LAS VEGAS — Colorado State coach Emily Kohan said her team would take the court rather than become the latest one to forfeit against San Jose State after the top-seeded Rams advanced to the Mountain West Conference women’s volleyball tournament final Friday.
An automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA tournament is on the line in Saturday’s final.
Colorado State made the final by beating fifth-seeded San Diego State 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23.
Boise State, which twice boycotted regular-season matches with San Jose State, pulled out of the conference tournament Wednesday night, hours after it defeated Utah State to secure a spot against the Spartans in Friday’s semifinals.
Though the Broncos didn’t announce explicitly why they withdrew, a lawsuit was recently filed in Colorado by players from various schools against the conference and San Jose State officials calling for a Spartans player to be blocked from participating in the tournament. They cited unspecified reports asserting there was a transgender player on the San Jose State volleyball team, even naming her.
U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver ruled Monday that the player was allowed to play, and a federal appeals court upheld the decision the following day.
“It’s been a…
