If you don’t have difficult conversations in these rooms and make difficult decisions, I don’t think you really know what it feels like. I also think that regardless of your opinion on the matter, there is some room here to acknowledge that there have been a lot of young people showing courage throughout the season.

“This could end with us. We will not turn over these difficult conversations to the NCAA committee or any other team for these tearful conversations to take place in a hotel.

San Jose State, which had six forfeit wins because of the boycott from regular-season opponents, is seeded second in the conference tournament and receives a first-round bye.

Boise State was the last school to opt out. The Broncos’ athletic department released a statement Wednesday night saying their team “should not give up this opportunity while waiting for a more thoughtful and better system that serves all athletes.”

In addition to Boise State, Mountain West members Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada, as well as Southern Utah, have canceled games this season against the Spartans. Nevada players said they “refuse to participate in any match that furthers injustice towards female players,” without providing further details.

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

Transgender women’s participation in women’s sports has become a hot political issue ahead of the recent election.

Two protesters from Davis, California, stood outside Cox Pavilion before and during the Colorado State-San Diego semifinal game on Friday. They supported teams that forfeited 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