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Southern Utah Volleyball Faces Multiple Investigations After Players Allege Abuse and Retaliation

Southern Utah is facing multiple investigations after 15 of 17 rostered players reportedly filed complaints alleging mental and physical abuse, NCAA activity violations and whistleblower retaliation.
Maren Angus|
Six student-athletes and two parents allege abuse and retaliation inside the Southern Utah volleyball program.
Six student-athletes and two parents allege abuse and retaliation inside the Southern Utah volleyball program. | SUU Athletics

Southern Utah volleyball coach Danielle Jensen is currently under investigation after 15 of the 17 rostered student-athletes filed complaints with administrators alleging mental and physical abuse, NCAA Countable Athletically Related Activities (CARA) violations, and retaliation against whistleblowers.

Six student-athletes and two parents spoke with Volleyball On SI on the condition of anonymity, citing concerns about potential retaliation. They provided copies of email communication with President Mindy Benson, Athletic Director Myndee Kay Larsen, Deputy Athletic Director and COO Todd Brown, Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities Michael Blake, and Title IX and civil rights investigators. 

The university is investigating complaints through multiple channels, as coaching abuse allegations are being handled through the Dean of Students Office, and another involving the civil rights investigators is ongoing, according to legal counsel for one of the student-athletes.

"Southern Utah University takes all reports concerning the safety and well-being of our students seriously," a university spokesperson told Volleyball On SI in an email late Monday night. "Upon receiving these concerns and the formal complaint, the University promptly initiated its review process and policies."

The Thunderbirds are currently 1-19 on the season and 0-10 in Big Sky Conference play. The program has a history of struggles and, other than a 9-8 record during the COVID-shortened season, has only had one winning season since moving to Division I in 2009.

Jensen is in her second season with the program after spending 10 years at Utah State University Eastern, where she had a 190-88 overall record. She also served as Assistant Athletic Director for External Operations at USU Eastern.

Players and Parents Raise Concerns With University Administrators

The complaints describe concerns about coaching conduct, student-athlete welfare, practice schedules, food access, academic support and the improper handling of reports made to university personnel.

In an email to Benson dated Sept. 5, 2026, one of the parents described “an increasingly difficult environment for the players.” 

The parent requested that university leaders meet with players individually or as a group and asked that concerns remain confidential until those meetings could take place. They also requested Jensen and assistant coach Camber Dodson be removed from their roles while the allegations were being reviewed, and suggested assistant coach Quintin Ward be named as the interim option.

“At this point, you and the Athletic Director are the only people within the athletic department whom the parents and players feel comfortable speaking with,” the email states. “These meetings need to remain confidential until you have had an opportunity to speak directly with the players and athletic trainer. The girls are genuinely afraid of retaliation from the coach.”

The email also alleged that the team had gone without a day off since Aug. 23, which directly violates NCAA Bylaw 17.1.5.4 that requires one calendar day off per week during playing season. 

University Acknowledges Complaints

After an email from a second parent reached Larsen’s inbox, the athletic director acknowledged that the concerns had been brought to her attention in an email dated Sept. 6, 2026.

“We are taking these claims seriously,” Larsen wrote, noting that the athletics department was working through “the proper reporting channels and campus resources” and that follow-up was occurring on the emails received.

Both parents requested an independent review of possible NCAA compliance and student-welfare issues, questioning practice-related activities described as voluntary, the accuracy of practice plans and itineraries, the lack of days off, travel day hours, and whether student-athletes reviewed and signed CARA logs.

A separate email from Parent 1 questioned the meals provided to the student-athletes and the disregard for the welfare of the team.

“On August 11, three players met with Todd Brown, the Deputy Director for Internal Operations to express their concerns about the lack of food support and the amount of time they were being required to participate in team activities,” the email said. “On the mornings of trips, the athletes are not consistently provided food or per diem money. There are periods during the day when the athletes go several hours without meals. No consistent pre-game nourishment is provided. Breakfast appears to consist of whatever free meal is available at the hotel, rather than a planned meal appropriate for student-athletes preparing to compete.”

“If the lack of meals, per diem, hotels, and other basic travel support is related to budget constraints, then I believe that needs to be considered when scheduling the number of competitions and travel commitment,” the email continues. “Athlete welfare should be prioritized when scheduling the season. If the available resources are not sufficient to provide student-athletes with basic needs such as regular meals, appropriate pre-game nutrition, adequate rest, required days off, and sufficient academic support, then perhaps the number of competitions and travel commitments should be reconsidered.”

On Sept. 7, 15 players met with Larsen and Brown as a group, expressing their own individual experiences, according to emails. 

