The San Jose State University women’s volleyball team is set to face Boise State University Friday at the Mountain West tournament in what would usually be a celebration of athletic prowess and achievement.

The San Jose State University women’s volleyball team is at the center of a national debate over one of the most contested issues in American life: whether a transgender woman can play on a women’s sports team.

A federal judge ruled that the player, who is at the center of a controversy over transgender athletes, can participate in a women’s volleyball conference tournament this week.

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

San Jose State University has not confirmed whether its women's volleyball team includes a transgender player, citing privacy laws. It has not, however, disputed that there is a transgender person on its team, according to Judge Crews' ruling.

Boise State’s women’s volleyball team has withdrawn from its Mountain West Conference Championship tournament match against San Jose State University (SJSU) amid an ongoing, unfounded gender controversy surrounding an SJSU player.

The Broncos had already forfeited two matches against the Spartans based on moral grounds. Now Boise State has done so a third time with a lot more at stake.

The San Jose State University Spartans women’s volleyball team, which is at the center of a national debate over the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports, advanced to its conference championship on Saturday without having played a single game in the tournament.