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One of California’s colleges who lost his volleyball match to another with a trans athlete on his list gave an explanation of his decision not to play.
Jurupa Valley High School’s Girls Volleyball Team has been attached in controversy this season because of AB Hernandez, a trans athlete playing for his team.
Orange Vista High School, scheduled to meet Jurupa Valley on August 29, provided Pakinomist to digital with a statement addressing perdition.
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‘Save Girls Sports’ Protesters and Trans Athlet AB Hernandez (Getty Images)
“After thought-provoking discussions, our student athletes had coaching staff, it was decided to cancel our upcoming girls’ Varsity Volleyball match against Jurupa Valley High School. This decision was made in connection with the athletic directors of both Orange Vista and Jurupa Valley,” the statement reads.
“Our priority is always our students’ well -being. We are proud of our athletes to bring their thoughts forward and to support each other to make this a team decision.”
Maribel Munoz, mother of a female player in the Jurupa Valley, provided Pakinomist Digital copies of messages sent by the team’s coach Liana Manu, to parents of players informing them that the team’s upcoming matches against Rim of the World High School on August 25 and Orange Vista.
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Jurupa Valley also approached the forfeits of a previous statement to Pakinomist Digital.
“We understand and recognize the disappointment of our Jurupa Valley High School athletes who are ready and ready to play. Decisions to cancel matches were made by teams in other districts,” the statement reads.
“As a public school district of California, JUSD is forced to follow the law that protects students from discrimination based on gender identity and requires students to be allowed to participate in athletic teams that are in line with their gender identity (California’s Education Code 221.5 (F)). This is in accordance with the California Law Attorney Rob Bonta and California’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
The winners in first place AB Hernandez, Left, and Jillene Wetteland share an easy moment before the medal ceremony for the California High School Track-and-Field Championships in Clovis, California, Saturday 31 May 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
“We are proud of our JVHS JAGUARS and their willingness to play any team and represent their school and our district with pride. We are currently working to find further matches to give them that opportunity.”
The national limelight at the Jurupa Valley’s Girls Volleyball team began when Riverside Poly High School announced that it lost their 15th August match. Several parents of Riverside Poly players as well as a school guidance member told Pakinomist Digital that the forfeiture was in response Hernandez was on the Jurupa Valley’s list.
Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda Hernandez, approached the situation in an exclusive statement to Pakinomist Digital.
“I understand the discomfort some might feel because I was once there too. The difference is, I chose to learn to grow and open my heart,” she said.
“Believe me, I know some people really don’t understand what it means to be transgender. I still learn, right next to my child. That’s why I choose not to respond with anger or respect. Instead, I choose empathy because learning takes time and compassion makes all the difference.”
AB Hernandez, a trans-gender student at the Jurupa Valley High School, poses for photos with his medals at California High School Track-and-Field Championships in Clovis, California, Saturday 31 May 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Nereyda Hernandez added that what separates her “baby” is “not her size or strength, but her skill and the way she plays the game.”
“This is a child and I can assure you that she sees your daughters as friends, as teammates, like friends, not through a lens of something inappropriate. I know it can be hard to understand, but she is just another girl who wants to play,” continued Nereyda Hernandez.
“Finally, I leave you with this: My child is so innocent, she wasn’t even aware that the lost games were because of her.”
In July, the US Ministry of Justice brought a lawsuit against California’s Education Department (CDE) and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) for its policies that enabled biological men to compete in girls sports throughout the state, which went against President Donald Trump’s executive order signed in February to ban it.
Hernandez is a senior in the Jurupa Valley, making this the last high school volleyball season for the athlete.
Transgender Athlet AB Hernandez from the Jurupa Valley leaves the course under the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium on May 30, 2025 in Clovis, California. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
Munoz, who says her daughter has played with Hernandez on the girls’ volleyball team for the past three years, is the first parent of one of the transport’s teammates who speaks against the school for her handling of the situation.
“It makes me feel sad, it makes me feel angry, frustrated, just so many emotions,” Munoz told Pakinomist Digital.