The complaints reportedly included the team environment, athlete welfare, workloads and treatment by the coaching staff.

Players Describe Going Without Meals During Team Activities

Food and nutrition were recurring concerns with the student-athletes and their parents throughout interviews with Volleyball On SI.

Two players described going through “double-day practices” without meals in a call with Volleyball On SI, saying they had three hours of morning practice, an hour of weightlifting and another three hours of afternoon practice before receiving a meal.

In April 2014, the NCAA removed meal and snack restrictions on Division I athletes and allowed unlimited access to food “in an effort to meet the nutritional needs of all student-athletes.” Prior to the rule change, only scholarship athletes could receive three meals a day.

Player 1 said the team has raised the issue several times and sometimes has to ask the coaching staff directly for food.

“Sometimes we suffer in silence and just document it,” Player 1 said. “But other times, it’s like, ‘Hello, hey, can we get food?’”

A second player described long travel days without being fed.

“There's been multiple occasions where it's been nine hours where we're fed,” Player 2 said. “And we don't get money when we travel. There's been multiple occasions we wake up at three in the morning and we don't get fed until 11.”

Players Describe Punishment, Fear of Retaliation and Playing Through Injury

Three of the student-athletes on the call with Volleyball On SI expressed concerns about how the coaching staff responds to perceived violations of team rules.

Player 1 recalled the incident when the team had a seven-hour travel day without food. Before leaving the airport, three players bought a snack on their own but were two minutes late to the shuttle.

“They were already within the (area of the) shuttle and then we just walked up behind and we were punished for that the next practice for being late,” she said.

Player 2 confirmed the incident and said the punishment was running.

A third student-athlete on the call said she fears speaking up about her concerns because she doesn’t want to be treated like the others. She also knows that if she expresses her opinion about anything, then she will lose her spot on the court.

“I feel like I'm doing something wrong for having a different opinion,” said Player 3. “I just feel helpless”

Asked whether she had observed how Jensen and Dodson treat her teammates and if she feared being treated similarly, Player 3 agreed.

“Yeah, I've seen it this whole time and I would really not like to be in their position,” she said. 

A fourth player provided a written statement to Volleyball On SI and alleged that Jensen and Dodson forced her to play through a serious injury.

“One major thing being coach Jensen and coach Camber (Dodson) making me play when I had a torn muscle and I was forced to play in excruciating pain in fear of retaliation for my spot,” she wrote. 

Questions About the Scope of the Investigations

The complaints provided to Volleyball On SI have involved multiple university channels and the student-athletes have raised concerns about how they overlap.

In an Oct. 14 email, Player 2 contacted university investigator Brett Pruitt and questioned whether the investigator was considering the complaints raised by all of the players or just hers. 

Pruitt responded that he was investigating allegations under University Policy 5.27, while Blake was investigating allegations under Policy 12.3. He added that they had conducted interviews together for efficiency but were handling different policy processes.

Separately, Smith confirmed that another investigation into allegations of coaching abuse was underway through the university’s Dean of Students Office.

Player 2 told Volleyball On SI about the ongoing investigations and said the parties have five days to formally respond to the initial findings. The response period began Thursday, Oct. 22.

She expressed a lack of confidence in the university’s handling of the complaints and acknowledged that the process is not complete.

“Based on the initial findings of the investigation, we have zero faith that SUU will do the right thing. SUU has done very little to protect the student athletes throughout this process. The 15 athletes' independent concerns still haven’t been addressed, although we have been told a separate investigation is ongoing regarding those concerns,” she stated.

Alleged Disclosure of Private Investigation Information Raises Further Concerns

A separate concern was raised on Thursday when Player 2’s private information was allegedly shared with people who were not supposed to receive it.

In a text message to Volleyball On SI, a person familiar with Player 2’s investigation alleged that the student-athlete’s private medical and personal information might have been exposed.

Player 2 expressed her concerns regarding her personal information being shared with people it wasn’t intended for in an email to Smith, who assured her that he would send new interview requests to people involved in the alleged disclosure of the findings. 

"To protect the privacy and dignity of those involved and preserve the integrity of the process, the University cannot publicly discuss specific allegations or personnel matters while the investigation is still ongoing," the University stated. "The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority."

For now, the allegations remain allegations as the investigations remain ongoing. What remains unresolved is whether the university will address the concerns raised by the student-athletes and what steps, if any, will be taken in response.

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Maren Angus
MAREN ANGUS

Maren Angus was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets, including Softball America and ESPNW. She is currently the publisher of Softball On SI and Volleyball On SI.

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