{"id":336823,"date":"2024-11-21T05:27:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T05:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/ncaa-female-volleyball-athletes-coach-to-testify-against-mountain-west-conference-at-emergency-hearing\/"},"modified":"2024-11-21T05:27:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T05:27:00","slug":"ncaa-female-volleyball-athletes-coach-to-testify-against-mountain-west-conference-at-emergency-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/ncaa-female-volleyball-athletes-coach-to-testify-against-mountain-west-conference-at-emergency-hearing\/","title":{"rendered":"NCAA Female Volleyball Athletes &#038; Coach to Testify Against Mountain West Conference at Emergency Hearing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"main-body-container\" itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p>Washington, DC, Nov.  21, 2024  (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) &#8212; IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b>MEDIA ALERT<\/b><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b>NCAA Female Volleyball Athletes &amp; Coach to Testify<\/b><br \/><b>Against Mountain West Conference at Emergency Hearing <\/b><\/p>\n<p>Today, the Independent Council on Women\u2019s Sports (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/Tracker?data=nKlifsGkseyn2bmxGQMR1ENwIomQrNqj-X5d6fZLqtdLlqL0qIdvt_smVePtPZClrDwimLQno2bYOYRfxdROBA==\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ICONS\">ICONS<\/a>) announced an emergency hearing to address a groundbreaking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/Tracker?data=xydLLDDY56m-uSZqRK2J2Faw8Go940GqqR2FETZCA7ONOoe4mn8n3NokSnUD2r1UFOVFYX3P8rh2YpeG-wJFbG0DGuZ98XH8d4Snjh2Qk8I=\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"lawsuit\">lawsuit<\/a> filed by over a dozen women, including volleyball athletes and a coach, against the Mountain West Conference (MWC). The suit alleges First Amendment and Title IX violations tied to the MWC\u2019s \u201cTransgender Participation Policy.\u201d The plaintiffs are demanding the MWC declare a male athlete on the San Jos\u00e9 State University (SJSU) women\u2019s volleyball team ineligible. They also seek to overturn losses for teams that refused to compete against a male player and void wins for SJSU women\u2019s games where a male athlete participated.<\/p>\n<p><b>When\/Where:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"margin-top:0in; margin-bottom:0in;\">Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-top:0in; margin-bottom:0in;\">Time: 8:00 a.m. MST\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-top:0in; margin-bottom:0in;\">Location: Byron G Rogers Federal Courthouse, Courtroom C201<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-top:0in; margin-bottom:0in;\">1929 Stout Street, Denver, CO 80294<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Key Issues:\u00a0 <\/b><br \/>The lawsuit contests the MWC\u2019s newly adopted \u201cTransgender Participation Policy,\u201d alleging it infringes on the free speech rights of female athletes and unfairly alters team rankings. The policy has penalized teams that refused to compete against SJSU due to the inclusion of a male athlete on its women\u2019s volleyball team.<\/p>\n<p>The MWC Women\u2019s Volleyball Tournament, scheduled to begin in Las Vegas on November 27, 2024, will feature only the top six teams based on win-loss records. Plaintiffs argue that the standings have been unfairly skewed by this policy, as it awards forfeits against teams objecting to playing against SJSU, thereby distorting the competition landscape.<\/p>\n<p><b>The Plaintiffs ask the MWC to:\u00a0 <\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"margin-top:0in; margin-bottom:0in;\">Rescind wins and losses assigned due to canceled games involving the SJSU team.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-top:0in; margin-bottom:0in;\">Recalculate team standings without factoring in these games.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-top:0in; margin-bottom:0in;\">Prevent SJSU from rostering the male athlete, Blaire Fleming, in any future games, including the MWC Women\u2019s Volleyball Tournament.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Statement from ICONS:\u00a0 <\/b><br \/>\u201cThe NCAA, Mountain West Conference, and college athletic directors around the country are failing women,\u201d said<b> Bill Bock, <\/b>lead attorney for the plaintiffs and ICONS, which is financially backing the suit. \u201cBecause these administrators lack the courage to protect women\u2019s sports, we are asking the federal courts to step in and enforce the law.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p><b>Meet the Women Testifying:\u00a0 <\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"margin-top:0in; margin-bottom:0in;\"><b>Brooke Slusser:<\/b> Captain, San Jos\u00e9 State University\u00a0\u00a0     <\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-top:0in; margin-bottom:0in;\"><b>Kaylie Ray:<\/b> Captain, Utah State University\u00a0     <\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-top:0in; margin-bottom:0in;\"><b>Macey Boggs:<\/b> University of Wyoming\u00a0     <\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-top:0in; margin-bottom:0in;\"><b>Melissa Batie-Smoose:<\/b> Associate Head Coach, San Jos\u00e9 State University\u00a0 <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p align=\"center\">###<\/p>\n<p>For more information on the lawsuit and to contribute to the legal fund visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/Tracker?data=n8gXz4FEDg5ROlwSZUXhzKBInmLN3eccL6bDmtdujv4mteDDsr4ue_fED90VDK6q4fWN0HtMhVwwrTADmI_9e09IAviCk6QU60evNZW-Ik5klOz9gNOM6vqVsJft3HvM\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"www.takeonthemountainwest.com\">www.takeonthemountainwest.com<\/a><br \/>Media inquiries and RSVP: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/Tracker?data=QePbjyW1cGk8msPpXgVKtHLPfvjW7ViBKzi4PsFI5q3enII3mmDNpvZToKKxnE5F-wktuoCBFdJ6nog69dF5Mlb4GXf-g6Y-SueGz5p-c6A=\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"press@iconswomen.com\">press@iconswomen.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<b>@icons_women<\/b> <\/p>\n<pre\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/ml.globenewswire.com\/media\/MTQxMmQ1ZTItNmNhMC00MmFiLWE5NDktYWNiMTZiZTQxMTEyLTEyNjEyMzk=\/tiny\/Independent-Council-on-Women-s.png\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\"\/>\n            <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) &#8212; IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA ALERT NCAA Female Volleyball Athletes &amp; Coach to TestifyAgainst Mountain West Conference at Emergency Hearing Today, the Independent Council on Women\u2019s Sports (ICONS) announced an emergency hearing to address a groundbreaking lawsuit filed by over a dozen women, including volleyball athletes and a coach, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":336824,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ml.globenewswire.com\/Resource\/Download\/b8727463-777c-410c-a8a2-69e208af512e","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[57166],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-336823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-globenewswire"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailybanglanewspapers.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}