Nevada
Nevada cancels volleyball match with San Jose State after clashing with own players over transgender controversy
The University of Nevada, Reno officially announced on Friday that its women’s volleyball team will forfeit its game against San Jose State on Saturday.
Nevada is the fifth team to forfeit its match against San Jose State amid an ongoing national controversy over a transgender player, Blaire Fleming, on the team and another player engaged in a lawsuit over never being told that player was a biological male, according to the lawsuit.
Nevada cited not having enough players to compete in the match for forfeiting after its players expressed a desire and intention not to compete against San Jose State.
“Due to not having enough players to compete, the University of Nevada women’s volleyball team will not play its scheduled Mountain West Conference match at San José State on Saturday, Oct. 26. Per Mountain West Conference policy, the match will be recorded as a conference loss for Nevada,” Nevada announced in a statement early on Friday morning.
San Jose State responded to the forfeit in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Our athletes all comply with NCAA and Mountain West Conference policies and they are eligible to play under the rules of those organizations. We will continue to take measures to prioritize the health and safety of our students while they pursue their earned opportunities to compete,” the statement read.
Nevada players, including team captain Sia Liillii, spoke out against the notion of competing against a transgender player in the weeks leading up to the cancelation after voting to forfeit it on Oct. 14. The players even went so far as to schedule a press conference alongside OutKick contributor and women’s athlete activist Riley Gaines to go on at the same time as the game on Saturday.
“We were pretty upset after that statement came out from our university,” Liilii told Yahoo Sports. “It just hit us that we needed to talk about what we wanted to do as a group, make a decision and stand by it.”
However, Nevada would not officially forfeit the game until Friday morning, citing state law.
“The vast majority of our team decided this is something we wanted to take a stand on,” Liilii told the website. “We didn’t want to play against a male player.
“In all of our team meetings it just kept coming back to the fact that men do not belong in women’s sports. If you’re born a biological male, you don’t belong in women’s sports. It’s not even about this individual athlete. It’s about fair competition and safety for everyone.”
The Nevada state constitution was revised in 2022 when Nevada voted to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment, which added gender identity to the list of protections. Nevada state Sen. Pat Spearman, a Democrat from North Las Vegas who co-sponsored the bill to get it on the ballot, said the law has helped transgender people maintain their identity.
“The university made the decision not to declare a forfeiture and move forward with hosting the match as scheduled based on several factors. As a public university, the university is legally prohibited by Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution and other laws and regulations to declare a forfeit for reasons related to gender identity or expression,” a Nevada spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital.
On Tuesday, both Nevada and San Jose State announced that the match would be moved from Nevada’s campus in Reno to San Jose State’s campus in the Bay Area in California, claiming the location change was “in the best interest of both programs and the well-being of the student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff and spectators.”
San Jose State would have needed to be at the site of the match, however, in order to receive a forfeit victory if no Nevada players end up playing. By moving the site of the match to the San Jose State campus, then the Spartan players would not have to make the trip to Nevada in order to secure the forfeit victory. So, by making this change, San Jose State will get to claim a forfeited victory if no Nevada players choose to play, without leaving their home state.
Now that the match has been officially forfeited, no one will have to do any traveling.
Nevada joins Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State, which all have officially forfeited their scheduled games against San Jose State.
San Jose State player Brooke Slusser joined a lawsuit headed by OutKick host and former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines against the NCAA due to its policies on gender identity. Slusser joined this lawsuit because she claims that she has had to share a court, a locker room and even a room on overnight trips with her teammate Fleming without having ever been told that Fleming was a biological male.
Security concerns and threats against San Jose State players have made traveling for matches a high-risk endeavor for the lady Spartans. San Jose State previously confirmed to Fox News Digital that police protection had been assigned to the team, shortly after getting the first news of an opponent forfeiting, when Southern Utah announced that it would not play its match against the Spartans in September.
“One of my teammates got a DM, basically saying that she, and then my team, needed to keep my distance from me on gameday against Colorado State, because it wasn’t going to be a good situation for me to be in and that my team needed to keep their distance,” Slusser told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “They needed to keep their distance from me during the game, because something was going to happen to me.
“This was the first physical threat when we could easily see that they wanted to physically harm one of us.”
In June, a survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago asked respondents to weigh in on whether transgender athletes of both sexes should be permitted to participate in sports leagues that correspond to their preferred gender identity instead of their biological sex.
Sixty-five percent answered that it should either be never or rarely allowed. When those polled were asked specifically about adult transgender female athletes competing on women’s sports teams, 69% opposed it.
The United Nations released study findings that say nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of the podium because they were beaten out by transgender athletes.
The study, titled “Violence against women and girls in sports,” said that more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.
“The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males,” the report said.
Former President Donald Trump has gone so far as to advocate for a ban, in a recent town hall event on Fox News.
“We’re not going to let it happen,” Trump said of the issue. “We stop it, we stop it, we absolutely stop it. We can’t have it.
“You just ban it. The president bans it. You don’t let it happen. It’s not a big deal.”
Nevada
‘Light over darkness’: Local Hanukkah celebrations held amid tight security
As the most visible Jewish holiday, Hanukkah is traditionally observed publicly with ceremonies such as the eight-day lighting of the menorah, Rabbi Shea Harlig of Chabad of Southern Nevada noted Monday.
