Sports

Illinois trans volleyball player incident unleashes parade of angry parents on school board meeting

Published

4 months ago

August 21, 2025

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – A trans athlete made a girls’ high school volleyball team in Illinois, igniting chaotic debate among many of the town’s parents.

Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, saw a parade of angry parents speak out at its school district’s board meeting Wednesday night amid the local controversy involving the biological male making the team.

An anonymous parent told Fox News Digital that her daughter did not make the cut for the team while the male student did make it, prompting her daughter to break into tears after her first day of school Monday. The mother said the trans athlete quit the team the very next day amid the controversy.

The anonymous parent and another parent, in a Facebook post, claimed that the school’s girls’ volleyball coach quit her position amid the situation and is now only coaching boys’ volleyball at the school.

Many speakers at the District 211 board meeting on Wednesday spoke in opposition to trans inclusion in girls’ sports, but others, in the left-leaning community, spoke in defense of it.

Karen Powers, a mother of a Conant graduate, yelled loudly at the board members in outrage at girls having to compete against a biological male. Powers also referenced the apparent resignation of the coach from the girls’ team.

“A longtime beloved coach of the girls’ volleyball team quit, and if she is here or watching, I have the utmost respect for you standing firm on your morals and values,” Powers said, later raising her voice to yell, “It’s not a girl’s responsibility to feel uncomfortable or unsafe for the sake of a boy pretending to be a girl! He should be participating in sports designated for boys because he will always be one! When do the girls in D 2-11 get to feel safe, recognized and protected!?”

Fellow Illinois mother Angela Christman, a longtime teacher, delivered a tempered lecture in opposition to males in girls’ sports.

“The current policy is trampling on the rights every other girl and her rights to privacy and protected spaces,” Christman said. “My daughter will not hide in spaces where she was told she would be protected. And she will not be counseled into feeling comfortable taking her clothes off in front of a 6-foot-4 biological male, and frankly it’s criminal that that’s the solution that you offer.”

Another mother, Vickie Wilson, lambasted the district’s current policy as “egregiously unfair.”

“While many of you may want to prioritize certain kids over others, two things must be said. One, that’s clearly wrong and egregiously unfair and creates new issues with the kids you’ve decided are less important. Second, you aren’t even helping the kids you’re thinking you’re prioritizing,” Wilson said.

“Because if you actually cared about these kids, you wouldn’t promote a dangerous ideology that does not get to the root of their problems. It pushes experimental and dangerous interventions that enables greedy people to turn them into lifelong lucrative patients, very often leading to serious regret and higher suicidality.”

Many of the parents who spoke in opposition to allowing males on girls’ sports teams referenced the story of former high school girls’ volleyball player Payton McNabb, who suffered permanent brain damage when she was spiked in the face with a volleyball by a trans athlete during a game in 2022.

One speaker there who expressed support for trans athletes in girls’ sports suggested that McNabb’s injury shouldn’t be used to justify banning males from girls’ volleyball, and that any female athlete who injures an opponent should also be banned in that case.

“Since 2012, more than 214,000 high school and college women’s volleyball players have been injured. Almost every one of those injuries involved cisgender peers. So why is no one calling for the cisgender athletes involved in those injuries to be banned from sports?” asked Justin O’Rourke. Fox News Digital can not independently verify O’Rourke’s injury statistic.

Conant High School has significant history on the issue of trans athletes in girls’ sports, after a 2015 incident and court battle over a transgender student seeking locker room access.

The district reached a settlement with former President Barack Obama’s Department of Education that ultimately allowed the trans student access to the girls’ locker room. The district faced first-of-its-kind sanctions from the Obama administration for initially barring the trans student from the girls’ locker room.

Tension within the state over the issue has grown across multiple communities over the last year.

In May, a youth track meet became the focus of national controversy after a biological male competed in the seventh-grade competition against girls at the Naper Prairie Conference meet. The incident prompted a series of heated debates, which went viral on social media, at the Naperville 203 Community School District board meeting that month.

Naperville’s school board saw more scrutiny this week as students returned to class when board members followed Title IX.

Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., sent multiple letters to President Donald Trump’s administration asking for federal intervention to counter the issue.

Currently, there is one federal Title IX probe in Illinois regarding transgenders impeding on female spaces, but it is only against one school.

Deerfield Public Schools District 109 is facing a probe by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights after middle school girls were allegedly forced by school administrators to change in front of a trans student in the girls’ locker room.

Illinois mother Nicole Georgas brought light to the situation in March after filing a complaint to the Justice Department and then delivering a school board meeting speech that went viral on social media.

Now, Georgas is looking for more action to be taken as the issue continues to plague girls’ sports in Illinois and hopes the recent Naperville incident will be a turning point. She is pleading for the president’s administration to bring more pressure to Illinois on the issue.

“The tides are going to turn after this. We as the parents have had enough,” Georgas previously told Fox News Digital. “We are at the forefront, we are in the crosshairs and we need help. We need help right now. In our state nothing has changed from March, and it’s getting worse!

“They’re using these kids to just almost test President Trump because they know they’re not doing anything. They’ve forgotten about Illinois. They’ve forgotten about us.”

