NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
In the fall of 2024, the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) women’s volleyball team came under national scrutiny when it became embroiled in the San Jose State (SJSU) trans athlete scandal.
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced it had found SJSU in violation of Title IX on Wednesday, and weeks earlier announced that UNR is now under investigation for potential Title IX violations for its handling of a scheduled game against SJSU in 2024.
Pakinomist Digital has obtained exclusive details related to UNR’s handling of the situation via testimony from those involved and public records provided by April Chainey, the mother of a UNR player at the time.
UNR did not have a Title IX officer present at a critical meeting
On October 7, 2024, UNR administrators sat their women’s volleyball players down for a meeting. The purpose was to inform the players that the team would not lose an upcoming home game against SJSU. At the time, four other schools had already lost to the Spartans amid a national controversy involving trans player Blaire Fleming.
UNR players privately expressed a desire to forfeit as well, but informed them that would not be the school’s position at the meeting.
UNR did not have a Title IX officer at that meeting, according to an Oct. 12, 2024 email sent by the school’s athletics director Stephanie Rempe.
“Our Title IX officer was not present,” Rempe’s email read in response to an inquiry from UNR Chancellor Charlton.
Former UNR women’s volleyball captain Sia Liilii called the meet a “terrible” experience.
EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES 18 TITLE IX INVESTIGATIONS AFTER SCOTUS HEARS ARGUMENTS IN VIEWS TO PROTECT WOMEN’S SPORTS
Sia Li’ili’i speaks during an IWF event. (Independent Women’s Forum)
“This meeting was terrible,” Liilii told Pakinomist Digital.
“It came after the school decided to make a choice for us and it was uncomfortable. They told us there was no benefit to Blaire because she was on estrogen and testosterone blockers to level the playing field. A bunch of the girls and I expressed that we didn’t want to play for reasons of safety, fairness and a possibility of women in sport being taken away by a man, instead of thinking we had to support this decision. all the ‘facts’ first, if we wanted to reconsider.
“It was very troubling that this meeting had no Title IX officer and we were given a lot of ‘facts’ that were not backed up by the truth.”
Chainey said she was “traumatized” as a mother. So she filed a Title IX complaint with ED’s Office of Civil Rights.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” Chainey told Pakinomist Digital.
“The UNR Athletics Department discriminated by not suggesting or offering a Title IX officer to be present… I was mad, really outraged. I felt like there was no one there to protect the teams and the players… they really declined [the player’s voices] because their voice didn’t fit into the NCAA’s gender ideological agenda…
“I was disgusted when I saw it happen.”
UNR warned players of potential ‘legal trouble’ if they didn’t play SJSU, witness claims ’emotional blackmail’
After UNR announced in October that they would play SJSU, the Wolfpack players did not back down.
They went public with their intention not to play the game.
The school had a national contender on its hands, all while the volleyball season was still going on.
Marshi Smith, a former NCAA swimmer and co-founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), is a Nevada resident who also chairs the Nevada Lieutenant Governor’s Task Force on Protecting Women’s Sports. During that season, UNR players contacted her to share the alleged treatment they received from the university as they tried to escape their matchup with SJSU.
“There was pervasive intimidation of the girls on the UNR volleyball team to stand by their decision not to play San Jose State University. There were several different tactics, from emotional blackmail to even insinuations that legal disputes could be brought,” Smith alleged.
“It was unclear to them exactly what that meant. But when someone in a position of authority threatens you with various consequences for standing up for your rights, that’s a really serious thing.”
UNR previously confirmed to Pakinomist Digital that it had raised the concern of “legal issues” with the players if they did not play the game.
SJSU VOLLEYBALL TEAM TO MAKE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT IN FIRST SEASON AFTER TRANS ATHLETE SCANDAL
“University administrators met with the Nevada volleyball team and discussed scenarios of what could happen if they chose not to play. One of the scenarios discussed involved possible legal issues for violating the Nevada Constitution,” UNR said last January.
The state constitution was revised in 2022 when Democratic lawmakers voted to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, which added gender identity to its list of diversity classifications protected under state law.
UNR athletics staff ‘concerned’ about players interacting with Riley Gaines and conservative lawmakers
After the players went public with their intention not to play SJSU in October, UNR had a national media land mine to navigate.