In the aftermath of an antisemitic terror attack that targeted Jewish revelers marking the beginning of Hanukkah at an Australian beach over the weekend, the holiday’s message of “light over darkness” resonates, Harlig said at a menorah lighting ceremony at Las Vegas City Hall.
Events hosted by the city and later at Clark County’s government center took place amid enhanced police security.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday that the attack, which killed 15 people and injured dozens more, was “motivated by Islamic State ideology,” according to CNN.
“The way we deal with it is not by hiding, but on the contrary by going out and doing more events to bring more light into the world,” Harlig added.
Police officers and marshals guarded the city’s Civic Center & Plaza during the menorah lighting ceremony.
The Metropolitan Police Department said Monday that it was monitoring the Australian terror attack and that it had bolstered officer presence at places of religious worship across the valley.
“As always, we remind everyone that ‘if you see something, say something,’” said police, noting that suspicious activities can be reported at 702-828-7777 and snctc.org.
‘Festival of light’
Las Vegas’ Hanukkah ceremony was one of about 50 organized in the valley for the holiday, Harlig said.
Performers known as the “Dancing Dreidels” shimmied to music before a torch that marked Hanukkah’s second day was lit among Hebrew prayers.
Mayor Shelley Berkley and Councilman Brian Knudsen joined the festivities.
“In the city of Las Vegas, we do not tolerate antisemitism, racism, discrimination or hatred of any kind, against any individual or group of people,” Berkley said.
The Jewish mayor later told the Las Vegas Review-Journal about the holiday’s personal significance.
“It’s a festival of light, it’s a happy occasion where you celebrate with your family and your friends and your loved ones, and the entire community,” she said.
Berkley said that the city, its marshals and Metro had stepped up to provide a safe environment during the festivities, adding that a menorah celebration at Fremont Street Sunday went off well during the first day of the holiday.
“I think everybody that attended the menorah lighting last night felt very safe, and very welcomed and valued in the city of Las Vegas,” she said. “And that is the message we wanted to get out to the community. No matter what your religion, your culture, you’re all welcome here in this city.”
Asked about Southern Nevada’s response to the terror attacks, Berkley said: “I believe there was tremendous concern in the Jewish community.”
She added during her public remarks: “There has been a Jew hate and antisemitism for 5,000 years. We just keep moving forward and doing the best we can, and I’m very proud of the Jewish community and very proud to be a part of it.”
A couple of hours after the City Hall event, Harlig and the Dancing Dreidels made their way to a similar celebration at the Clark County Government Center, where the victims were memorized with a moment of silence.
Commissioner Michael Naft echoed the rabbi’s menorah lighting message in his remarks.
“There is no better way for the Jewish community — (or) any community — to respond to darkness than with demonstrations of our power, demonstrations of our strength and by never hiding, by never running away,” he said. “That’s what we do here in Clark County and around the world.”
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
Nevada
American Red Cross of Northern Nevada deploying to Washington after flooding
RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – A disaster response volunteer with the American Red Cross of Northern Nevada is deploying to the state of Washington after flooding has affected the state.
Flooding in the state, caused by days of heavy rain, has forced the evacuation of around 100,000 from their homes. The volunteer will join hundreds of Red Cross responders from around the country to provide shelter, food, and aid to those in need.
“Our Northern Nevada volunteers bring skill, commitment and compassion to every disaster deployment,” said Bridget Posson, Executive Director of the American Red Cross Northern Nevada Chapter. “As an ERV driver, he plays a vital role in delivering essential support to families impacted by this devastating flooding, but it’s his compassion and commitment to helping others that truly provides hope in their time of need.”
The volunteer being deployed is from Minden, and has been deployed more than 25 times to disaster areas over more than 30 years.
Copyright 2025 KOLO. All rights reserved.
Nevada
Southern Nevada Jewish community unites for Hanukkah following deadly mass shooting
The Southern Nevada Jewish community gathered on Fremont Street to mark the first day of Hanukkah with the Grand Menorah Lighting, the religion’s symbol of light in dark times.
The event, held Sunday evening, was attended by Mayor Shelley Berkley and U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, who addressed the recent mass shooting at a Chanukah celebration in Sydney, Australia, which authorities say claimed at least 15 lives.
Hal Golblatt, director of security for Chabad of Southern Nevada, emphasized the importance of vigilance and protection after news of the mass shooting.
“6:30 this morning, I was on the phone to Metro, arranging for more security here,” he said.
The Chabad of Southern Nevada has hosted the event for the past 30 years.
“I would like to let the community know not to be afraid, not to be scared, to be loud, to be proud, have Jewish pride.” Rabbi Motti Harlig said.
He expressed his devastation over the attack, noting that one of his friends was injured but is now recovering. Tragically, another Chabad rabbi did not survive the shooting.
“The way we deal with evil, with terrorism, is that we fight it, by not running, not hiding, but going out there and showing that we’re not afraid,” Rabbi Shea Harlig said.
The event served as a reminder of the enduring message of Hanukkah: faith, resilience, and the triumph of light over darkness.
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