The San Jose State University women’s volleyball team is set to face Boise State University Friday at the Mountain West tournament in what would usually be a celebration of athletic prowess and achievement.

Brooke Slusser, a co-captain of the San Jose State University women’s volleyball team who was among a group that filed a lawsuit to bar a transgender woman from continuing to play on the team, sits on a bench in San Jose, Calif., on Nov. 18. (AMY OSBORNE/New York Times)

A federal judge ruled that the player, who is at the center of a controversy over transgender athletes, can participate in a women’s volleyball conference tournament this week.

A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that allows a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member to play in the Mountain West Conference tournament after complaints said she should be ineligible on grounds that she’s transgender.

The San Jose State University Spartans women’s volleyball team, which is at the center of a national debate over the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports, advanced to its conference championship on Saturday without having played a single game in the tournament.

The Spartans’ path to the Mountain West Conference championship raises complex questions about fairness, inclusion, and the future of women’s sports.