A Monroe family, joined by several Michigan lawmakers, on Monday announced the filing of a Title IX complaint against Monroe Public Schools, Ann Arbor Public Schools and the Michigan High School Athletic Association, challenging a decision to allow a transgender athlete to play on Ann Arbor Skyline’s girls volleyball team and share locker room facilities during a match in the 2025 season.

The complaint, submitted by Sean Lechner alleges “serious administrative failures” by both districts and Monroe athletic director Chet Hesson, including ignoring safety protocols, withholding information, and disregarding student privacy, competitive fairness, MHSAA rules and federal Title IX requirements.

“This is purely about accountability, fairness and justice,” Sean Lechner said. “This is about privacy, safety and dignity of any and all female athletes. Schools do not have the right to hide the biological sex of a male student at the expense of any female student or athlete.”

State representatives James DeSana (R-Carleton), William Bruck (R-Erie Township), Rylee Linting (R-Grosse Ile Township), Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown) and State Senator Joe Bellino, and Laura Perry, who is running for the Michigan House of Representatives, joined the complaint to discuss the filing and concerns raised.

The complaint has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, the Michigan Department of Education, the MHSAA and Monroe Public Schools.

Sean Lechner, whose daughter, Briley, plays on the Monroe team, claims parents were not informed and that privacy and safety protocols were ignored. He said the complaint is also centered around arguments of unfair competition advantages and the violation of female athletes’ privacy.

“I’m speaking out today not just for my daughter, but for every family that was betrayed when the adults responsible failed to do their job,” Sean Lechner said. “This burden must not fall on the shoulders of teenage girls. It is now the responsibility of parents, school officials and lawmakers to step up.”

The complaint also alleges that Skyline allowed the athlete to compete without submitting the required waiver to the MHSAA for a trans female (male to female) to compete, raising concerns about Title IX compliance.

However, the MHSAA and AAPS have stated they do not provide confidential details about students, including eligibility status.

“Title IX was established to separate athletics by biological sex to ensure equal opportunity, competitive fairness and safety of female athletes,” Perry said during the press conference. “…One waiver in Michigan, one displaced female athlete on a varsity roster or starting lineup, one player of the match taken by a biological male, and one team advancing to the Elite Eight in the MHSAA tournament because of a male is one too many.”

Andrew Cluley, AAPS director of communications, said the district does not comment on ongoing litigation.

In a statement regarding the filing, Monroe administration said it has hired a third party to conduct a Title IX investigation to ensure transparency.

“The District has requested a third party to complete the Title IX investigation and provide a recommended determination,” the statement said. “The district has chosen to use a third party so that the investigation can be completed in a manner that allows for complete transparency from beginning to end. Monroe Public Schools has no further comment while the third party is conducting the investigation.”

Skyline and Monroe competed on Sept. 9, where Skyline won the match. The complaint alleges that the two teams shared a locker room at Monroe for the match, but parents were not informed of a transgender athlete on Skyline’s team until afterwards.

The two teams also competed in a match during a conference meet on Oct. 25 but did not share a locker room.

“This was definitely very devastating for all of us girls,” Briley Lechner said during the press conference. “This person did disguise themselves to look like a female, so when we found out weeks after that there was another male in the same locker room as us, as we are changing and also playing against us, it caught everyone off guard and it was very changing because nobody would have expected that that would have been the last thought.

“Because as I was looking at this person, admiring how amazing they were, admiring how high they could jump, I was kind of getting down to myself, like, I wonder why I’m not capable of that. So, it’s definitely very like changing to see that.”

Skyline’s team went onto win a Division 1 regional title and advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2021.

Ahead of the quarterfinal match against Byron Center last month, 14 lawmakers signed a letter asking the MHSAA to provide proof of a transgender athlete’s eligibility to compete on Skyline’s team.

Geoff Kimmerly, MHSAA director of communications, told MLive/The Ann Arbor News that the organization granted one waiver for a transgender athlete to compete this fall but could not provide specifics about which school or sport due to privacy concerns.

The MHSAA granted two waivers for the 2024 fall sports season, Kimmerly said.

Kimmerly added in a statement that the association has been in discussions with lawmakers as it navigates conflicting state and federal guidance on transgender athlete eligibility.

He emphasized that the MHSAA must follow the law and rely on courts or the legislature when conflicts arise.

