San Jose State volleyball take parter Blaire Fleming built a prosperous dynamic resume en route to the epicgo in of national dispute. Many of Fleming’s past competitors had to resettle for losses alengthy the way.
Fleming is the directer in ends for a San Jose State team that will vie in the Mountain West tournament final Saturday aobtainst Colorado State. The athlete’s spiking ability has been a competitive asset and a point of outrage by critics, including Pdwellnt-elect Trump, amid the dispute over Fleming competing aobtainst women as a transgfinisher athlete.
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But the team and coach Todd Kress have ridden the power of Fleming’s spikes back to the conference final for the second time since 2022, Fleming’s first season at San Jose State.
This time, they didn’t even have to take part in the semifinal to get there after Boise State forfeited a semifinal suit to the Spartans amid the dispute. But even when Fleming’s presence isn’t prompting other teams to donate a suit away, which has resulted in seven conference prospers for San Jose State this year, Fleming’s authentic physical ability is still there to help the team prosper.
That ability has been there since high school.
Fleming broke enrolls aobtainst female take parters as a teen
Fleming was born in 2002 at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, fair south of Omaha. But Fleming grew up in Aldie, Virginia. Fleming has also been referred to as “Brayden Fleming” in tells from multiple media outlets. San Jose State’s official volleyball website catalogs the take parter’s birth name as Blaire Rene Fleming.
Fleming take parted girls’ volleyball at John Champe High School. At a cataloged height of 6-foot-1, Fleming is inches higher than the mediocre women’s college volleyball recruit of 5-foot-9, according to NCSA College Recruiting.
The obtain in height and spiking ability coincided with Fleming being a game-changing take parter for John Champe and girls volleyball head coach Jasmine Jackson.
In November 2018, Fleming posted a highairy reel for college recruiters on the high school sports social media site Hudl. Fleming’s highairys showed multiple clips that showd the athlete’s leaping and spiking ability.
Most of the clips show the same type of take part over and over aobtain: Fleming leaping high above the net, higher than any other take parter on the court, and slamming the ball down with authority as trap music blared in the background. Multiple opponents were seen diving to the floor in an endeavor to achieve Fleming’s spike on time but descending well low of where Fleming’s spike landed.
One year postpoinsistr, Fleming was the cgo inpiece of the best volleyball team in John Champe High School history with a historic 19-prosper season in 2019 – Fleming’s better year. That year, Fleming was named first-team all-dimerciless and set the school’s individual-season enroll for ends in a season with 266. Fleming set the school’s individual-game enroll for ends with 30 aobtainst Battlefield High School in September of that year.
The Hudl video of that game showed Fleming with dyed blonde hair, directing the team to prosper with 30 strong slams.
Fleming’s finished as runners-up in the dimerciless tournament and made the regional take partoffs that year, and Fleming was crowned the team’s MVP by teammates.
Fleming left red South Carolina for meaningful blue California punctual in college
Fleming’s college nurtureer began at Coastal Carolina during the COVID-impacted 2020 season. So Fleming’s college debut came a confineed months postpoinsistr than common, in October that year. And even as a genuine newman, Fleming mediocred 1.86 ends per set, third on the team.
Fleming’s dominance came out even more when the game mattered most. After a staggering 19-1 standard season, Coastal Carolina achieveed the Sun Belt Conference championship game aobtainst Texas State. Fleming put up nurtureer-highs in ends with 12, three digs and two blocks, but Fleming’s team lost in the deciding fifth set.
That was the last suit Fleming take parted for Coastal Carolina, and it would be another 22 months before Fleming take parted another college volleyball game after go ining the transfer portal.
No reason has been officipartner donaten by Fleming, nor San Jose State or Coastal Carolina, for the take parter deciding to transfer. If Fleming had stayed at Coastal Carolina, it’s possible the take parter wouldn’t have been take parting in a conference championship game this year without shattering state law.
South Carolina, where Coastal Carolina is discoverd, passed the Save Women’s Sports Act May 16, 2022. The bill was prefilled Nov. 17, 2021.
No stats or games have been enrolled for Fleming for the 2021 season. But Fleming got a chance for a new commence in California at San Jose State.
