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Former Utah State star athlete Kaylie Ray tried to share her experience as a victim of the San Jose State volleyball scandal with lawmakers.

In response, she was given comments about her body. 

Arizona Democrat state senator Catherine Miranda told Ray, “I mean, you look pretty healthy… You look very much in shape and strong,” after Ray spoke about having to forfeit a game in protest of a trans athlete, at a senate education hearing on Tuesday. 

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“When she started saying those words, the only thing I was thinking is, ‘where could she possibly be going with this?’” Ray told Fox News Digital. “For whatever reason, my physical appearance or stature should have some type of effect on how competitive I am with men. So I was definitely caught off guard.” 

Ray said she would accept an apology from Miranda, if she is given one. Miranda’s office has not responded to repeated requests for comment. 

Ray showed up to the state house that day to share deep personal trauma from her college volleyball career.

At Utah State, she was an opponent of former San Jose State transgender volleyball player Blaire Fleming for two years in 2022 and 2023, all before having confirmed knowledge that Fleming was male. During that time, Ray said she saw teammates suffer finger injuries from taking Fleming’s signature spikes to the hands. 

“I had teammates who had seriously jammed their fingers, luckily not broken, but a handful of girls who had sustained minor injuries from the male player,” Ray said, adding that it happened way more often from Fleming’s spikes than those from female players.

She added that all of her teammates had their suspicions about Fleming from the moment they watched film ahead of their first matchup on Oct. 1, 2022. 

“When this player was presented to us, even on film, the immediate reaction is ‘whoa,’” Ray said. “It’s so obvious to the naked eye that this athlete has athleticism, explosiveness, and a power that is just not matched by any of the other athletes.” 

Utah State lost that first match against Fleming, three sets to one.

Ray said there were some people on her team that were making comments about Fleming being a male.

“After watching this player compete, it was so obvious to us, but obviously we don’t want to speculate,” Ray said. 

She said her team had to come up with a new strategy that they simply had no need for prior to Fleming’s arrival in the Mountain West.

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“Because Blaire attacked from such a high point of contact… the goal is to just get your hands over the net as far as you can,” she said. “Get your hands low and over, and if Blaire hits over the top of you, it’s a good swing by that player. There was kind of like a helplessness of, ‘let’s just do everything we can to force them to set other players.'”

Ray said there were some people on her team that were making comments about Fleming being a male. (Courtesy of ICONS, Getty Images)

Utah State won the rematch against SJSU in November, three sets to two. Then they met in the 2022 conference final, and Ray’s team emerged victorious for the second of what would be three straight Mountain West titles. But Ray says they were ultimately at the mercy of how well Fleming played that day. 

“We knew that if the male athlete had a phenomenal game, there was nothing we could do to stop that person… and to be quite honest with you, Blaire did not have a great game,” Ray said. “To be fair, I think you go into any match hoping that their best player doesn’t have their best night. I won’t say that it was total helplessness because we had beaten them before and we knew we were capable of doing it again.” 

The following season, Utah State won both matches against SJSU, both in straight sets. Fleming only played in the second of those two games, missing time to injury. In that second game, Fleming led SJSU in points, but Utah State had answers, and won the game en route to a third-straight conference title. 

It was the last time Ray would ever play Fleming.

When the scandal went national in 2024, Ray, as a captain, was trying to lead her team to a fourth straight Mountain West championship. 

“I wanted it so bad,” she said.

But then, official news of Fleming’s birth sex reached their locker room.

“I felt sick. I felt nauseousness in my stomach,” Ray said. 

Her team had to put competition aside. 

“[Utah State administrators] ended up sending an anonymous survey to our girls when we were on a road trip… simply to describe our thoughts and feelings about competing against San Jose, and our administrators took that information and allowed us to forfeit,” Ray said.

It was the first of seven total forfeited matches the Spartans saw that season, with each one bringing more and more scrutiny and risk to the program. But for Utah State, the forfeit also reverberated throughout their season, behind closed doors. 

