The San Jose State women's volleyball team has won six of nine matches on the court this season and has picked up an additional five wins because the opponents forfeited. Why did those teams forfeit? Because San Jose State has a transgender player, and the reaction is threatening to derail their season. LA Times reporter Steve Henson has been following the story and joined Lisa McRee on "LA Times Today."

Henson explained how the controversy over San Jose State's transgender player started and why it's gained so much attention this season, even though the player has been on the team for three years. 

"[The transgender player] was outed originally by a teammate, Brooke Slusser, who joined this class action lawsuit against the NCAA in September that states that the transgender athlete's participation in the sport violates Title IX. And Slusser's court filing named her teammate. And the next day, Boise State said it would forfeit its upcoming volleyball match with San Jose State. Since then, four more opponents forfeited: Wyoming, Utah State, Southern Utah and most recently, Nevada Reno," Henson said. 

Slusser and her teammate, who Henson said has not publicly identified herself or her gender identity, get along on the court. 

"They high-five each other after shots. But when it comes to the whole notion of a transgender player competing in women's collegiate athletics, Brooke Slusser is adamantly opposed to it. And she says so in the lawsuit. And she's appeared on more right leaning media outlets to say so," Henson elaborated.

While several schools have refused to play San Jose State, others in liberal states have played. Henson explained the NCAA's rules on transgender athletes and whether they have an unfair advantage. 

"The NCAA follows the same rules for transgender players as those set by USA Volleyball, the national governing body. So the testosterone level of a transgender player must be tested and found not to exceed the upper limit of the normal female reference range for their age group. The testosterone levels are tested at the beginning of the season and again six months later," he said. "Supporters of the rule argue that the political rhetoric and false statements endanger the transgender community. And that debate's going to continue.”

Henson said the San Jose State controversy will come to a head when their division heads to the championship tournament in late November. 

"Teams that forfeit tournament games would be giving up a chance to qualify for the NCAA tournament. And it'll be interesting to see if the forfeits continue at that time when there's more at stake," he said.

Watch the full interview above.

Watch "LA Times Today" at 8 and 11 p.m. Monday through Friday on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News app.