Why Stephen F. Austin Volleyball Players Are Suing Their School

Two beach volleyball players at Stephen F. Austin are suing the university, alleging they were cut from the team in retaliation for their previous involvement and support in a Title IX lawsuit over sports team cuts.

The first lawsuit was filed in 2025, after the school announced it would cut three women’s sports teams (beach volleyball, golf, and bowling) due to budget restrictions arising from costs associated with the House v. NCAA settlement. Players on these teams enlisted renowned Title IX attorney Arthur Bryant and filed a lawsuit against Stephen F. Austin; they argued in the case that the school violated the federal gender equity statute by cutting the women’s programs. 

They quickly won a preliminary injunction forcing the school to reinstate its teams. Although the injunction was eventually overturned on appeal, the school had already agreed to reinstate beach volleyball and golf.

Now, two players are claiming that they were wrongfully cut from the beach volleyball program. The first, Ryann Allison, is a named plaintiff in the original Title IX lawsuit; the second, Brynn Dowd, was part of the proposed plaintiff class and an open supporter of the litigation. The players continued to support the litigation after the team was reinstated, even though their coach, Gretchen Hand, told them it was in the past, the complaint said. At the end of the 2025–26 season, Hand told both players they had been cut from the team. 

“The decision was as inexplicable as it was abrupt,” the complaint read. “Plaintiffs, each among the team’s most successful athletes, had no reason to believe they would be dismissed from the team.” 

The complaint continued: “The surrounding circumstances suggest only one reasonable inference: Plaintiffs were dismissed in retaliation for participating in and supporting the Title IX lawsuit against SFA, in violation of Title IX and the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”

The players are requesting monetary compensation and demanding a jury trial.

A spokesperson for Stephen F. Austin said that the school was aware of the lawsuit but declined to comment due to the ongoing nature of the litigation.