“Girls were so sick about it… to have that loss on our record, it was really disappointing,” she said. “We were very distracted during the season.” 

Ray joined the lawsuit led by former SJSU co-captain Brooke Slusser against the Mountain West later that season, and they even challenged in court to have the result of the forfeited game reversed. But a Biden-appointed judge did not grant the reversal.

And because of that forfeit, Ray’s team finished behind SJSU in the standings. When the brackets came out, they faced the anxiety of knowing for certain, that if they were to make it back to the championship game, they would have to play SJSU. 

“The only thing that anyone could focus on, was ‘well, if we win, we have to play San Jose, do we have to forfeit again?’” Ray said of the team’s mindset before its first-round game against Boise State that tournament. “That was very much the attitude of my team… we were already defeated coming into the tournament.”

FORMER SJSU VOLLEYBALL STAR OPENS UP ON LIVING WITH TRANS TEAMMATE WITHOUT KNOWING ATHLETE’S BIOLOGICAL SEX

Brooke Slusser #10 and Blaire Fleming #3 of the San Jose State Spartans call a play during the first set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on Oct. 19, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

Ray and her teammates didn’t make it out of the first round. They lost to Boise State, who then went on to forfeit to SJSU in the semifinal.

Ray still hasn’t gotten over not winning that fourth conference title, which she believes her team would have won had circumstances been normal. But it wasn’t normal, in any sense.  

“We wanted it so bad, coupled with the trauma and the anxiety, and just the horrible, horrible emotions that occurred during the season, it was so hard to keep that goal in sight.”

Ray is done with college volleyball now. She played one more season at Weber State last fall and has graduated with a graduate degree. Now, much of her attention is put toward fighting to “save women’s sports,” just as she tried to do at her state’s capital building this past week. 

In January, she spoke alongside Slusser outside the U.S. Supreme Court at a rally during oral arguments for two cases related to males in women’s sports. That day, Ray got her first up-close look at the forces opposing her goal, with a passionate pro-transgender rally taking place right next to theirs. 

“It was the first time in my life seeing that collection of people. What struck me most is that up next to their speakers, they were waiving a flag, a transgender flag, but at the center of the flag there was a satanic symbol, it said ‘The Church of Satan,’” Ray said. 

“It was so clearly a battle between good and evil… When you upset a party of Satanic people, they don’t care what you have to say… when you’re fighting against evil, it’s going to be uncomfortable.”

SJSU is the latest battleground in that fight.

The U.S. Education Department‘s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) determined that SJSU violated Title IX in its handling of Fleming at the end of January. But SJSU and the California University (CSU) system are suing the federal government to challenge that investigation. 

“San Jose State is disgusting,” Ray said of the lawsuit. “It’s so despicable, and it’s so bizarre.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to SJSU and CSU for a response to Ray’s comments.

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U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon responded Wednesday, giving the institutions a deadline of 10 days to come to an agreement or risk federal funding cuts and a referral to the U.S. Department of Justice. 

“President Trump, you know what to do,” Ray added. 

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ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — Spring breakers are flocking to Southern Utah, and local leaders are preparing for the rush.

Last year, Zion National Park saw more than 700,000 visits during March and April. Right outside of the park, the small town of Springdale is expecting to handle the majority of those visitors.

The Mayor, Barbra Bruno, says this is one of the best times of the year to visit and they usually see a lot more people.

“Well, it’s great to be here, because the weather’s great and things are starting to come to life,” she said. “We’re coming off of what we call a shoulder season, which used to be our quiet time of year. And frankly, isn’t just that quiet anymore.”

Spring break is kicking off this weekend, and it is likely Springdale will get busier.

“When I just drove over from my house at the other end of town, there was a lot of parking available. I suspect that, by tomorrow, that will not be the case. I think our town will be full of cars,” Bruno added.

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Local businesses are already seeing early signs of spring break travel. Jess Kavanagh works at Zion Adventure and says she has already seen an increase in visitors, from Utah and elsewhere.

