Lexington high school volleyball program under inquiry after pair of weekend forfeits

Jared Peck, Valarie Honeycutt Spears
·1 min read

The Frederick Douglass High School varsity volleyball team is the subject of an internal investigation by Fayette County Public Schools after the team forfeited a pair of games Saturday.

Fayette County Public Schools spokeswoman Dia Davidson-Smith confirmed school officials were looking into a team “issue” Monday.

“We are still investigating and gathering facts,” Davidson-Smith told the Herald-Leader on Monday morning. “We want to speak to all involved and get to the bottom of this issue. No rush to judgment, we are choosing a methodical approach to get correct answers and resolution.”

A coach at Sayre, one of Douglass’s scheduled opponents, confirmed the Broncos were a “no call, no show” for Saturday’s Dink Scott Memorial Tournament in Mount Sterling.

Ranked No. 6 in the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association’s preseason poll, Douglass is shown as a three-set loser (25-0, 25-0, 25-0) to Montgomery County on Saturday and as a forfeit to Sayre, according to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s website.

Frederick Douglass Athletic Director Jeremy Dulaney deferred to Davidson-Smith’s statement and didn’t comment further on the circumstances surrounding the forfeits.

Douglass volleyball head coach Christina Coleman, in her first season with the team, could not be reached for comment.

According to social media posts, Douglass’s freshman and junior varsity volleyball teams participated in weekend events.

The Broncos (2-1 this season before the forfeits) were scheduled to face defending 11th Region champion and last year’s state runner-up Paul Laurence Dunbar on Tuesday at Dunbar. That game has been canceled with no makeup yet scheduled.