“The MHSAA has communicated with members of the state legislature throughout the fall about this issue, as the legal landscape in this area – under both federal and state law – remains unsettled, and state and federal guidance have evolved in recent years often in competing ways,” Kimmerly said. “…The MHSAA has consistently emphasized that it must follow the law, and when conflicts in law arise, the MHSAA must rely upon the legislature or the courts to provide clarity.”

The MHSAA has pointed to legal conflicts between Trump’s executive order seeking to ban transgender women from female sports and Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which protects against gender identity discrimination, as an area needing clarification.

However, Perry said the MHSAA should be following federal law over state law.

“The state of Michigan hides behind the unintended consequences of Elliot Larson and proceeds as though state law trumps federal law,” Perry said. “Federal executive order is being ignored and the buck stops here when the real adults in the room, everybody that showed up here today and everybody behind me, says that this can and will not happen again.”

Linting, who sponsored a two-bill package with Jason Woolford (R-Howell), said the goal is to change policies by banning biological men from competing in women’s sports in Michigan and revising the Elliott-Larsen Act to make such a ban enforceable.

The MHSAA determines eligibility for transgender female athletes on a case-by-case basis, requiring schools to submit documentation at least 30 days before tournament deadlines.

Required materials include school records, medical and psychological information, details on hormone therapy or surgery and a signed waiver allowing disclosure of protected records for eligibility review.

“For more than 50 years, no organization in Michigan has worked harder to expand, support and protect athletic opportunities for girls and young women than the MHSAA – a commitment that has guided our work for decades and remains unchanged today,” Kimmerly said in the MHSAA statement.

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on cases involving athletics and transgender participation on Jan. 13, 2026, which could provide more clarification in this ongoing matter.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Coming off a 2-0 week for Upstate Men’s Basketball, the Big South Conference announced weekly awards where the Spartans were featured with Mason Bendinger being announced as the Big South Co-Player of the Week. 

The Junior from Salt Lake City, Utah averaged 21.0 points through both games played through the week of Dec. 1- Dec. 6 where he added his career-high of 27 points shooting 7-for-16 from the field and a career-high of 12 made free throws in the overtime win against Coastal Carolina. Bendinger’s three-pointer and layup under the 10-minute mark nearly exploded the roof off the G.B. Hodge Center helping the Spartans tie the game against the Chants with the momentum ultimately carrying Upstate through the second half and finishing the job in overtime. Bendinger followed up with a 15-point performance in Saturday’s win against Western Carolina shooting 5-for-9 from the field, 5-for-7 from the charity stripe, added a season-high of six rebounds and one block. Mason Bendinger is currently ranked #7 in the Big South, averaging 16.1 points per game while being ranked #15 in the NCAA with 70 field goals scored. Through 11 games played, Bendinger has scored in double figures through 10 games played while adding three 20+ point performances and six 15+ point performances. Bendinger has continued to become more accustomed to Division I Basketball along with finding his footing in the Marty Richter system with three-level scoring that he provides on a nightly basis. This marks the first weekly honor for Bendinger as he continues to grow with Upstate.  

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2025 NCAA Women’s Div I Volleyball Tournament Glance All Times EST

First Round

Thursday, Dec. 4

No. 4 Colorado def. American, 25-16, 25-19, 25-16

No. 4 Kansas def. High Point, 25-20, 25-15, 25-18

No. 6 Baylor def. Arkansas St., 23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10

No. 5 Miami (FL) def. Tulsa, 25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20

No. 4 Indiana def. Toledo, 25-18, 25-15, 25-17

North Carolina def. No. 6 UTEP, 24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-21

No. 8 UCLA def. Georgia Tech, 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 25-18, 25-10

No. 6 N. Iowa def. Utah, 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10

Utah St. def. No. 7 Tennessee, 25-19, 25-15, 20-25, 18-25, 15-11

No. 3 Purdue def. Wright St., 25-13, 25-21, 25-19

No. 1 Kentucky def. Wofford, 25-11, 25-19, 25-12

Cal Poly def. No. 5 BYU, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10

No. 3 Creighton def. Northern Colorado, 25-12, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-8

