Former college volleyball star Kaylie Ray opens up on viral clash with Arizona Democrat senator

Former Utah State volleyball prima Kaylie Ray became a viral people leader successful the "save women's sports" question aft sparring with Arizona authorities legislator Catherine Miranda. 

Ray shared her acquisition enduring the San Jose State volleyball ungraded and starring a squad forfeit successful protestation of a antheral athlete, astatine a authorities acquisition proceeding Tuesday, portion lobbying for a measure that would supply protections for girls' and women's sports successful Arizona. 

Miranda responded by commenting connected Ray's assemblage earlier asking, "so however competitory bash you deliberation you truly are?" 

It did not spell implicit good with Ray, during oregon aft the hearing. 

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"How could you look maine successful the eyes and inquire maine if I'm competitive. Obviously I'm lasting successful beforehand of you warring for thing close now. I don't cognize what portion of that is not competitory to you. But if you privation to spell toe-to-toe past we tin spell toe-to-toe," Ray told Fox News Digital. 

Ray fired backmost successful the chamber, reiterating her constituent successful the aforesaid code she began with. But she had to marque an effort to support her composure.

"I, successful the moment, was trying to support professionalism, we're successful a nonrecreational environment. I was conscionable trying to beryllium respectful and courteous," she said. "But inside, I was fuming." Ray adjacent had to telephone her parents aft the hearing, to vent.

When Miranda initially began to code Ray, the legislator said, "I mean, you look beauteous healthy… You look precise overmuch successful signifier and strong." 

Ray didn't adjacent cognize what to marque of it.

"When she started saying those words, the lone happening I was reasoning is, ‘where could she perchance beryllium going with this?’ she said. "It was wide to maine arsenic she continued speaking that, for immoderate reason, my carnal quality oregon stature should person immoderate benignant of effect connected however competitory I americium with men. So I was decidedly thrown disconnected guard." 

Miranda and her bureau person not enactment retired a connection addressing the incidental oregon the backlash. Fox News Digital has reached retired to Miranda's bureau aggregate times for a response. 

"They usually tuck their tales and tally erstwhile they recognize that they person mislaid the crippled a small bit. I'm conscionable reminded that communal consciousness is not truthful communal here. And I'm not definite what connection she tin enactment retired that tin overgarment her successful a bully light," Ray said. "It was not a logical statement successful the slightest."

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During Miranda's response, she cited her ain acquisition competing with "men." 

"It's a sports mentality erstwhile you're increasing up and however overmuch contention that you'll instrumentality on. So it's not conscionable a metallic slug for 1 assemblage of sports players, it's the idiosyncratic individual connected however competitory you wanna be. So you grew up 1 way. I grew up a antithetic way. I would person taken connected a antheral successful a heartbeat. I've played in, I was the lone miss sometimes successful sports. But to person a antheral connected my team, I would person welcomed it," Miranda said.

At nary constituent successful Miranda's effect did she ever usage the connection "transgender" oregon adjacent "male" oregon "female." She simply referred to antheral opponents arsenic "men."

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According to a 2017 station successful Hispanic Engineer & Technology, Miranda antecedently spoke astir her acquisition playing sports with her brother. 

"Sports was my life. There were 4 girls and 1 lad successful my family. My member turned maine into his ‘little brother’ truthful helium could person idiosyncratic to play sports with. I was a 100% tomboy," and claimed she was the lone miss to play successful a section small league, the website reported.

Ray says she besides has had brothers and competed against them casually, but doesn't judge the acquisition is applicable to high-level sports, particularly astatine the Division I NCAA level.

"I person brothers too. I cognize what it's similar to turn up competing with boys. But astir the clip that puberty hit, determination was a drastic difference," Ray said. 

"I played volleyball from the clip I was eight, and successful precocious school, my brother, my older brother… my ma made him effort volleyball." 

Ray said she refused to adjacent signifier with her member and his antheral teammates astatine that level. 

"It was dangerous," she said. "It's silly that I had to explicate that to her."

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Ray said she would judge an apology if Miranda offers one. 

"I deliberation if she were to springiness maine a genuine apology I would judge it. Obviously, she comes from a spot of ignorance," Ray said. "I would decidedly request to spot immoderate enactment connected her extremity to amusement that she understands and that she recognizes truth, basal truth." 

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