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced in April it will not comply with Trump’s executive order to keep trans athletes out of girls’ and women’s sports. Transgender athletes have been permitted to compete in girls’ sports in Illinois since 2011.

More @ FoxNews.com

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VB: Tayler Gray named Volleyball Head Coach

Published

24 seconds ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Tayler Gray has been named McNeese volleyball head coach, Vice President and Director of Athletics Heath Schroyer announced the hiring on Wednesday.

Gray, a former Sam Houston assistant coach spent two stints with the Bearkats following a short stint as assistant coach at UT-Arlington.

“When searching for someone to take the reins of our volleyball program, it was important to me to find an energetic coach who recruits tenaciously, is a fierce competitor and is passionate about developing athletes both on and off the court” said Schroyer.

“Coach Gray checks every box. We’re thrilled to welcome her to our university, and I can’t wait to see the mark she’ll make on this program and within our community.”

Gray has spent a total of 16 years at Sam Houston, both as a student-athlete and a member of the coaching staff. She has also served as a Health and Kinesiology adjunct professor since 2014.

“First and foremost, I give all glory to God for this incredible opportunity,” said Gray. “I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to Athletic Director Heath Schroyer, Senior Woman Administrator Bridget Martin, and the entire hiring committee for their trust and belief in my vision to lead the McNeese Volleyball program.

“I am thrilled to be returning to the Southland Conference and am beyond excited to get to work building something special at McNeese. Lastly, I want to thank my family for their unwavering love, support, and belief in me throughout this journey.”

From 2014-2020, she was a member of a Sam Houston staff that accumulated 87 SLC wins, several all-conference selections, 10 student-athletes were named to the All-Academic Team, two Student-Athletes of the Year and over 25 Player of the Week honors.

In 2019 Sam Houston advanced to the second round of the NIVC and in 2020 advanced to the WAC Championship.

The dual-sport athlete was a member of the volleyball team from 2010-13 and the softball team from 2011-14. Gray was a member of the 2012 Southland Conference Volleyball Championship team, a two-time all-SLC performer on the volleyball court where she earned All-SLC first team honors in 2012 and second team honors in 2013. She was named team MVP in 2012 and 2013 and was selected Sam Houston’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2013.

In the classroom, Gray was twice named to the SLC All-Academic team (2012, 2013) and served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee both those years.

She concluded her volleyball playing career with 2,352 assists, where she still ranks in the Top 10 at Sam Houston.

Gray also spent one season (2018-2019) as an assistant coach at UT-Arlington before returning to Sam Houston.

Gray also has experience on the national level, serving as assistant coach for the 2024 USAV All-Star Championship (17U Team).

Gray graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health (2013) along with two master’s degrees, Master of Arts in Health (2015) and a Master of Business Administration (2020), all from Sam Houston.

COLLEGIATE COACHING EXPERIENCE
2014-2025       Assistant Coach, Sam Houston
2018-2019       Assistant Coach, UT-Arlington

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
2010-2013       Sam Houston (VB)
2011-2014       Sam Houston (SB)

HONORS
2013                All-SLC (1^st team/VB)
2012                All-SLC (2^nd team/VB)

EDUCATION
2020               Master of Business Administration (Sam Houston)
2015                Master of Arts in Health (Sam Houston)
2013                Bachelor of Science in Public Health/Minor in Psychology (Sam Houston)

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Dillard Claims MEAC Weekly Award

Published

16 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NORFOLK, Va. (December 10, 2025) – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) uncovered its men’s track & field weekly awards where Howard University sophomore Drew Dillard (Silver Spring, Md.) claimed the league’s Field Athlete of the Week. The announcement came Wednesday afternoon.

At the HBCU & Ivy Challenge (Dec. 5), Dillard won the high jump with a MEAC-best mark of 2.07 meters, which currently ranks 21^st nationally.

Senior sprinter Dylan Gaines (Houston) received honorable mention after winning the 200-meter dash a time of 21.52.

North Carolina Central sophomore Zion Amadi was named MEAC Track Athlete of the Week.

On Dec. 13, HU returns to the Northeast for the Seahawk Shootout, hosted by Wagner College.

For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com or the MEAC website at www.MEACSports.com.

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NCAA women’s volleyball regionals: Live updates, scores, schedule, highlights

Published

18 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Ahead of regionals, Michella Chester re-ranked the 16 teams still standing. Here are her top five before regional action tips off on Thursday:

1. Nebraska (No. 1 seed)
This one seems obvious. The Cornhuskers are the team to beat as the only undefeated squad in DI.

2. Kentucky (No. 1 seed)
With just two losses all season, it’d be hard to move the Wildcats any lower even though they were the only No. 1 seed to drop a set in the first two rounds.

3. Texas (No. 1 seed)
The Longhorns had one of the toughest second round matchups with No. 8 Penn State, but they posted an impressive sweep, holding the Nittany Lions to just nine points in the second set.

4. Pitt (No. 1 seed)
The Panthers swept Michigan in the second round, but maybe not as easily as they would’ve liked. Sets one and two were each just two-point wins, but with the reigning AVCA Player of the Year Olivia Babcock on their side, it’s hard to count out Pitt.

