A federal judge ruled on Monday that Blaire Fleming, a member of the San Jose State women’s volleyball team, can participate in the upcoming Mountain West Conference tournament. This ruling comes amid a nationwide controversy surrounding Fleming, a redshirt senior who joined the Spartans in 2022.
Judge S. Kato Crews, appointed by President Biden to the U.S. District Court in Colorado, made the decision following a lawsuit filed by several players, including some affiliated with San Jose State, and Melissa Batie-Smoose, the suspended associate head coach. Batie-Smoose had previously filed a Title IX complaint accusing the university of creating a toxic environment for female athletes and showing favoritism towards Fleming.
San Jose State University expressed support for its student-athletes, emphasizing that all players are eligible to participate under NCAA and Mountain West rules. The university also celebrated the court’s rejection of an attempt to change these rules before the tournament.
Blaire Fleming has yet to publicly comment on the matter. Meanwhile, Brooke Slusser, co-captain of the Spartans and Fleming’s former roommate, has been outspoken against Fleming’s participation, alleging that it could negatively impact female athletes’ opportunities.
The Mountain West women’s volleyball championship will feature teams such as Fresno State, San Diego State, and Colorado State. Fleming’s participation follows several cancellations by other teams, including Boise State and Utah State, who forfeited games earlier this season, granting San Jose State six wins by forfeit.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit argued that allowing Fleming to compete would unfairly disadvantage women’s teams by denying them equal opportunities. Despite these legal challenges, Fleming is set to compete in the tournament as the Spartans hold the No. 2 seed with a first-round bye.
