The volleyball rivalry that sparked a heated trans athlete debate

Volleyball is usually not a sport that attracts the big headlines, but an ongoing issue in the NCAA volleyball competition has become one of the major sports stories of 2024 – and it hinges on two players and one highly divisive issue.

Fleming, a transgender athlete, has made an impressive mark with her athletic achievements in the SJSU Spartans, including a conference-leading 250 kills this season.

While Slusser, the team's co-captain, has actively sought to remove Fleming – a former roommate – from the team, citing fears of her own safety and well-being, as well as the fairness of the NCAA competition.

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In between games, seven of which this season have been forfeited by other teams, Slusser has been fiercely critical of Fleming and the NCAA, speaking directly with conservative media outlets like Fox News and Outkick, as well as regularly blogging her experience on X.

As a result, she has become something of a key voice in the movement to ban transgender athletes from women's college competitions, in very much the same way as Riley Gaines (pictured) has.

In fact, Slusser has joined Gaines 2024 class action lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), citing her concerns over the risk Fleming poses to the other team – and herself, as Reuters reported. The lawsuit is reportedly claiming $50 million (£41 million/€46.5 million) for the dozen athletes who have joined.

The legal side of the issue focuses heavily on Title IX, a federal law originally passed to ensure equal opportunities for women in sports. Critics of Fleming’s inclusion argue that Title IX, while historically intended to protect women’s access to sports, is now being misapplied as it doesn’t consider potential advantages that transgender athletes could bring to the competition.

In the lawsuit, Slusser describes her teammate as "a physically imposing transgender player" who "is 6-foot-1 and towers over opposing teams," the San Franscio Chronicle reported. She also alleged that Fleming is able to spike at over 80mph (128km/h)– at least 20mph (32km/h) faster than the average college male, the Chronicle points out.

Slusser also alleged that Fleming had conspired with an opposition teammate to injure her on the court, and made a formal complaint to the university alongside assistant head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, who was then stood down from her role, as Fox News reported.

"This is just another form of what San Jose State has been trying to do – silence people that are speaking up for their First Amendment rights and for what's right," Slusser, a scholarship athlete at the university, told OutKick. "I'm standing strong that only women should be in women's sports."

The backlash from Fleming's place on the team continues to intensify. Since October the team has required police supervision in games, while on November 9 in a match against San Diego State, the game attracted a record crowd, largely on the back of around 200 protestors, Outkick reported.

Fleming, for her part, has been silent on the issue, despite the immense public pressure being mounted on her. In fact, she has not publicly revealed she is transgender.

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Her gender has only been publically disputed by Slusser herself, who claims Fleming told her she was born male while the two were rooming together.

Image Credit: Instagram @brookeslusser04

What is particularly awkward about this despite the vitriol coming from at least one side, is that the two have continued to play on the same team and can be seen high-fiving and hugging in between points, the same as all team members, as The Chronicle reports.

"When we walk into that gym, it’s all about mutual respect, and we’re all here for one goal — we all want to win a volleyball game," Slusser said after the team’s loss to Colorado State. "When we walk into that gym, it doesn’t matter what’s happening in your personal life, what’s happening with a teammate, it doesn’t matter."

SJSU currently sits second on the Mountain West Conference table and look set for the playoffs in December. Their success built on the strong performances of both Fleming and Slusser – two star players – who, despite the noise, have continued to perform at an elite level on the court.

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