No. 2 Arizona St. def. Coppin St., 25-11, 25-14, 25-12

No. 4 Southern Cal def. Princeton, 25-19, 25-12, 25-13

No. 3 Wisconsin def. Eastern Ill., 25-11, 25-6, 25-19

Friday, Dec. 5

Marquette def. No. 7 W. Kentucky, 25-22, 25-21, 25-16

Michigan def. No. 8 Xavier, 25-19, 25-15, 25-23

Kansas St. def. No. 8 San Diego vs., 21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12

No. 6 TCU def. Steven F. Austin St., 25-8, 26-24, 25-20

Florida def. No. 7 Rice, 27-25, 25-23, 25-19

No. 5 Iowa St. def. St. Thomas (Minn.), 21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8

No. 8 Penn St. def. South Florida, 25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19

No. 1 Pittsburgh def. UMBC, 25-10, 25-17, 25-13

No. 2 Louisville def. Loyola Chicago, 25-17, 25-9, 25-12

No. 2 SMU def. Cent. Arkansas, 25-13, 25-13, 25-13

No. 3 Texas A&M def. Campbell, 25-17, 25-9, 25-12

Arizona def. No. 7 South Dakota St., 25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15

No. 1 Nebraska def. LIU, 25-11, 25-15, 25-17

No. 1 Texas def. Florida A&M, 25-11, 25-8, 25-14

No. 4 Minnesota def. Fairfield, 25-12, 25-7, 25-13

No. 2 Stanford def. Utah Valley, 21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14

Second Round

Friday, Dec. 5

No. 3 Purdue def. No. 6 Baylor, 25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20

No. 4 Indiana def. No. 5 Colorado, 25-20, 25-17, 25-13

No. 1 Kentucky def. No. 8 UCLA, 30-25, 25-16, 28-30, 25-17

No. 4 Kansas def. No. 5 Miami, 25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25

No. 3 Creighton def. N. Iowa, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21

No. 2 Arizona St. def. Utah St., 25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15

No. 3 Wisconsin def. North Carolina, 25-14, 25-21, 27-25

Cal Poly def. No. 4 Southern Cal, 25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7

Saturday, Dec. 6

No. 2 Louisville def. Marquette, 21-15, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12

No. 1 Pittsburgh def. Michigan, 25-23, 25-23, 25-18

No. 1 Texas def. No. 8 Penn St., 25-16, 25-9, 25-19

No. 1 Nebraska def. Kansas St., 25-17, 25-21, 25-16

No. 2 SMU def. Florida, 25-11, 25-21, 26-24

No. 3 Texas A&M def. TCU, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 29-27

No. 4 Minnesota def. No. 5 Iowa St., 25-22, 25-21, 25-14

No. 2 Stanford def. Arizona, 25-16, 25-27, 25-17, 25-20

Third Round

Thursday, Dec. 11

No. 2 Arizona State vs. No. 3 Creighton, 1 p.m.

No. 1 Kentucky vs. Cal Poly, 3:30 p.m.

No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 4 Minnesota, 7 p.m.

No. 2 SMU vs. No. 3 Purdue, 9:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 12

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Indiana, noon

No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 3 Wisconsin, 2:30 p.m.

No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 3 Texas A&M, 7 p.m.

No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 4 Kansas, 9:30 p.m.

Copyright
© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

For a third consecutive year, Purdue’s volleyball team is headed to the Regional Semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers defeated Wright State in the opening round and took down Baylor in the second round to advance to college volleyball’s Sweet 16, where they’ll face a familiar foe.

No. 3 seed Purdue will travel to Pittsburgh to play No. 2 seed SMU on Thursday, Dec. 11. The two teams played earlier this season in Lexington, Ky., with the Boilers pulling out a 3-1 victory over the Mustangs. The winner of the match will play the winner of No. 1 Pitt and No. 4 Minnesota, with a trip to the National Semifinals hanging in the balance.

Purdue’s match against SMU will be the second matchup of the night in Pittsburhg. Host Pitt will play Minnesota at 7 p.m. ET, with the Boilermakers and Mustangs scheduled to play 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match.

Both matches will air on ESPN2.

Here’s a look at what you need to know for Thursday’s match between Purdue and SMU.