5. SMU (No. 2 seed)
The Mustangs are the first 2-seed to crack the re-rankings after setting an NCAA tournament record with a .618 hitting percentage in the first round. This team is hot right now heading into regionals.

👉 Click or tap here to find all 16 teams re-ranked

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Philippart, Williams Win RMAC Honors For Debuts

Published

32 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By: Tim Flynn

COLORADO SPRINGS – Colorado School of Mines freshmen long jumpers Alejandro Philippart and Violet Williams have earned the RMAC’s Field Athlete of the Week awards to open the indoor track & field season.

The duo had debuts to remember on Dec. 5 at the Mines Alumni Classic as each won their respective long jump competitions. Philippart turned in Mines’ best long jump mark in a decade – 7.38m (24-2.5) – to take the early RMAC lead and tie for third on the NCAA Division II national performance list. Meanwhile, Williams smashed the Mines record with her mark of 6.21m (20-4.5), the best in the RMAC since 2021 and second on the national list after the opening weekend. Williams also ran an impressive 7.70-second 60m dash on Saturday, becoming the #3 performer all-time at Mines in the sprint event.

The Orediggers return to action this weekend at the Colorado Running Company Pre-Holiday Invite at UCCS.

RMAC Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week, Dec. 10
Men’s Track Athlete of the Week: Kidus Begashaw, Adams State
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week: Alejandro Philippart, Colorado School of Mines
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week: Helen Braybrook, CSU Pueblo
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week: Violet Williams, Colorado School of Mines

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Cal Poly Volleyball Enters NCAA Regional Semifinals Versus One-Seed Kentucky

Published

33 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Mustangs Riding High

Cal Poly boasts one of the nation’s most efficient offenses, ranking 18th in hitting percentage (.278) after 13 consecutive weeks in the top 25. A key contributor is AVCA All-Pacific Region Honorable Mention Chloe Leluge, who ranks second in the Big West and 36th nationally with a .383 hitting percentage.

Leluge’s .372 career hitting percentage would lead the program’s Division I era by 17 points, and her current season rate places her in the top 10 in program history. A true two-way middle blocker, she co-leads the team and the conference with 130 total blocks. After committing just one error on 57 attacks in the Big West Championship, she was named tournament MVP and later to Michella Chester’s NCAA Rotation of the Week.

Other essential contributors include Emme Bullis, Kendall Beshear, Emma Fredrick, Annabelle Thalken, Charlotte Kelly, and Elif Hurriyet.

The redshirt senior captain Bullis set a Big West Championship single-match record with 51 assists against Long Beach State. She recently moved to #2 on Cal Poly’s career assists list (over 4,000) and set a new personal single-season high against BYU. Her 1,184 assists this season rank 17th nationally.

The lethal hitter trio of Fredrick, Beshear, and Thalken has helped propel the Mustangs to 23rd nationally in team kills. Fredrick leads the team in total kills (411) and digs (339). Beshear follows in kills (369) and digs (281) and possesses one of the nation’s most formidable jump serves, tallying 49 aces (32nd in Division I). Thalken has quietly been the team’s most efficient on the outside, leading the trio for hitting percentage (.296)

True freshman middle Kelly stepped up after a preseason injury to 2024 All-Big West First Team selection Breklyn Pulling. Thriving alongside Leluge, Kelly co-leads the team and conference in blocks (130).

An athletic and intelligent defender at libero, Hurriyet leads the team in digs per set (3.35) and has expanded her role this season, providing 91 assists as a second-touch attacker.

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Hall, McFadden Garner WAC Track Athlete of the Week Accolades

Published

49 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ARLINGTON, Texas – Abilene Christian swept the first Western Athletic Conference weekly track honors of the indoor season, the conference announced on Wednesday. Miguel Hall was named the University Credit Union Men’s Track Athlete of the Week, while Madelyn McFadden earned Jersey Mike’s A Sub Above Women’s Track Athlete of the Week accolades.

It’s the first conference recognition of both student-athletes’ careers after they competed at Texas A&M’s McFerrin 12 Degree Invitational last week. The Wildcats got their season started with two victories and eight top-three placements at the Fasken Indoor Track & Field in College Station, Texas.

Hall began his junior campaign with a third-place performance in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, clocking in with a time of 8.03 seconds, only a few fractions off his personal best. He completed the event just five hundredths of a second off of first place. Hall’s performance ranked 37th in the nation through the first week of action.

McFadden, a freshman competing in her first collegiate meet, landed in the top three in both events she participated in. The Franklin, Texas product finished in second place amongst 12 student-athletes in the women’s 600-meter, recording a time of one minute and 35.12 seconds. McFadden was one of two Wildcats in the top three, as Jalyn Childers came in at 1:36.23.

McFadden later capped ACU’s 4×400 relay that placed second in 3:50.94. She completed her split in 58.24 while teaming up with Anna Vyn, Emma Santoro and Gracee Whiteaker. The relay’s time is the 40th-best in the country.

The Wildcats return to action in 2026 at the Corky Classic, hosted by Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas on Jan. 16-17, 2026.

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