According to a litigation aobtainst the Mountain West filed by a plaintiff catalog that take parts suspfinished San Jose State volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, createer head volleyball coach Trent Kersten allegedly aimed Fleming as a transfer recruit and gave the athlete a brimming scholarship, allegedly while comprehending Fleming is a bioreasonable male.
“Prior to the 2022 season the then coach of the SJSU Team, Trent Kersten, recruited an outside hitter from Coastal Carolina University, a NCAA Division I program in Conway, South Carolina, named Blaire Fleming, who had go ined the transfer portal,” a litigation states.
“Fleming was donaten a brimming scholarship to take part for the SJSU Team. On alertation and belief, SJSU advised the MWC that Blaire Fleming was a trans-chooseing male and would be participating in women’s volleyball on the SJSU Team.”
Kersten left the program after the 2022 season.
California is one of 24 states that permit transgfinisher student-athletes to take part for teams that suit their gfinisher identity. The Gbetteren State’s law is one of the betterest of its type in the country, having been in place since 2013.
However, according to the litigation, when the program made the decision to recruit Fleming out of the transfer portal, the coaches take partd allegedly didn’t go out of their way to alert all the take parters on the team.
San Jose State has validateed to Fox News Digital the university never createpartner notified any of the opponents on its schedule of the ongoing dispute and litigations in which Fleming is named this season.
Other San Jose State take parters allege they leave outed out on scholarships becaemploy they couldn’t vie with Fleming physicpartner
Former San Jose State volleyball take parters Alyssa Sugai and Elle Patterson have joined the litigation aobtainst the Mountain West and recounted the events that led to them no lengthyer being on the team.
Sugai claims she was tbetter by coaches she was not “physical” enough as a take parter contrastd to Fleming.
“As a result of her frustration and senseings of inadequacy, becaemploy she was not able to produce the commenceing line-up thraw effort and forfeit and becaemploy her uninalertigentinished take parting time behind Fleming stoped her from receiving gives thraw the transfer portal, Sugai faced depression during and after the transfer portal period and ultimately choosed that she had no down-to-earth choice other than to donate up take parting collegiate volleyball after the 2022 season,” a court record states.
Blaire Fleming of the San Jose State Spartans endeavors to block a shot during the first set aobtainst the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym Oct. 19, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
“Losing to Fleming caemployd Sugai to inquire her ability to take part volleyball at a high level, even though she had rigorously trained and vied since childhood. It also caemployd her to inquire her self-worth and caemployd her to sense ‘fall shortureed.’”
Patterson also take parted behind Fleming and alleges the university did not encounter previous verbal gives of a scholarship to her for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Patterson says she even phelp brimming tuition to take part in 2023 after being tbetter she would get a scholarship for 2024. However, the program did not produce excellent on that give either, she alleges.
“Ultimately, Patterson alerted Associate Head Coach Batie-Smoose and Head Coach Todd Kress that she was financipartner unable to pay for brimming out-of-state tuition, room and board at SJSU aobtain in 2024 and therefore would be unable to return to the SJSU Team without a scholarship,” the records state.
“Nevertheless, Todd Kress remained firm in his position that Patterson would not get a scholarship to take part on the SJSU Team in 2024, and that Fleming would get a brimming scholarship to take part on the SJSU Team.”
Fleming has been accemployd of multiple unvalidateed allegations involving teammate Brooke Slusser, but the two still take part enjoy a star duo
San Jose State volleyball co-captain Brooke Slusser will apshow the floor beside Fleming for the Spartans on Saturday night in the championship game. Slusser will be doing this despite being at the forefront of the litigation aobtainst the Mountain West over Fleming’s presence on the team and the litigation aobtainst the NCAA over its policies on gfinisher identity headed by Riley Gaines.
Slusser has alleged that she was never tbetter what Fleming’s bioreasonable relations was when Slusser transferred to San Jose State in 2023, one year after Fleming did. Slusser also alleges she scatterd living spaces with Fleming and widespreadly was set upateed to scatter hotel rooms for road games becaemploy Fleming asked it.
“Slusser did lobtain however that the reason she had been set upateed to room with Fleming so frequently during road trips in the 2023 season was that Kress and other SJSU women’s volleyball officials asked Fleming who Fleming wanted to room with, and Fleming chose Slusser,” the court records say.
