West
SJSU transgender volleyball player Blaire Fleming's college career likely over after championship loss
Draw the curtain.
San Jose State volleyball player Blaire Fleming probably played the final college volleyball game of the athlete’s career after a Mountain West Tournament final loss to Colorado State Saturday night.
Fleming led the Spartans on a run to the championship match in a senior season overshadowed by lawsuits from a teammate and a national controversy over Fleming being transgender. Fleming led the team in spikes and prompted four Mountain West rivals to forfeit a total of seven conference games, including a tournament semifinal.
But Colorado State never shied away from playing Fleming or the Spartans.
The Rams played San Jose two times in the regular season, splitting the season series, and then taking the championship match three sets to one. Colorado State’s Malaya Jones, the Mountain West player of the year, led the game with 26 kills after kneeling during the national anthem before the match.
Blaire Fleming of the San Jose State Spartans reacts during the second set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym Oct. 19, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Jones was also alleged to have conspired with Fleming in a plan to spike a ball in the face of San Jose State teammate Brooke Slusser in a game Oct. 3, according to a lawsuit filed by Slusser and a Title IX complaint.
Slusser was never spiked in the face, and the Mountain West concluded an investigation into the Title IX complaint, saying it did not find sufficient evidence of wrongdoing. Slusser’s attorney has questioned the validity of the investigation.
Fleming, meanwhile, led San Jose State in the game with 17 kills but committed nine errors and hit poorly in the first two sets when the Spartans fell in a two-sets-to-none hole.
San Jose State’s loss will also mean it won’t advance to the NCAA tournament, which would have introduced further controversy with potential matchups against teams outside the conference. Boise State forfeited its Mountain West Tournament semifinal match against San Jose State, which could have set a precedent for teams in other states with laws that prevent transgender inclusion in women’s sports.
WHO IS BLAIRE FLEMING? SJSU VOLLEYBALL PLAYER DOMINATING FEMALE RIVALS AND ENRAGING WOMEN’S RIGHTS GROUPS
Boise State, Utah State, Wyoming, Nevada and non-conference opponent Southern Utah all forfeited regular-season matches against San Jose State this season amid the controversy. Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech, which played its season opener against San Jose State Aug. 30, has told Fox News Digital it did not know Fleming was a biological male and suggested the match wouldn’t have happened if the team had known.
The situation became so widely publicized, Fleming’s presence on the team drew criticism from President-elect Trump on the campaign trail during the most recent election cycle.
Trump weighed in on the situation involving Fleming during a town hall event on Fox News Channel’s “The Faulkner Focus” Oct. 17. Trump referenced Fleming specifically, describing a video in which one of the athlete’s spikes hit another player.
“I saw the slam. It was a slam. I never saw a ball hit so hard, hit the girl in the head,” Trump said. “But other people, even in volleyball, they’ve been permanently, I mean, they’ve been really hurt badly. Women playing men. But you don’t have to do the volleyball. We stop it. We stop it. We absolutely stop it. You can’t have it.”
Trump revealed his intention to ban transgender inclusion in women’s sports if elected. It became a talking point he made sure to reference at every campaign rally from then until Election Day. He and Republican allies hammered Democrats’ position of protecting transgender inclusion, which grew increasingly unpopular.
A federal judge could have ended Fleming’s career earlier but decided to allow the player to compete in the conference tournament.
Federal Judge Kato Crews of Colorado, appointed by President Biden in January, denied a motion for injunctive relief in a lawsuit by college volleyball players against the conference.
The players were looking to have their forfeits for refusing to play against Fleming and the Spartans rescinded, which would, in turn, shift the standings heading into the tournament. They also wanted Fleming banned from the tournament.
Crews, however, wrote that the plaintiffs’ request for an emergency delay “was not reasonable” and “would risk confusion and upend months of planning and would prejudice, at a minimum, (San Jose State) and other teams participating in the tournament.”
Despite the lawsuits, Slusser and the rest of the San Jose State roster took the court with Fleming for matches all season.
Fleming was second in the conference in kills per set with a .386, still well behind Jones, who led the way at .457.