“We’re definitely seeing plenty of people from within the state of Utah coming down this week. But every week is kind of different,” she said. “Statistically, where people are from, it kind of feels like you can track where the spring break is happening throughout the country.”

With crowds expected to build in the coming weeks, Mayor Bruno has a simple message for visitors.

“Just slow down. Our speed limit through most of Springdale is 30 and sometimes that’s even a little too fast. But just be careful. There’s a lot of traffic,” she said. “There’s a lot going on, and the bike lanes make it a little trickier on top of that.”

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ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — On Friday, the Utah State Bar presented a statewide survey on how often legal professionals face threats, intimidation or violence.

In 2006, the Utah State Bar conducted the first survey in the nation that examined threats and violences directed at members of a state legal profession. That survey found that 46% of respondents had receiving threats or violence in their career.

Now, two decades later, the Utah State Bar has conducted a similar study and presented the findings during a conference on March 13.

“For 2026, in the first two months. There have been 230 investigations of 176 threats on 151 different judges,” said Stephen Kelson, one of the main researchers behind the 2006 and 2026 survey.

The survey results indicated that there has been a drop in threats made online or through inappropriate communications, but there has been a significant increase in direct threats, according to Kelson.

He added that, since 2023, there have been over 100 threats to Utah courts, six swatting incidents, an incident in which private information was ‘doxxed’ or released publicly, and a security breach.

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“There are threats that are taking place with our Utah courts and there have been, just in the last couple days, this [survey] doesn’t include those,” Kelson continued. “The point being is that while the Utah profession has not suffered a life taking event in many years, it doesn’t mean that threats and violence just aren’t frequently occurring.”

According to Kelson, legal practitioners in family law, criminal prosecution, and criminal defense typically see the highest number of violent threats. However, members of every legal practice reported receiving violent threats.

Kelson says public trust in legal professionals has decreased significantly, which could be a factor in the increase in threats. He said, “The legal profession, including the judiciary…over the last 20, 25 years, has been considered in low regard…Also, politics appears to be having an effect.”

Based on survey results, 5% of Utah’s legal professionals have definitively been on the receiving end of threats of violence or actual violence, though Kelson says that number could be higher, because only about 12% of all legal professionals in Utah responded to the survey.

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Additionally, some practitioners may brush off threats or don’t report them to avoid potential controversy. Kelson said, “An issue that comes up with threats and violence in the legal profession is that it’s not talked about…and it generally comes down to that, one, you don’t want that out there. There’s a fear or a concern that you don’t want to be that practitioner, because maybe it has a stigma to it.”

At the conclusion of his presentation, Kelson asked who in the audience had received threats, by a raise of hands. While not everybody raised their hands, nearly two dozen individuals did, including Kelson.

While investigating and prosecuting threats is up to law enforcement, Kelson says the legal field needs to acknowledge the potential danger that their professionals face.

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“We need to recognize it. It is affecting attorneys’ well-being here in the state of Utah. And as well, if it’s affecting the well-being, it means it’s affecting the practice, how attorneys are performing their jobs, which means it can have a direct effect upon the access to justice for the public,” he said.

Elizabeth Wright, the executive director of the Utah State Bar, added, “We want judges to be able to make decisions based on the law and facts in front of them and not be worried. that if they rule a certain way or rule against certain individuals that their family can be threatened.”

“So, the recommendation is going to be in regard to we need to educate our legal community of how to address this, prepare themselves, and so they can avoid the threats and violence and make sure it’s not going to happen to them,” Kelson continued. “it’s going to be through training and also to look at to help them be self-aware and recognize if there’s a real threat what can they do to protect themselves and those around them.”

Joseph DeGolyer contributed to this article.

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Nevada was one win away from its first MW Championship appearance since 2017 and two wins away from its first NCAA bid since the 2023-24 season. Both of those dreams faded away after a flat 79-66 loss to Utah State in the semifinal.

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Nevada rode a lot of momentum after winning the first two games of this tournament, but Utah State was the No. 1 seed for a reason. The Aggies’ defensive performance was just too much for Nevada to find the bucket.

