The women’s volleyball team at Boise State University has forfeited its third match against San Jose State University this season over its refusal to play against a transgender athlete on the team. The form of protest will keep the team from competing in the NCAA tournament.

The forfeits are considered losses for the Boise State Broncos, giving SJSU’s Spartans a trio of victories in the win column this season. The team will not be able to qualify after deciding not to participate in a tournament for the Mountain West Conference, according to Outkick. As a result, SJSU will advance to the tournament finals.

“The decision to not continue to play in the 2024 Mountain West Volleyball Championship tournament was not an easy one. Our team overcame forfeitures to earn a spot in the tournament field and fought for the win over Utah State in the first round on Wednesday,” Boise State Athletics wrote in a statement.

“They should not have to forgo this opportunity while waiting for a more thoughtful and better system that serves all athletes.”

Four teams in the conference have forfeited six matches against SJSU this season, giving SJSU a slew of automatic victories. The team automatically received a #2 seed in the tournament and got a first-round bye.

The protests have sparked a national debate on transgender athletes participating in women’s collegiate sports.

In November, a group of women, which includes San Jose State Spartans co-captain Brook Slusser and two former players, along with athletes from four other schools in the Mountain West Conference, filed a lawsuit against school officials and the conference alleging that the adoption of a “Transgender Participation Policy” had violated Title IX rules and their First Amendment rights.

The plaintiffs also claim that the Mountain West commissioner, Gloria Nevarez, enacted the policy — which states that transgender student-athletes can compete after passing NCAA requirements — only after schools began to complain and to tamp down protests from other teams in the conference.

“The NCAA, Mountain West Conference, and college athletic directors around the country are failing women,” the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, Bill Bock, said. He also represents the Independent Council on Women’s Sport, which backed the lawsuit.

“Because the administrators don’t have the courage to do their jobs, we have to ask the federal courts to do their jobs for them.”