Nevada athletics director denies pressuring female volleyball players to 'stay quiet' and play against a man

The director of athletics at the University of Nevada has denied shocking allegations that she told female athletes at her school that a man was actually the athlete with a disadvantage when playing against women.

After the Nevada women's volleyball team made a very public forfeit against San Jose State University — the fifth team to do so — the group of women held a press conference to explain their decision.

The primary reason: SJSU has a 6'1" male — Blaire Fleming, born Brayden — on its roster.

'We were told we weren't educated enough.'

During their press conference, the Nevada players were led by captain Sia Liilii, who claimed that when the team spoke to school administrators, the officials refused to even listen to their statements:

"We were told we weren't educated enough, and we didn't understand the science," Liilii said.

Furthermore, Liilii told OutKick that Nevada athletic director Stephanie Rempe told the girls that it was actually Fleming who is "at a disadvantage" when competing against women due to being on testosterone blockers and estrogen supplements.

"She told us that it's harder for [Fleming] to play against [women] than it is for [women] to play against a male athlete," the team captain continued.

"[Rempe] went on to say that we would be liable for a lawsuit because we would be taking an opportunity away from San Jose State to play a game," Liilii added. "But, before [Rempe] said that, [Rempe said], 'I don't mean this as a threat or anything.'"

In an email to Blaze News, Rempe firmly denied the accusations made against her and said her interactions with her volleyball team lasted less than a total of 10 minutes:

The deputy athletics director and I met with the volleyball team and coaching staff on October 7, where every member of the team had an opportunity to share their feelings about the situation, ask questions, give their input on next steps and we provided the opportunity for resources.

I did not tell, and am unaware of any member of the athletics administrative team telling, members of our women’s volleyball team that they 'weren't educated enough,' that they 'didn't understand the science,' that they should reconsider their position or that they should 'stay quiet' regarding their participation in an Oct. 26 match that was scheduled against San Jose State University.

On October 14 and October 22, I spoke with the team for less than five minutes each time and those gatherings were operational in nature. At all three meetings, I shared our genuine apology for not sharing the statement released on October 3 in advance of their match against UNLV. As has been stated on multiple occasions, we continue to support the rights of the volleyball players who choose and choose not to participate.

The focus of our athletic department has always been on the well-being and success of our student-athletes, including their ability to learn and grow from their personal and competitive experiences at our University. This remains our overriding priority regarding all the members of our women’s volleyball team.

Blaze News also asked Rempe whether or not she believes that men or "transgender women" should be able to compete in the female category of NCAA athletics.

In response, a Nevada spokesperson simply said the school "stands by" its statement.

Fleming's inclusion in women's volleyball has caused so much controversy in the Mountain West Conference that Boise State, Utah State, Wyoming, and now Nevada have forfeited matches. Southern Utah, which is in the Western Athletic Conference, also forfeited.

Fleming's teammate Brooke Slusser spoke to Blaze News about the unfair advantage the male athlete has and the reason teams are forfeiting against SJSU.

"I think we all know the reason the games are canceled," Slusser said.

At the same time, Nevada's Liilii has stated that while her team allegedly felt pressure to play against the male, they couldn't hold their true feelings inside.

"You could feel the fake energy because we were all trying to band together and ... just put this on the shelf and not think about it for a week," she recalled. "But honestly, as a woman, I don't know how to shut anything down."

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