Source: MWC clears SJSU, Colo. St. of misconduct

The Mountain West Conference found “insufficient evidence to corroborate the allegations of misconduct” during the Oct. 3 volleyball match between San Jose State and Colorado State, a conference source told ESPN on Friday.

San Jose State associate head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose filed a Title IX complaint to university officials, the Mountain West Conference and the NCAA on Oct. 29, alleging that a Spartans player and a Rams player colluded in an attempt to manipulate the match. Colorado State handed San Jose State its first loss of the season via a 3-0 sweep.

Batie-Smoose alleged that an SJSU player, whom team co-captain Brooke Slusser has identified as transgender, left the team hotel on Oct. 2 to go to the residence of a Colorado State player and shared the team’s scouting report. Batie-Smoose alleged that the SJSU player and the Colorado State player “engineered a plan” to leave part of the court open for the Colorado State player to target Slusser. Another SJSU player who was also present later reported the meeting to coaches.

Upon receipt of the Title IX complaint from Batie-Smoose, the Mountain West initiated an investigation. According to the source, conversations with coaches and involved athletes happened with their respective institutions, both head coaches reviewed match video, the conference engaged a third-party investigator who conducted interviews with players and coaches, third-party volleyball experts reviewed the match video and match statistics, and the conference consulted with its sports wagering compliance partner to vet wagering activity.

Since it did not find sufficient corroborating evidence, the conference is not recommending any disciplinary action and is closing the investigation, the source said.

SJSU coach Todd Kress refuted the allegations in the complaint and subsequent report in online publication Quillette as “littered with lies.” He also denied that a scouting report was shared.

“We didn’t do our scouting report, and no one had their hands on our scouting report until the day of the match,” he said.

Since filing the complaint, Batie-Smoose has not been with the team. San Jose State has declined to comment further on her status.

SJSU has experienced controversy throughout this volleyball season. Five opponents have canceled or forfeited matches — Southern Utah University and Mountain West teams Boise State, Nevada, Utah State and Wyoming — and those matches are recorded as losses for those teams.

Institutions have declined to give specific reasons for the forfeits. Nevada players issued a statement prior to their match scheduled for Oct. 26, saying they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes.” Instead of playing in San Jose, California, nine Nevada players participated in a rally in Reno advocating for the exclusion of transgender athletes from women’s sports.

Slusser joined a lawsuit against the NCAA on Sept. 23, asserting that one of her teammates is transgender and poses a safety risk to teammates and opponents.

The volleyball player has not spoken about her identity, and San Jose State has not commented on her identity due to federal privacy laws. ESPN is not naming the player.

Colorado State and San Jose State meet for the second time Saturday.