Rally Grows For UNR Women’s Volleyball Team, Match Canceled Due to Lack of Players

Due to demand, tomorrow’s rally with the University of Nevada Reno women’s volleyball team and Riley Gaines has been moved to the Reno Convention Center and tomorrow’s match that was moved to San Jose has been cancelled due to “not having enough UNR players to compete.” Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony has confirmed that he will be joining the rally at the Reno Convention Center to “save women’s sports.”

The Globe has learned that the venue has been changed to the Reno Convention Center due to demand….@StavrosAnthony @VictorJoecks @CaptainSamBrown https://t.co/VW6XrIiIyD

— Nevada Globe (@NevadaGlobe) October 25, 2024

The Globe spoke to the President and CEO of the Reno Sparks Convention Visitors Authority (RSCVA) Mike Larragueta who confirmed that the contract is being finalized and the event is free and open to the public. Initial expectations were 300-400 attendees, but due to the size of the prior venue, the event has now been moved to the convention center located at 4590 South Virginia St. in Reno.

Yesterday, UNR announced they had canceled the match against San Jose State University after having moved the match from Reno to San Jose, CA.

In a statement, UNR announced, “Due to not having enough players to complete, the University of Nevada women’s volleyball team will not plays its scheduled Mountain West Conference match at San Jose State.” The universities agreed on changing the location “in the best interest of both programs.”

Last week, the University of Nevada Reno (UNR) women’s volleyball team announced they would forfeit their upcoming Oct. 26 match against San Jose State University (SJSU) due to their transgender player Blaire Fleming. The team specifically cited “fairness and safety concerns” as their reasons for forfeit.

To avoid legal liability, the university announced the match will be held despite the players’ commitment to forfeit. The players will not be forced to participate in the match, and they, in turn, announced that they will not compete, despite the university’s decision.

Transgender athletes participating in women’s sports has become a national issue, with the Trump-Vance campaign promising to protect women’s sports and private spaces.

Team Captain Sia Liilii and teammate Sierra Bernard wrote an op-ed featured in Fox News reaffirming their stance for fairness and safety in women’s sports.

They write, “This election is about leaders like Trump who will stand with women and defend our right to compete safely and fairly….This should not be a political issue but a uniting issue against injustice in women’s collegiate sports. Trump understands this and has vowed he is not going to let it happen and will put an end to it.”

Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and GOP challenger Captain Sam Brown squared off last week in a hour-long debate covering issues related to inflation, the border, foreign policy, housing, and the UNR controversy.

When asked about the controversy, Rosen replied:

“I can tell you that all student athletes deserve to have a fair competition and a level playing field. So I support parents, coaches, and the governing leagues. They are the governing bodies. They are the experts. I believe that they are the right ones to make these decisions, not politicians. So as in every other sporting issue, we allow the governing bodies to make those decisions. I think we should do that now.”

The moderators then turned to Sam Brown, asking: “Mister Brown, what rights, if any, should transgender athletes have while competing in women’s collegiate sports?

Brown replied, “Nevada, let me be clear. What we just heard was a politician say that she does not have enough knowledge on this issue to know whether or not biological males should be allowed to play in women’s sports. I will not support biological males playing in women’s sports. I was proud to stand with the University of Nevada at Reno’s women’s volleyball team on Tuesday evening as they came out and stand in a courageous act to defend their ability to have a a fair and safe and private locker rooms for their own sake. It’s sad to me when these young women are having to take a courageous stand and our politicians can’t even say that they have enough expertise to be able to weigh in on this issue. It’s shameful.”

Editor’s note: this article has been updated to include the op-ed from Team Captain Sia Liilii and teammate Sierra Bernard.