A college volleyball player who refused to compete against a biological male tells her story in a new documentary, first shared with Fox News Digital.
Sia Liilii, captain of the University of Nevada, Reno women's volleyball team, made national headlines in October when she and her teammates refused to admit a transgender biological male player after learning he was on the team. Attend game against San Jose State. team.
During the preseason, Lilly said she was "blindsided" after seeing video of the San Jose product "hitting undefendable balls that were honestly a safety issue for a lot of us."
"Sixteen of the 17 of us have made up our mind and said, 'Hey, this is not right. We're going to take a stand,'" Liilii said on IW Features' "Stand to the End."
Sia Liilii tells her story in IW Features' "Hold the Line." (IW Features, independent women's project)
Nevada volleyball players face pressure over 'legal issues' after feud with school forced to play for SJSU transgender players
A few weeks before the game, Lilly's team decided to forgo a game scheduled for Oct. 26 against San Jose State.
However, when the team raised their concerns with the athletic director, Lilly claimed their decision was not supported.
"We were told we weren't educated enough on this," she said. "We need to rethink our positioning on what we're doing because this is something we don't understand yet."
"Our coaches have our backs and they've made it clear that they have our backs no matter what decision we make...but I don't think we have the full backing or support of a lot of the university officials at the school," she added.
A student leads a group of demonstrators in Knoxville, Tennessee, to protest the state's 2022 ban on transgender athletes. ((Saul Young/Knoxville News Sentinel/USA TODAY))
The university sent a statement to Fox News Digital denying that players were told they were "not adequately educated in this area."
“The University of Nevada Athletic Director and Associate Director met with the Nevada volleyball team and coaching staff on October 7, 2024, where each player present had an opportunity to share their feelings about the situation, ask questions, provide input on next steps, and provide access to resources," the statement read. “At no time during this meeting did the athletic director or associate director tell the team that they were ‘not educated enough in this area.’ On October 14, 2024 and October 22, 2024, the athletic director paid less "Conversations with the team took no more than five minutes each and the gatherings were operational in nature."
University administrators said they told the team they could not forfeit the game "for reasons related to gender identity or expression" because it would violate the state constitution.
The day before the game, the school officially announced that it was forfeiting the game because it did not have enough players willing to play against San Jose State.
Nevada is the fifth team to forfeit its game against San Jose State, joining Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State who have all officially forfeited games against Cal schools.
SJSU transgender volleyball scandal: Timeline of accusations, political fallout and fierce cultural movement
Nevada is the fifth team to lose a game against San Jose State as the national controversy over an alleged transgender player on the team continues. (AP Photo/David Zarubowski)
Liilii, who grew up in Hawaii and received a Division I scholarship to the University of Nevada in 2021, said not having support from the university was "really tough."
"I was so scared of coming out, but I don't think I would have done anything differently," she says in the documentary.
Lily now works as an ambassador for the Independent Women's Forum, joining other female athletes in resisting these policies and advocating for women in sport.
"Fairness and safety in women's sports should not be a bone of contention, which is why we're proud to feature the voices of Sia Liilii, McKenna Dressel and Kinsley Singleton," IW Features editor-in-chief and documentary filmmaker Andrea Mew, told Fox News Digital said in a statement.
Sia Liilii speaks at an Independent Women's Forum event. (Independent Women's Forum)
It’s time for the NCAA to change its transgender policy and protect women’s sports
"These women will not settle for less. Governing bodies like the NCAA need to step up and stop letting woke policies erase the achievements of these hardworking female athletes and more. Women's sports should be equitable competition, rather than changing the rules for inclusivity, it’s simple – make women’s sports belong to women and make the changes now,” she added.
“Women’s sports are only for women and men’s sports are only for men because it gives us the opportunity to win championships in our sport without being dominated by the opposite sex,” Lilly said. "No one wants to put their career at risk... If men are allowed to compete against women, women will be erased from sport."
Liilii's story comes as a growing movement of female athletes is asking the NCAA to revise its current policy of allowing transgender athletes to compete on women's teams.
The movement has been spearheaded by former college swimmer and Independent Women's Forum ambassador Riley Gaines, who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA last March, alleging that its policies toward transgender players violated Title IX against female colleges. Protection of athletes.
Riley Gaines is sworn in during a hearing of the House Healthcare and Financial Services Oversight Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, December 5, 2023 (Drew Angler/Getty Images)
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Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., revealed this week that he plans to introduce a joint resolution with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., calling on the NCAA to eliminate female transgender athletes. qualifications.
Fox News’ Jackson Thomas contributed to this article.