EXCLUSIVE: Transgender Athlete AB Hernandez Dominates For Jurupa Valley Against Chaffey Girl's Volleyball Team

On Thursday evening, the Jurupa Valley High School volleyball team in California finally found an opponent willing to play against male athlete AB Hernandez. 

Since the season started, four teams have forfeited rather than force their girl's volleyball team to play against Jurupa and its star transgender player. Citing well-founded potential safety issues and concerns about competitive fairness, those opponents, in concert with the players on the team, have collectively taken a stand to defend women's sports.

As a result, Jurupa Valley has been forced to look for opponents that have different priorities. Opponents such as Chaffey High School from Ontario, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. And those priorities became overwhelmingly obvious in how Chaffey handled the lead-up to Thursday's game. 

Chaffey High School girl's volleyball team ahead of the game against Jurupa Valley and AB Hernandez. (Credit: Ian Miller, OutKick)

Equitable Is An Interesting Word Choice

The school's athletic director, Chris Brown, gave an interview to the Los Angeles Times in which he celebrated the decision to play Jurupa and AB Hernandez. "We made a decision to play against Jurupa Valley in volleyball because it is an equitable match-up," he said. 

RELATED: Jurupa Valley High School Seeking Opponents As Girls’ Teams Forfeit Over Male Athlete

Brown did not respond to a request for comment from OutKick as to when the decision was made, or if the players on the team or their parents were consulted. Neither did the girl's volleyball coach, Tiffany Dolven-Strang, who did not answer similar questions, though a check of her Instagram account did reveal "she/her" pronouns listed. 

AB Hernandez (4) on the court in a game against Chaffey High School. (Credit: Ian Miller, OutKick)

When reached by OutKick for comment, Jurupa Valley said the game was added to the schedule "last month." One source did confirm to OutKick that by "last month," Jurupa Valley actually meant within the last week, as it desperately searched for teams willing to play Hernandez. 

So we went to Jurupa Valley High School to watch the game, and witnessed Hernandez noticeably receiving the loudest and most-enthusiastic cheers of any player for either side during pre-game introductions.

It's illustrative, attending these events, to see the reactions of those in the crowd. The loudest cheers in the pre-match introduction from the Jurupa side came for Hernandez. While some stayed silent or didn't clap, most of the high school-aged attendees cheered loudly, and specifically called out support. One Jurupa fan wore a T-shirt with messaging supporting transgender activism.

A man wearing a T-shirt showing support for transgender causes at the Jurupa Valley volleyball game. (Credit: Ian Miller, OutKick)

On the court, the result was unsurprisingly obvious: Jurupa Valley won. After a close first set in which Jurupa came back to win 25-23, Hernandez and the Jaguars dominated the second set. Frequently jumping higher than any of the female players, with more velocity on spikes and serves, Hernandez was clearly stronger and taller than the females on the Chaffey side. 

Fittingly, Hernandez scored the clinching 25th point in that second set, with a spike that carried too much speed for any of the Chaffey players to return. 

AB Hernandez Leads Jurupa Valley To Easy Win Over Chaffey

Jurupa Valley volleyball player AB Hernandez (4). (Credit: Ian Miller, OutKick)

While Chaffey did battle back to win the third set, Hernandez was once again instrumental in the decisive fourth, as the Jaguars won 28-26.

The competitive imbalance was clear; every other player on the Jurupa Valley girl's team was comparable in skill, physical ability, and speed to those on the Chaffey High School side. Hernandez though, was heads and shoulders, sometimes literally, above the rest. The only player on either side who could jump over the net to block incoming shots, tips, or attempted spikes.

How Is This Fair? 

Hernandez's advantage was so clear and obvious that several members of the Chaffey supporting section were visibly upset by it. When OutKick asked those parents of Chaffey athletes whether the school's administration or coach had asked the parents or members of the team if they were willing to play against Jurupa and a male athlete, nobody knew the answer. 

One parent, whose child played on the Chaffey JV team, said that she'd asked other parents to see if they'd been consulted, but never got an answer. When it was brought up that one side had a pretty obvious advantage, she responded, "No kidding."

AB Hernandez(4) prepares to make a play on the ball in Jurupa Valley's game against Chaffey.(Credit: Ian Miller, OutKick)

Another parent said he wasn't sure if anyone had been asked whether they wanted to play. The fact that nobody was either aware or willing to say for certain how the match was added to the schedule is telling, to say the least.  

After the match, players from both teams shook hands. None of the Chaffey girls refused. There were no protests, no signs or verbal disagreements between the two sides or their supporters. Though, there was a representative from the local Sherriff's department, likely there to intervene in case of any such issues. 

There's a very obvious motivation behind situations like this, and how the adults and the individual player have handled it and this season. It's selfishness. There's a willingness to endanger opponents. To take opportunities away from other players on the Jurupa Valley team to compete in more games. To take opportunities away from female athletes on other teams. It's indulging the selfishness of coaches, administrators, parents, or specific players, who put their personal feelings or political ideology first. That's why the Jurupa Valley school district lists a "Gender Diverse Youth Sports Toolkit" on its website.  

It's about them, not who they impact or hurt. It always is.