How to watch No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 2 SMU

• What: NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal Round
• Who: #3 Purdue (26-6) vs. #2 SMU (27-5)
• When: Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025
• Where: Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh, Pa. (4,122 capacity)
• Time: 30 minutes after conclusion of Pitt-Minnesota match (approx. 9 p.m. ET)
• TV: ESPN2

Purdue beats SMU earlier this year

Thursday night’s matchup between No. 3 Purdue and No. 2 SMU will be the second time the two teams have met on the volleyball court this season. The two squads also played in Lexington on Sept. 14, just a few weeks into the 2025 season.

Ranked No. 14 at the time, that was Purdue’s biggest win of the season to that point, taking down an SMU team that was ranked No. 10 nationally. The Boilers had to rally to win that match, too.

The Mustangs took the first set 25-23, but the Boilermakers responded in a big way. The churned out tight victories in the next two sets, defeating SMU 25-22 in the second and 27-25 in the third. Purdue had a convincing 25-18 fourth-set win to close out the match.

While a lot has happened in the three months since they last played, Purdue will carry confidence into this match, knowing it’s capable of beating a team like SMU. The Mustangs, on the other hand, will be looking for revenge against a team that defeated them early in the season.

It should make for a fun postseason matchup on Thursday.

Get top Boilermakers stories, expert analysis, and can’t-miss moments straight to your inbox for free by signing up for the Purdue Boilermakers on SI newsletter!

Related stories on Purdue volleyball

BOILERS BEAT BAYLOR TO ADVANCE: For a third consecutive season, Purdue is headed to the NCAA Regional Semifinal. The Boilermakers punched their ticket with a 3-1 win over Baylor. CLICK HERE

ANDERSON POWERS PURDUE: Senior outside hitter Akasha Anderson had a big night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, powering Purdue to a win over Wright State. CLICK HERE

Beth Launiere, the longest-tenured volleyball coach in Utah history, has retired, the school announced Monday.

Over 36 years as Utah’s coach, Launiere amassed 689 wins and took Utah to the NCAA tournament 20 times.

With Launiere in charge, the Utes won six Mountain West titles and advanced to the Sweet 16 four times, most recently in 2019.

“After 36 years as the head volleyball coach at the University of Utah, I have made the difficult decision to announce my retirement,” Launiere said in a school press release.

“While it is not easy to walk away from a lifetime’s work, I am ready and excited to begin the next chapter of my life. Thank you to the hundreds of players whom I have had the privilege to coach, and the many assistant coaches, support staff and administrators who were my daily collaborators to build this program into what it is today.

“I will miss the daily interactions, but I know our relationships will last a lifetime. It has been an honor to represent one of the greatest universities in the country. I will forever love Utah and will always be a Ute!”

Utah was ranked in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll for 183 weeks under Launiere’s leadership, and the program produced 16 All-Americans.

During her 36-year career at Utah, Launiere was rewarded with three Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year awards and one Pac-12 Coach of the Year award in 2019.

In her final season, Launiere and the Utes made the NCAA Tournament, finishing the season with a 15-15 record with wins over No. 23 BYU and No. 13 Kansas before losing to the University of Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAAs.

Launiere will leave a lasting legacy as the volleyball program’s greatest coach.

Utah athletic director Mark Harlan wasted no time naming her successor, appointing Alyssa D’Errico as the sixth head coach in program history.

“Alyssa D’Errico is a tremendous identifier of talent and is elite in developing student-athletes and building genuine relationships,” Harlan said. “With her championship pedigree, All-America playing experience, and the three years she has spent at the University of Utah as associate head coach, she is uniquely equipped to take over leadership of our volleyball program.

“I’m thrilled to appoint Alyssa as our new head coach, and excited to see her establish herself as this program’s leader, building on the legacy that Beth Launiere has built.”

D’Errico is a three-year assistant of Launiere’s, joining the program ahead of the 2023 season.

“I want to sincerely thank Mark Harlan, Charmelle Green and Jason Greco for their trust and support in giving me this opportunity to lead Utah volleyball,” said D’Errico in a press release.

“Of course, I also must thank Beth Launiere. I am deeply grateful to Beth for bringing me out here to be a part of this incredible volleyball program and athletic department. Her countless contributions to our sport, her care for the athletes, and the legacy she leaves behind are inspiring — truly leaving the program better than she found it.

“As I step into this role, I am honored and energized to help guide our program into the next era, with new heights in sight and a strong vision for sustained excellence. I look forward to building on our foundation, elevating our competitive standard, and fostering a culture where our student-athletes thrive on and off the court.”