Frederick Douglass volleyball to resume play as school’s investigation continues.
Frederick Douglass High School’s varsity volleyball team will return to action this weekend with its scheduled trip to a tournament in Florida, but the status of at least two coaches remains uncertain as Fayette County Public Schools continues to investigate the circumstances that prompted the Broncos to forfeit two games last weekend.
Douglass school officials met with parents Wednesday afternoon to discuss steps to keep the team playing in the near term. But details of that meeting were not made public and the status of first-year head coach Christina Coleman and assistant coach Olivia Carter are unclear.
“The internal investigation is still going on,” Fayette County Public Schools spokeswoman Dia Davidson-Smith said. “We will give a full and complete statement when it wraps up. FCPS places a priority on student concerns and safety. We have taken all appropriate measures in this situation to ensure our student-athletes successfully continue their season. The current employment status of the coaches involved is a personnel matter, which we do not comment on.”
FCPS also would not elaborate on what personnel would be leading the team this weekend, but team parents confirmed two temporary coaches who are school system employees would be in charge on the trip to the Nike Tournament of Champions in Wesley Chapel, Fla.
School officials and parents have declined to say on the record what prompted the FCPS investigation. The Broncos defeated Tates Creek 3-1 on the road on Thursday. But by Saturday, an issue within the team boiled over.
The Broncos varsity team was a “no call, no show” at Montgomery County’s Dink Scott Memorial Tournament and its games there against Sayre and the host Indians on Saturday are recorded as forfeits (25-0, 25-0, 25-0).
Such forfeits are rare in KHSAA competition and especially so for a team ranked No. 10 in the latest Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association poll. The Broncos (2-3) were ranked No. 6 in preseason.
In the wake of that controversy, Davidson-Smith confirmed the school district was conducting an investigation into a team “issue” on Monday. Douglass’s freshman, junior varsity and varsity games against Paul Laurence Dunbar on Tuesday were postponed as that investigation continued.
Coleman, a longtime college coach and former head coach at Bryan Station more than a decade ago, was hired this year to take over a Douglass volleyball team that was upset in the 42nd District Tournament last season despite earning a 24-7 regular season record and top seed in the playoffs. She replaced Kate Topley, who led the Broncos to the 11th Region semifinals in 2021.
Coleman came to Douglass after head coaching stints at Kentucky State University, Georgetown College, Shaw University and Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. Prior to her college coaching career, she was head coach at Bryan Station in 2009 and 2010, leading the Defenders to consecutive district titles, according to KHSAA records.