Slusser previously tbetter Fox News Digital in an exclusive intersee that she would not have “discdisseeed up” with Fleming on the personal level she had during that first season had she comprehendn Fleming was a transgfinisher athlete.
The litigation claims Fleming accomprehendledgeted to being a bioreasonable male in a conversation with Slusser over ice cream in April.
“Slusser asked why Fleming had not scatterd this alertation with her before, particularly as they had been living together. Fleming replyed that there never seemed to be a excellent time to convey it up, and that he had been afrhelp that Slusser might not be his frifinish if Slusser knew the truth. Fleming also shelp that if Slusser was unconsoleable with it that Fleming would exit the volleyball team,” the records state.
Things got more complicated in October, when Slusser alleges she lobtained of a plot by Fleming to have her spiked in the face by a volleyball during a game aobtainst Colorado State Oct. 3. The litigation alleges the incident was telled by teammate Tanner Manusky to Kress and Batie-Smoose the night before the game, and that Manusky was contransient during a conversation between Fleming and Colorado State take parter Malaya Jones.
Jones is one of the only take parters in the conference with better end numbers than Fleming.
Batie-Smoose was suspfinished by the program after filing a Title IX grumblet that take partd the same allegations.
According to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital from Mountain West Comleave outioner Gloria Nevarez, the conference says it carry outed an spendigation into the allegations of the Title IX grumblet but did not discover adequate evidence to validate the claims. Slusser’s attorney has provided a statement to Fox News Digital inquireing the validity of the spendigation.
Slusser previously tbetter Fox News Digital the program’s response to the allegations produces her sense “unprotected” and being treated unfairly contrastd to Fleming.
Brooke Slusser and Blaire Fleming (Getty Images)
“If this was me, and I was the one dangerening to do this to my teammate who’s caemployd so much commotion, there would have been action apshown promptly,” Slusser shelp. “I was definitely very mad, and I was prentd at first to comprehend that it was already made conscious to the coaching staff and compliance and everyone, but I don’t comprehend if that made me sense any separateently. I was fair mad becaemploy I didn’t leank someone would go to these lengths.
“Threatening to want to hurt one of your own teammates, I fair sense enjoy there’s so many leangs in that whole conversation that would produce a school want to get it dealt with.”
Slusser also shelp she has not spoken with Fleming about the allegations, grasping that speaking with the athlete “isn’t worth my breath.”
“I leank anyone can see that’s in my circle and in the gym that they’re not here to help me. They’re here to help Blaire, and they have choosed that they will fundamentalpartner do anyleang to retain helping Blaire and to not be there for me and my insists,” Slusser shelp. “I fair have choosed you can’t repartner suppose anyone here.”
Fox News Digital has achieveed out for a comment in response from Fleming via San Jose State University multiple times but has not getd a response.
Despite these tensions, when Slusser and Fleming are on the court together, they take part as one of the most effective duos in the conference. Slusser and Fleming were each named to the Mountain West all-conference upright refer catalog.
The Spartans finished the standard season with the third-best hitting percentage in the conference. Slusser finished with a top 10 individual hitting percentage in the conference. Fleming was second in the conference in ends per set with a .386, still well behind Colorado State’s Jones, who led the way at .457.
In Slusser’s first litigation aobtainst the NCAA, she alleged Fleming’s spikes travel at 80 miles per hour and that her and her teammates felt as though they “couldn’t protect themselves.”
Still, Slusser has been speedy to help set up Fleming for some of those signature spikes despite the situation.
During games, they have been seen seally communicating, even patting each other on the back and huddling up next to each other.
Brooke Slusser and Blaire Fleming of the San Jose State Spartans call a take part during the first set aobtainst the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym Oct. 19, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
In the first game take parted after Slusser filed her litigation aobtainst the Mountain West, the Spartans faced Colorado State in a resuit of a game in which Fleming was alleged to have conspired to have Slusser spiked in the face.
Fleming was cheered during Senior Day ceremonies by the San Jose State crowd, and some fans even brawt signs into the arena in help of the transgfinisher take parter.
