SAN JOSE – San Jose State’s volleyball team, which received six forfeit victories because of boycotts from Mountain West opponents, is seeded second in the conference tournament in Las Vegas and will receive a first-round bye.

The Spartans are scheduled to play in Friday’s semifinals against the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal match between No. 3 seed Utah State and No. 6 Boise State. Both schools forfeited to the Spartans during the regular season, so it’s unclear if the winner would take the floor on Friday.

Should either team sit out, San Jose State would face top-seeded Colorado State, No. 4 Fresno State or No. 5 San Diego State in Saturday’s championship. All three teams played the Spartans this season.

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Mountain West Teams Boycott Spartans

Mountain West members Boise State, Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada as well as Southern Utah canceled games this season against the Spartans. Nevada’s players stated they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details.

A lawsuit was recently filed in Colorado by players from various schools against the conference and San Jose State officials calling for a Spartans player not to be allowed participation in the tournament.

Wyoming and Nevada did not qualify for the tournament.

Transgender Participation Sparks Controversy

Participation of transgender women in women’s sports is apparently why the five teams canceled their games against San Jose State, and the topic became a hot political topic ahead of the recent election.