The U.S. Department of Education alleges San Jose State University knowingly recruited a male volleyball player to the women’s team for competitive advantage — and kept female players in the dark.
“Good enough to make us better,” former SJSU head coach Trent Kersten allegedly said of the recruit, according to official federal findings.
The findings claim Kersten began actively recruiting the male athlete from another university in April 2022. Internal emails show Kersten contacted the school’s PRIDE Center & Gender Equity Center to discuss bringing a male player onto the women’s roster.
“Most, if not all, of the women on the team at the time of sharing a dorm room, hotel room, and/or locker room with Student 1 were unaware that Student 1 was a male.”
Fox News Digital reasonably believes Student 1 to be former SJSU player Blaire Fleming, who transferred from Coastal Carolina and played three seasons for the Spartans from 2022 to 2024.
Kersten allegedly debated whether to inform the female players before Fleming joined the team, per internal communications reviewed by the Department of Education.
“Coach 1 stated he wanted to ask the women on the team their thoughts after they found out Student 1 was joining the team, but he did not want to relinquish decision making power to the women on the team regarding whether a male player would be allowed to join,” the findings state.
Multiple former SJSU players — including Brooke Slusser, Elle Patterson, and Alyssa Sugai — have publicly stated they were never told Fleming’s birth sex before sharing locker rooms, hotel rooms, and sleeping quarters with the athlete.
A letter of support from one of Fleming’s former club coaches described the athlete as a standout hitter: “We had a team full of closers, hitters who could finish the rally easily. In a team that talented, [Student 1] still stood out.”
Fleming made an immediate impact. The athlete averaged 2.93 kills per set in 2022 and posted a career-best 3.88 kills per set in 2024 — ranking second in the entire Mountain West Conference. Fleming delivered a career-high 25 kills in a single match on senior day against Colorado State, sealing the win with a game-ending service ace.
SJSU reached the Mountain West Conference Tournament final that year and earned seven wins via forfeit from opposing teams protesting Fleming’s participation.
Former assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose alleges she was never told of Fleming’s birth sex before accepting the job, and claims she was later instructed not to inform players. Batie-Smoose has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the university.
Kersten left SJSU after one season with Fleming to coach at Loyola Marymount, then took the head coaching job at Oregon in 2025. SJSU’s current head coach Todd Kress criticized Kersten in a November 2024 interview with OutKick for failing to check on Fleming during the controversy.
“[Kersten] obviously knows Blaire is in the crosshairs of this debate, and yet he has not reached out to [Fleming] one time to check in on [Fleming’s] mental health,” Kress said. “I find it sad, to be honest.”
The New York Times reported Fleming experienced suicidal thoughts during the 2024 season.
Patterson called Fleming “a great person” and said she enjoyed being around the athlete during the first months on the team. “Nothing against Blaire as a person,” Patterson added.
The charges remain allegations. SJSU and the California State University system are suing the Department of Education to challenge the findings and prevent potential loss of federal funding.
SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson defended the university’s position in March: “We have followed the law and cannot be punished for doing so.”