During correspondence about media requests and interviews, UNR Assistant AD of Strategic Communications Aaron Juarez told Rempe he had a “concern” about the players meeting with conservative influencer Riley Gaines and Idaho lawmakers for photo ops.
Nevada Wolf Pack women’s volleyball players with Sam Brown and Tulsi Gabbard. (Sam Brown Campaign)
“My biggest concern is not the media talking to Shannon, it’s the Idaho legislators and other types (ie the Idaho Freedom Foundation) connecting with [redacted] and any of our players, or the players who connect with them for photo ops and such. Or that our team has these jerseys from Riley Gaines,” the email read.
The players ultimately met and took photos with Gaines and GOP politicians, including Tulsi Gabbard, former U.S. Senate candidate and military veteran Sam Brown and Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.
GOP Senate candidate Sam Brown, left, poses with Nevada’s Sia Liilii, center right, and former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. (Sam Brown Campaign)
UNR athletics included ‘the next steps in transgender education’ on an agenda
An Oct. 24 email from Rempe to Senior Associate Athletic Director of Administration Casey Stangel that appears to outline the UNR athletics department’s upcoming priorities lists “Next Step Transgender Education” as the final item.
Pakinomist Digital has reached out to UNR to request clarification on why the item was on the agenda and what the next steps were.
The game was never played and the season fell apart
The university stated in communications with the public that players would be free to opt out of the SJSU game without consequence.
The game was ultimately moved from Nevada to San Jose just days before the date of October 26, 2024. Then, just one day before the game, UNR announced they would forfeit because they did not have enough players willing to compete.
The team then went 1-7 to end the season after that, finishing 12-17 and well out of the postseason picture.
“This situation hit our team morale pretty hard. It was a huge distraction and took us away from what we were there to play volleyball. Being dragged in and out of meetings and being asked about the events by outsiders really got to our heads,” Liilii said.
For Liilii, the impact of the situation even bled into her personal life.
“In terms of personal life, I can speak for myself that I’ve lost friends over being a vocal part of this issue. Which is unfortunate, but I firmly believe it’s just not right and something I couldn’t keep quiet about at the time,” she said.
Chainey said the morale of her daughter’s team was “terrible” and was “furious” that the team had to take a loss from the forfeit.
“For them to be penalized like that, it’s upsetting because they shouldn’t have had to take a loss, they shouldn’t have taken a loss because it reflected in their position,” Chainey said.
“These young female adults, they’re being bullied.”
Things didn’t get any better for UNR in 2025 as they fell to last place in the Mountain West Conference at 8-20, and now faces a federal investigation in 2026.
Meanwhile, Liilii has moved on and plays professional volleyball outside the country.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
“My professional volleyball career has been fun. I just finished a season in Kosovo and I want to move to play in Germany in 2026. My commitment has not prevented anything, but I have been asked about the situation and why I feel so strongly about this issue. I have learned that this issue has a lot of support from women from other countries,” said Liilii.
Now, Liilii, Chainey and Smith await the pending consequences for SJSU and UNR from the federal government.
Meanwhile, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo is doing his part to prevent similar situations in his state.
Lombardo announced in early January that he is leading a petition to amend the Nevada constitution to keep transgender athletes out of girls’ and women’s sports.
The proposed ballot initiative would require the state and other entities that receive public funds, such as schools, colleges or community athletic programs, or entities that govern them, to categorize each sport or competition as male, female or co-educational/mixed gender.
UNR’s response
UNR has provided a statement to Pakinomist Digital addressing all of the above findings and testimony.
“The University has received correspondence from the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and has responded appropriately through the appropriate legal and administrative channels.
“The University remains committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive and respectful campus environment for all our students. We recognize and uphold our responsibilities under state and federal law, including the United States and Nevada Constitutions. The University also remains in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Mountain West Conference and the NCAA.
“As it says in University statement from 17 October 2024announced to the administration that the university supported the players’ rights to opt out and that any member of the women’s Wolf Pack volleyball team who opted out of the game could do so without consequence and would not face any team disciplinary action.
“Our focus remains on ensuring that every student has the opportunity to pursue their educational and professional goals in a safe and welcoming environment.”
