California high school girls volleyball team ends season amid gender identity laws, religious belief conflict

Stone Ridge Christian of Merced forfeits CIF Northern California Division 6 semifinal match rather than play top seed San Francisco Waldorf, could receive future CIF sanctions

A CIF Northern California Division 6 volleyball semifinal match in San Francisco was forfeited Saturday due to transgender, religious conflicts / USA Today: Indianapolis Star

A California high school girls volleyball team has forfeited its CIF Northern California Division 6 semifinal match due to school officials' belief that its opponent — San Francisco Waldorf — has a male player on its roster. 

As first reported by Anthony Galaviz of the Merced Sun-Star, Stone Ridge Christian of Merced administrator Julie Fagundes announced Friday that the Knights would end their season, notifying the families of the private school of 448 (K-12): “We do not believe sex is changeable and we do not intend to participate in events that send a different message.

“We also have a duty and responsibility to care for the health and safety of our athletes. 

“At SRC, we believe God’s Word is authoritative and infallible. It is Truth. And as Genesis makes clear, God wonderfully and immutably created each person as male or female.

“So after consulting with our students, coaches, and staff, we have made the difficult decision to forfeit Saturday’s game. Standing for Biblical truth means more than the outcome of a game.” 

• CIF STATE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT: Updated brackets, scores, matchups

When contacted about Stone Ridge Christian's withdrawal and if there could be any future sanctions for pulling out, the California Interscholastic Federation, the state's governing body for high school sports, issued this statement:

"Stoneridge Christian advised CIF they are forfeiting their November 16 volleyball semifinal game.

"Any team that withdraws from CIF playoffs is subject to sanctions at both the Section and State levels. No decision has been made at this time regarding future sanctions."

The CIF also noted its bylaws regarding transgender athletes follows state law under "Gender Identity Participation" rules first implemented in 2013.

"California law permits students to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records. 

"Additionally, in accordance with California law, CIF Bylaw 300. D. provides that students should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on a student’s records."

Fourth-seed Stone Ridge Christian, which finished its season 20-12, opened the tournanment Wednesday with a three-game sweep over North Hills Christian, 25-23, 25-14, 25-17 to advance to the semifinals of the seven-team tournament. 

Saturday it was scheduled to travel to San Francisco Waldorf (21-3), the top seed, but instead forfeited. 

"This is a heartbreaking end to our season," Fagundes wrote.

San Francisco Waldorf received a first-round bye and is scheduled to host Tuesday’s 6 p.m. championship match against third-seed St. Vincent de Paul of Petaluma, a team the Wolverines defeated Nov. 9 in the North Coast Section D6 finals, 16-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 15-13.

The Division 6 tournament is between only Northern California participants and doesn’t advance to a state final like the six other classifications: Open, Divisions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. 

Stone Ridge Christian’s decision comes on the heels of multiple women’s volleyball teams forfeiting matches against San Jose State University due to the presence of a transgender player on its team. 

Among those squads are Nevada, Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State.

This isn't the first time the CIF has had to deal with transgender issues during the postseason.

In May of 2023 at the CIF State Track and Field Championships, two girls scratched from 1,600-meter trials races due to fallout from them qualifying for the state meet. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the two girls came under "online and vicious" attacks, leading to their withdrawals.

"The CIF is disappointed for two of our student-athletes and their families because due to the action of others, they found it necessary to withdraw from the State Track and Field Championships out of concern for the student's well-being," the CIF told the San Francisco Chronicle at the time. "The CIF strongly denounces discriminatory or harassing behaviors that impact our student-athletes' opportunities to participate in interscholastic competitions."