Nevada volleyball player alleges school told her trans athlete is at a 'disadvantage' in women's sports
Nevada volleyball captain Sia Liilii alleged that officials at her school told her and her teammates that a trans opponent is at a disadvantage in the sport.
University of Nevada, Reno volleyball captain Sia Liilii revealed more details about her and her teammates' dispute with their school over whether to play a team with a transgender player, on Sunday.
While speaking at the "Stand With Women" forum on fairness in women’s sports in Philadelphia, Liilii alleged that officials at her school told her and her teammates that the trans athlete they would face is at a disadvantage in women's sports due to the medications that are taken to transition.
"The countless meetings that my teammates and I were [dragged] into, telling us that we're not educated enough, that we didn’t know what the science is behind it, that this person was actually at a disadvantage toward us women because they were under all these drugs," Liilii said.
The opponent that Nevada would have had to face has been alleged to spike the ball at nearly 80 mph, causing fear for the physical safety of teammates, in a lawsuit filed against the NCAA by San Jose State player Brooke Slusser.
A 2021 scientific review found trans women’s muscle mass remains high after transitioning.
A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that transgender women also have stronger grip strength after transitioning.
ESPN previously explored the subject of transgender athletes playing in women's sports in a segment of "Sports Science." The episode featured several experts, including physiologist Tommy Lundberg, who concluded that male bodies will "undoubtedly" retain physical advantages over women even if puberty blockers are used.
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Meanwhile, Liilii also encouraged other women's athletes to speak out against having to compete against trans competitors.
"I’m here today to tell those women who are forced to play against these biological males that you have a voice, so use it and be courageous, be brave, and don’t fear anything," Liilii said.
Former Democrat Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard appeared at the event too and sent a message to those who have sided in favor of trans inclusion in women's sports.
"Why don’t you believe Sia?" Gabbard asked. "Why don’t you believe her teammates and those who are afraid of being smashed in the face by a male player at full force with a volleyball?"
Liilii previously alleged that she and her teammates were told that they "didn't understand the science" and to "reconsider their position," during a press conference at the university to address their team's recent forfeit to San Jose State.
"We felt unsafe and dismissed," Liilii said, sobbing. "We met with our school officials to give them our team's new statement, but they wouldn't even hear it. We were told that we weren't educated enough and that we didn't understand the science. We were told to reconsider our position."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Nevada regarding these allegations.
In a previous statement provided to Fox News Digital, Nevada confirmed that the players had requested to forfeit the match but did not have authority to do so themselves.
"A majority of the Wolf Pack women’s volleyball team issued a statement to the university informing it that the team had decided it was forfeiting the scheduled match with San José State University. While players are not authorized to forfeit the match, this decision is one that only the university and our department of athletics can officially make," the statement said.
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At the press conference on Saturday, Liilii also called out the Mountain West Conference and the NCAA, saying the institutions "are failing us."
There, Nevada sophomore Masyn Navarro alleged her teammates have been told to "stay quiet" about the controversy during the press conference.
"It should not be this difficult to stand up for women. However, we will now take this opportunity to stand up as a team, as some of us have been told to stay quiet," Navarro said.
Nevada previously said it could not forfeit the match because it would be a violation of state law. Article I, Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution provides that "Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this state or any of its political subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin." The constitution was revised in 2022 when Nevada voted to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment, which added gender identity to the list of protections.
On Friday, the university announced it would forfeit because it did not have enough players to compete. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the program insisted that forfeiting for that reason did not violate state law.
"The University of Nevada, Reno’s decision to not play its scheduled Mountain West Conference match at San José State on Saturday, Oct. 26 was based on not having enough players to compete and not based on gender identity or expression. This does not violate the Nevada Constitution," the statement read.
Nevada became the fifth team to forfeit a match against San Jose State, joining Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State. The cancellations come with a San Jose State player involved in a lawsuit against the NCAA alleging that she had shared a locker room and bedroom with a transgender teammate, who is still on the team, without ever being told that person was a biological male.
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