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A California girls’ high school volleyball team has been impacted by two more forfeits as opposing schools opted not to play amid an already heated controversy over a transgender athlete on the team.

Maribel Munoz, the mother of a player on Jurupa Valley High School’s girls’ volleyball team, confirmed the forfeits after receiving an email from coach Liana Manu about the cancellations. The forfeited games were set against Rim of the World High School, scheduled for August 25, and Orange Vista High School on August 29.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Jurupa Valley Unified School District (JUSD) said it was not involved in the forfeits, making clear that the other schools made the decision. “We understand and acknowledge the disappointment of our Jurupa Valley High School athletes who are ready and prepared to play. Decisions to cancel matches were made by teams in other districts,” the district statement said.

The district also reiterated that it is following state law in preventing discrimination based on gender identity. Pointing to Education Code 221.5 (f), the district said it is “required to allow students to participate on athletic teams consistent with their gender identity.”

District officials pointed to statements from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond that offer direction on the law.

“We are proud of our JVHS Jaguars and their willingness to play any team and represent their school and our district with pride,” the statement added, saying work was underway to reschedule games to avoid the girls losing out on playing time.

The latest forfeits follow a decision by Riverside Poly High School to back out of a scheduled August 15 game against Jurupa Valley. Fox News Digital has confirmed with parents of the Riverside Poly players and a local school board member that the decision was made because of the team’s transgender athlete, senior AB Hernandez.

The Mother of Trans Athlete Issues Statement Amid Escalating Drama

Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda Hernandez, stated the controversy, pleading for understanding and an end to the animosity. “I understand the discomfort some may feel, because I was once there, too. The difference is, I chose to learn, to grow, and to open my heart,” she said in the statement provided to Fox News Digital.

The mother described her daughter as petite, a player smaller than most on the court. She said she wants to make it clear that it is not physical stature or perceived strength on which Hernandez excels. “This is a child, and I can assure you that she sees your daughters as peers, as teammates, as friends, not through a lens of anything inappropriate,” Hernandez added. She also said her daughter had not been aware of the forfeits being connected to her being on the team.

Hernandez is no stranger to national attention, with her performance on the spring track and field team attracting scrutiny even before the start of the volleyball season. Hernandez won two California state titles in the long jump and triple jump in the spring, with the victories coming at events where female athletes and their families protested the decision to allow her to compete. Many wore shirts reading, “Save Girls’ Sports.” At the time, former President Donald Trump shared a message on Truth Social ahead of the state finals, asking the state not to allow a trans girl to compete, without directly referencing Hernandez by name.

In July, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it had filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) over its policies allowing transgender students to play on girls’ teams. This was despite Trump having signed an executive order in February intended to bar such participation.

Hernandez has just one season of high school volleyball left, and as of late August, the team had played no competitive games. Now, she and her teammates are learning of forfeits instead of seeing how they stack up against the competition.

Munoz, a Jurupa Valley parent whose daughter has played on the same teams with Hernandez for the past three years, expressed a range of emotions in talking to Fox News Digital about how the situation has played out. “It makes me feel sad, it makes me feel angry, frustrated, just so many emotions,” she said.