Keep politics out of volleyball: SJSU’s tumultuous season

San Jose State’s starting outside hitter, redshirt senior Blaire Fleming, is the focus of a lawsuit against her. The situation was all the more complicated as her teammate, senior setter Brooke Slusser, joined said lawsuit. 

Slusser “Advanced both a Title IX complaint and a formal lawsuit against Fleming.” The subsequent politics centered around her identity led to several forfeits in San Jose State’s season. 

Across its regular season play in the Mountain West, the Spartans went 12-6. But half of their wins were forfeited by the other team. Boise State and Wyoming forfeited two games each against San Jose State. Boise State forfeited “while waiting for a more thoughtful and better system that serves all athletes,” the school said in a statement noting their withdrawal. Nevada and Utah State forfeited one each against the Spartans. Fleming and her team went 6-6 in games not forfeited. 

Fleming played girls’ high school volleyball and then played for Coastal Carolina in her early collegiate career. While not receiving much playing time, Fleming played in the Sun Belt Conference championship match against Texas State in 2020 — Coastal Carolina would lose this match 3-2. 

Fleming then entered the transfer portal to join San Jose State. Fleming ultimately redshirted her first season in California, and in the following years, she started as an outside hitter. 

The lawsuit claimed her strength and power as a hitter made it dangerous for Fleming’s opponents. To make the situation even more confusing, Slusser set Fleming all season long while she joined the lawsuit arguing for Fleming’s removal from collegiate women’s volleyball. It seems hypocritical of Slusser to both join the lawsuit saying how dangerous Fleming’s kills are while assisting her in said kills.  

Part of the lawsuit claims Fleming was part of a plot to spike a ball at Slusser in the face during a game against Colorado State. Allegedly, Fleming partnered with Colorado State redshirt senior opposite hitter Malaya Jones, who knelt during the national anthem, for the plot. 

This claim, however, was unfounded as Slusser apparently did not get a ball spiked in her face. The witch hunt to find reasons to villainize Fleming is apparent. 

What the lawsuit and proponents of Fleming’s removal fail to mention is that the NCAA already has guidelines and rules set in place to govern trans athletes like the redshirt senior. In 2022, the rules were altered to align with the International Olympic Committee’s guidelines, and Fleming has met said guidelines. 

The lawsuit alleged Fleming’s height of 6’1” created an unfair advantage. San Jose State’s roster contains two 6’3” middle blockers. Neither of the two are called out for unfair advantages simply because they were assigned female at birth. Transgender athletes should not get villainized in the way Fleming has. 

This level of identity politics not only should have no place in sports, but it can also endanger the target of attacks. Forty-one percent of transgender people in the US have attempted suicide at least once in their lives, with social stigma and transphobia cited as serious risk factors.