Stephen F. Austin State University, which was sued under Title IX last July after announcing plans to eliminate its beach volleyball program, now faces a retaliation suit from two players cut from the reinstated team.
Plaintiffs Ryann Allison and Brynn Dowd allege the school’s “abrupt” April decision to remove them from the roster was reprisal for Allison’s role as one of seven named plaintiffs in the underlying Title IX class action and for Dowd’s outspoken support of the litigation and close friendship with Allison. They contend the university has violated both Title IX’s anti-retaliation provisions and their First Amendment rights.
The new lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, focuses solely on alleged retaliation that followed last summer’s lawsuit. It names Stephen F. Austin, the University of Texas System and head beach volleyball coach Gretchen Hand as co-defendants. Hand was hired in August 2025 after a federal court granted a preliminary injunction requiring the school to preserve beach volleyball along with bowling and golf—two other women’s sports slated for elimination.
SFA and Hand did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