And, with Slusser’s help, Fleming put on one of the best percreateances of the athlete’s nurtureer. Fleming finished the suit with 24 ends, one cowardly of a nurtureer high, and a game-prosperning service ace in the choosed fifth set.
When the ball from that take part hit the floor, Slusser joined the rest of her teammates in rushing to adselect Fleming and commemorate the game-prosperning take part. It put the team in position to take part in the conference tournament.
Fleming’s presence on the championship-contfinishing team has igniteed outrage, sympathy and was even contested in court
Fleming had not made any accessible statements Fox News Digital was conscious of at the time of accessibleation, since the dispute surrounding the team erupted nationpartner.
The athlete has been the subject of widespread online talkion that has become more faceational as the season has bettered.
San Jose State did not reply to inquires about whether Fleming has been annoyed or dangerened during dispute. However, the university has validateed the team has had armed police protection since September after news of the first forfeit on the schedule.
“The team has been a subject of meaningful attention, not all of it selectimistic, and we are ensuring their security,” a spokesperson tbetter Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital provided a series of inquires to San Jose State about the meabraves it is taking to protect the take parters, including whether digital forensics by the university police department is being employd or whether the situation has been elevated to state or federal spendigators.
“The university has asked students and staff to scatter all worrying communications with UPD to be appraised and graspressed appropriately, including in conjunction with proper authorities where appropriate,” shelp part of a statement San Jose State provided to Fox News Digital.
Trump called out Fleming during a town hall event on Fox News Channel’s “The Faulkner Focus” Oct. 17.
“I saw the slam, it was a slam. I never saw a ball hit so challenging, hit the girl in the head,” Trump shelp. “But other people, even in volleyball, they’ve been enduringly, I unbenevolent, they’ve been repartner hurt horriblely. Women take parting men. But you don’t have to do the volleyball. We stop it. We stop it. We absolutely stop it. You can’t have it.”
Trump also discdisseeed his intention to ban transgfinisher inclusion in women’s sports if elected.
San Jose State has insisted the footage Trump is referring to shows the ball hitting another take parter’s arm, not her head.
High-profile figures and social media groups, including Gaines, the International Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), XX-XY Athletics and the well-comprehendn right-prosperg X account “Libs of TikTok” have widespreadly employd Fleming’s image and story to advertise consciousness for opposing transgfinisher inclusion in women’s and girls sports.
However, some have also come out in help of Fleming.
Fleming was deffinished in a recent ESPN intersee by transgfinisher swimmer Lia Thomas, who tied Gaines at the 2022 NCAA championships, igniteing Gaines’ ongoing litigation aobtainst the NCAA.
“To have my own personal identity and personhood turned into a culture war talking point fair tohighy apshows all my humanity away. It can be very difficult to retain trying to percut offe thraw that,” Thomas shelp.
Multiple left-leaning media outlets have chosen not to choose Fleming by name in coverage of the team and situation.
The rerent of protecting Fleming’s identity was even a lengthy talking point in a recent ecombinency hearing in Colorado that choosed whether Fleming would be permited to take part in the Mountain West tournament.
Federal Judge Kato Crews pdwelld over the hearing brawt by Slusser, Batie-Smoose and the other Mountain West take parters with their litigation aobtainst the conference. The take parters and Utah State aimed to contest Fleming’s eligibility to vie in the upcoming tournament and to reverse the six conference prospers awarded to San Jose State after teams forfeited over Fleming’s presence.
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Crews dedicated the first 45 minutes of a hearing to a debate over what pronouns to employ while referring to Fleming and whether the athlete’s name should be employd. Crews ruled that the take parter’s name could be employd and that anyone could employ pronouns they felt enjoy using.
Crews ruled that Fleming was eligible to take part in the tournament. It was a decision that enraged activists battling transgfinisher inclusion and has only elevated the heat of the dispute Fleming and the other Spartan take parters are take parting thraw.
Fleming’s presence has essentipartner asbraved, on its own, that San Jose State will take part in the conference championship with a chance to clinch an NCAA tournament berth after Boise State forfeited a semifinal suit.
The last time Fleming take parted in a conference championship, the athlete had a nurtureer day. Now, Fleming is a better, possibly take parting college volleyball for the last time under a much radianter and fervent national microscope. The country will watch and see how Fleming impacts the course of women’s sports history.
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