A federal court upheld a ruling that allows a San Jose State women's volleyball team member to play in Wednesday's Mountain West Conference tournament after teammates said she shouldn't be able to play because she is transgender.

: SJSU cleared for tournament after appeals court denies injunction over trans player A federal judge has rejected a request to block the San Jose State women’s volleyball team from competing in the upcoming Mountain West Conference tournament because it includes a trans player on its roster.

Four Mountain West teams — Boise State, University of Wyoming, University of Nevada and Utah State — have forfeited against SJSU this season (totaling up to six matches). When some of those teams announced their forfeit, they acknowledged the conference policy and that they would be awarded a loss for the game, according to Crews.

The federal appeals court based in Denver declined on Tuesday to order a Colorado Springs-based athletic organization to bar a transgender woman from participating on her college's volleyball team and alter the record of wins and losses among schools immediately before a tournament was to begin on Wednesday.

A federal judge ruled Monday that a transgender volleyball player at San José State University can continue to compete on the women’s team. The decision by Judge S. Kato Crews of

Slusser and the others sued San Jose State officials, the conference and other defendants in Colorado federal court Nov. 13. For courts, temporary injunctions like those sought in this case are intended to “preserve the status quo” until a trial can provide a legal resolution, Crews said.

A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that allows a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member to play in the Mountain West Conference tournament after complaints said she should be ineligible on grounds that she’s transgender.

San Jose State University’s volleyball team is the latest flash point in a dispute about transgender players in women’s sports.

Multiple teams elected not to play against San Jose State this season amid claims the team had a transgender player. Mountain West schools Utah State, Nevada, Boise State and Wyoming refused to play the Spartans, resulting in forfeits. Nonconference opponent Southern Utah also elected to forfeit.

Nine current players had filed a lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference challenging the league’s policies that allow transgender players to participate.