High School Referee Says Volleyball Player Deliberately Hit Her in the Face | Riptide 2.0 | Miami | Miami New Times | The Leading Independent News Source in Miami, Florida
Navigation

High School Referee Says Volleyball Player Deliberately Hit Her in the Face

A student athlete at Westminster Christian School is accused of a very un-Christian like act. Olivia Harrington, who has been refereeing high school sports for more than a decade, claims a player deliberately spiked a ball in her face during a game late last month. Her nose was broken and face swollen...
Share this:

A student athlete at Westminster Christian School is accused of a very un-Christian like act. Olivia Harrington, who has been refereeing high school sports for more than a decade, claims a player deliberately spiked a ball in her face during a game late last month. Her nose was broken and face swollen after the incident. Police have not pressed charges, but two members of the coaching staff have been permanently removed.


"He chose to take that ball and turned and hit me in my face as hard as he could. He has a vicious look on his face," Harrington told WSVN.

Harrington infers that the senior player was upset his team was losing and at a foul she had previously called. The incident occurred late last month during a game at Coral Reef High School.

The student and his family, however, maintain the spiked ball was merely an accident and the incident occurred during game play.

Police have reviewed the video and concluded there's no way they can prove the student intentionality spiked the ball at Harrington's face, and will not press charges. However, Westminster, after conducting its own investigation, has decided to suspend the player for the remainder of the school year.

The head and assistant coaches of the program have been fired, and another coach has been suspended.

Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Miami New Times has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.