The San Jose State University women’s volleyball team is set to face Boise State University Friday at the Mountain West tournament in what would usually be a celebration of athletic prowess and achievement.

Colorado State women’s volleyball will play in the Mountain West conference championship game against San Jose State University on Saturday amid a national controversy that has engulfed the Spartan’s team over a transgender athlete.

The latest battleground in America’s culture war over gender identity will take place Saturday on a volleyball court in Las Vegas.

A look at key dates before and during the San Jose State women’s volleyball season. The Spartans are 14-6, plus six wins via forfeit by four schools in Mountain West Conference regular-season play. Some players cited fairness in women’s sports as a reason for not playing,

The issue resurfaced after San Jose State’s fast start to the 2024 season. The Spartans were initially scheduled to face Southern Utah as part of the Santa Clara Tournament on Sept. 14, but the match was abruptly canceled. Boise State elected not to play its scheduled Mountain West Conference match against San Jose State on Sept. 28.

The San Jose State University Spartans women’s volleyball team, which is at the center of a national debate over the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports, advanced to its conference championship on Saturday without having played a single game in the tournament.

The Spartans’ path to the Mountain West Conference championship raises complex questions about fairness, inclusion, and the future of women’s sports.

Those against transgender athletes in biological girls sports have cited unfair advantages for said athletes and those teams. However, a columnist for USA Today called those who refuse to play trans athletes the “real threat.