Fleming had a signature moment in the second-to-last match of the season against first-place Colorado State at home on Senior Day. Fleming led the game in kills with 24 and total attacks and clinched victory in the fifth set with a match-point service ace.
Right after the play, Fleming was swarmed by teammates in celebration. Even Slusser got involved. This group celebration took place just days after Slusser and other Mountain West players filed a second lawsuit over Fleming’s presence on the team against San Jose State and the conference.
Now, Fleming, Slusser and their other senior teammates will look ahead to their post-volleyball lives.
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A semi traveling on the Seward Highway overturned north of Seward, spilling diesel fuel, oil and its cargo of salmon and closing the road for several hours overnight into Saturday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Seward-based troopers were dispatched to Mile 15 of the highway, south of Primrose, shortly after 9 p.m. Friday for a report of the crash, troopers said in an online post. A semi with two trailers had overturned, “spilling diesel fuel and oil across the highway,” troopers said.
“At the time of the rollover, the truck was fully loaded with containers of salmon, which vastly covered the highway,” troopers said. Photos of the incident posted to social media showed salmon strewn across the road.
Two semi occupants were taken to Seward Providence Medical Center for evaluation and treatment of what appeared to be minor injuries, troopers said.
Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicated that the semi “was traveling too fast for conditions, and intoxication was not a factor.”
The crash and resulting cleanup closed the highway until about 4:45 a.m. Saturday, troopers said.
The closure occurred in the hours leading up to Saturday’s Mount Marathon race and Fourth of July celebration in Seward, which draw massive crowds to the Resurrection Bay town each year.
The Colorado Buffaloes are on the road for four of their first seven games in 2026, including two of their three non-conference games.
With so much time on the road, especially early in the season, it is important for fans to know which games are worth traveling to. Here’s a look at Colorado’s most to least expensive road games to attend for the 2026 season and the reasoning behind the prices (all prices according to VividSeats).
1. Week 3 at Northwestern Wildcats
- Lowest ticket price: $562
Colorado’s matchup against the Northwestern Wildcats is far and away the most expensive game to attend. The price may appear confusing given the relatively low expectations both teams have coming into the 2026 season, but it is simply a matter of the venue the game will take place in.
Northwestern’s matchup against Colorado will be the final game it hosts in Martin Stadium, its soccer arena, before the construction of New Ryan Field is complete. The stadium has a capacity of just 12,023, which has inflated the price of admission as a result.
2. Week 8 at Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Lowest ticket price: $129
As for Colorado’s most expensive Big 12 road contest, it has nothing to do with the stadium and everything to do with excitement. After a combined 4-20 record over the last two seasons, Oklahoma State Cowboy fans are finally seeing a glimmer of hope.
Former North Texas coach Eric Morris took over the role at OSU during the offseason and brought his best players with him. The hype surrounding the team has created a marquee matchup and driven prices as a result.
3. Week 1 at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- Lowest ticket price: $106
Speaking of marquee matchups, there are potentially none more qualified to be such than the Buffs’ season opener. It is an opportunity for revenge against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets following the Buffs’ loss to them at home to start the 2025 season. That game was down to the wire, and with this matchup appearing to be similar on paper, tickets are in very high demand.
4. Week 4 at Baylor Bears
However, prices take a dip with the Buffs’ Big 12 opener. Their matchup against the Baylor Bears may be the best deal of the season, as it will feature two explosive offenses in what is sure to be a Texas shootout. If it resembles Colorado’s most recent matchup against the Bears at all, that entertainment will be worth the price of admission and then some.
5. Week 10 at Arizona State Sun Devils
Another significant drop-off occurs in the Buffs’ matchup against the Arizona State Sun Devils. This game is missing the glaring storylines that Colorado’s other matchups have, as both teams have much to prove. However, it will be Colorado’s opportunity for revenge against former star receiver Omarion Miller, who left the Buffs for the Sun Devils during the offseason.
6. Week 12 at Cincinnati Bearcats
But the cheapest game to travel to for Buffs fans contains even fewer storylines than the previous spot on this list. Cincinnati was eaten alive by the transfer portal during the offseason, as it has a roster of youth looking to prove itself. If either team’s season is going better than expected by that point, the game’s affordability may not remain for long.
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