On September 29, the Westridge varsity volleyball team beat Jurupa Valley High School in three sets in a nonleague competition. 

It was a game like any other game, except it wasn’t.

Noticeably, four senior administrators, including Head of School Andrea Kassar, and additional security, were present. Head of Campus Safety Hector Martinez said, “We wanted to ensure a safe environment for everyone involved. We did add additional security to ensure we can fulfill that need of providing a safe space for all of the athletes to perform today.”

As far as the players and spectators were concerned, the game went on without interruption and without incident.

However, the match against Jurupa Valley wasn’t without significance or attention. National media focus has been aimed at Jurupa Valley High School, not because of Westridge’s game, but because of the eight teams that previously forfeited rather than play them.  Since the Westridge game, a total of 10 teams have forfeited. The issue at heart centers around Jurupa Valley’s transgender female player.

Much has been said and written about Jurupa Valley High School’s volleyball team, just not by anyone at Westridge. 

Spyglass spoke to two parents of Westridge varsity volleyball players at the game, but each chose to retract their statements.

Spyglass contacted Westridge Varsity Coach Jenna Wong for an interview. In her email response, Coach Jenna offered to speak only about the Westridge team’s performance but would not comment beyond that. However, after multiple requests to schedule an interview, she did not respond. Additionally, Jurupa Valley High School Varsity Volleyball Head Coach Liana Manū did not respond to multiple requests for an interview. 

Athletics Director Coach Alice Lee attended the game but declined a request for an interview, instead offering this statement: “Our goal each season is to schedule games that challenge our teams, help them grow, and prepare them for potential CIF postseason play. We approach every matchup, league or non-league, with the same mindset: to compete and grow as a team. It was a great game and a great day for Westridge.”

Head of School Andrea Kassar attended the game. She, too, declined an interview and offered a statement: “Westridge is a school that values inclusion in athletics and in all our school spaces. And, of course, we follow CIF regulations which are based on inclusion. The Westridge/Jurupa volleyball game was an exciting one to watch – and we won – go Tigers!”

The Jurupa Valley game was not on the original game schedule, and although several players were willing to speak with Spyglass, no Westridge volleyball player agreed to use their name on record in an interview.  

According to several varsity players, the team only learned about the game after their away game against Chadwick School on September 26. Several players said that Coach Jenna shared information that was coming from administration. The players said that Coach Jenna seemed like she was also learning about it for the first time and was reading from her phone when she made the announcement to the team. The team was “told” not to tell others about their game with Jurupa Valley High School outside of their guardians. Several players who declined interviews said that the school didn’t want them to talk.  

The reason for the added discretion? That’s hard to say. According to several players, the school administration wanted to avoid drawing additional attention to the game–to the players or to the other school. Typically the Westridge Athletic Instagram highlights upcoming games and video footage from games itself, but there were no social media posts on the Westridge/Jurupa volleyball game. 

Safety was a concern for all players of both teams. Referring to the transgender player, one Westridge team member said that she was “anxious [about] how this player would perform and where on the court they would be… Also, it’s a little bit dangerous in an actual competitive game to play against a different gender.”

According to several players, Coach Jenna Wong also said that Westridge would not have scheduled or agreed to the game if there was any risk to their safety. 

The abundance of caution and desire for discretion was met with mixed reactions from players. One Westridge volleyball player said that Coach Jenna’s meeting with the team “was very dramatic, and it did not need to be.”

Another player felt the issue was inconsequential. “When [Coach Jenna told us] I did not care because I had the mentality of winning the whole time. It doesn’t matter who we play against,” she said.

The same player went on to express concern towards transgender athletes participating in their identified gender sports. “I support trans people all the way… But I do think if you were born a male, you have genetically more enhanced [genetics], you can do things like you can jump higher, you can run faster,” she said. “Each gender has their thing, and I think you should compete in the gender you were born in, even if you don’t associate with that gender anymore, you do have the responsibility if you want to compete in sports for the fairness of others.” 

Former and current Jurupa Valley High School varsity volleyball players have filed three lawsuits against Jurupa Unified School District, the California Interscholastic Federation, and the California Department of Education. 

Even if Westridge would like to remain out of the crosshairs between transgender rights and fair athletic play, the issue itself has taken center stage nationally. On February 5, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. The order is titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” However, currently, California law permits transgender females to take part in sports that align with their gender identity.

According to the CIF policy, “Participation in interscholastic athletics is a valuable part of the educational experience for all students. All students should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on a student’s records. Should any questions arise whether a student’s request to participate in a sex-segregated activity consistent with his or her gender identity is bona fide, a student may seek review of his or her eligibility for participation by working through the procedure set forth in the “Guidelines for Gender Identity Participation.”

While those on both sides of the fair play issue fight it out—outside the walls of Westridge’s Hoffman Gym—inside, the game went on, and from all accounts, was won fairly and with model sportsmanship. One Westridge varsity player said of Jurupa Valley High School’s team, “they were the nicest team we played and also probably the best mannered team.” Despite losing the game, she said, “they had such a good attitude.”