SAN JOSE – As forfeits pile up for the San Jose State women’s volleyball team amid allegations that it has a transgender player on its roster, the team’s eligibility for the NCAA Tournament could be in peril.
Three opponents – Southern Utah, Boise State and Wyoming – have forfeited recent matches and Utah State has already forfeited a future match.
A source close to the situation told the Bay Area News Group that should SJSU not play the minimum 19 matches, the school could file a waiver with the Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee.
“The committee’s decision would be based on objective evidence that the team’s inability to meet the minimum requirement was outside the school’s control,” the source told this news organization on Monday.
A forfeit counts as a win in Mountain West Conference play but as a no-contest for the NCAA Tournament.
That minimum number of games played criteria only applies to getting an at-large bid to the national tournament. If San Jose State wins the MWC tournament, then the Spartans will make the NCAAs regardless of the number of games they play.
Not counting forfeits, the Spartans have played 10 matches and have 13 matches remaining on their regular-season schedule. Two of those remaining matches are against Wyoming and Boise State, who could again forfeit.
Matches played in the conference tournament count toward the total for NCAA Tournament qualification, so even if the Spartans don’t reach 19 regular-season matches, they could hit the threshold in the postseason.
They could also be matched up against a team that has previously forfeited, forcing their opponent to decide between playing SJSU and ending their own season by forfeit.
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The Spartans play against San Diego State at home on Thursday after suffering their first loss of the season at Colorado State last Thursday.
SJSU has increased security around the team using university police, with SJSU spokesperson Michelle Smith McDonald telling this news organization that law enforcement will be both in the gymnasium and “in the immediate vicinity.”
“We are not currently aware of activism activity,” Smith McDonald said. “We are monitoring the situation.”