Scoring Summary

1st Half

Nevada 32 – Utah State 39

2nd Half

Nevada 34 – Utah State 40

Final: Nevada 66, Utah State 79

First Half

The first 10 shot attempts of the game all missed, with both sides starting 0-5. Utah State broke that drought after three minutes with a layup for a 2-0 lead. Nevada broke its 0-6 start with a layup of its own by Vaughn Weems.

The first three of the game came from Utah State’s Karson Templin to give the Aggies a 9-5 lead under 14 minutes. The first three for Nevada came from the hands of Chuck Bailey in the corner, cutting it back down to a three-point game. Kaleb Lowery and Joel Armotrading traded scores in the paint and the Wolf Pack took a 12-11 lead just under 11 minutes.

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Utah State snatched the momentum right back, taking a seven-point lead before another media timeout under the eight-minute mark. Nevada had picked up six personal fouls at the mark, which turned into a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line for the Aggies.

The Aggies pushed themselves back on top with an eight-point lead at 27-19. Nevada’s best scorer in Corey Camper Jr. was held scoreless for most of the half until he made his first shot of the game under five minutes. It was a three that made it 29-24 Utah State.

A 6-0 run within the final minutes of the first half gave Utah State a nine-point lead. Elijah Price turned in a layup followed by some free throws to cut it down to five, but Utah State scored in the paint just before the buzzer. Nevada shot just 36 percent from the field and 25 percent from three, with Camper going 2-9 and five points.

Second Half

The second half started similarly to the first, with both sides missing their first few shots. Utah State turned in a quick five points after that, forcing Nevada to call a timeout just two and a half minutes into the half.

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Nevada’s first five minutes went without a score until Tayshawn Comer hit a fadeaway shot to make it 45-34 Utah State. The Aggies responded with a three to make it 48-34 with 15 minutes left.

The soul of Nevada’s team seemed just to fade away. Utah State forced turnover after turnover, and by the next media timeout under 12 minutes, the Aggies had a 57-37 lead. Nevada struggled to find consistent ball movement and turned the ball over 15 total times, with a lot of them coming in bunches.

“It shows how much pride we have as a team,” Weems said about Nevada not giving up and keeping the game somewhat interesting. “We could’ve laid down and given up multiple times throughout the game, but during timeouts, we had all our coaches and players saying, ‘We’ve been in this situation before, keep playing.‘”

Momentum never truly turned over after that. Nevada played how it has in road games all season, with costly turnovers and simply missing too many shots. Utah State’s student section, The Hurd, traveled well all tournament, and that was no different in this game. Whether the crowd sucked Nevada’s soul out, or there was sluggishness after playing its third game in three days, or maybe it was both.

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Nevada ended the night shooting 41 percent from the field, 26 percent from three and 65 percent from the free-throw line. All around, it just wasn’t a good shooting night for Nevada by any means. Weems was the lead scorer with 17 points, but went 0-6 from beyond the arc. In games like this, Nevada needed a big game from Camper that just never came, as he finished with nine points on 3-12 shooting.

“It felt a little fatigued, but we knew what we had with four games in four days, so we were prepared for it mentally,” Camper said of potential sluggishness in this one.

Utah State shot 45 percent from the field and 21 percent from deep. Adlan Elamin led the Aggies with 15 points on 6-9 shooting. The Aggies had five players reach double digits, including four starters.

What’s Next

Nevada was two wins away from an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament, but for the second consecutive year, the Wolf Pack will not be dancing.

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The Wolf Pack submitted a bid to host an NIT game, so now it’s just the waiting game to see if Nevada will get that or participate in any other postseason tournament. Nevada declined to participate last year, but it appears Alford is more fond of the idea this year.

“I think it should be a no-brainer that we’re an NIT team,” Alford said about playing another game. “We’ve done a lot of good things this year and have beaten a lot of really good teams, so I hope and pray we get a bid for the NIT that we’d be very excited to play in.”