  Strain, magnetization, and unpolarized and polarized neutron diffraction
measurements were performed to study the magnetic and structural properties of
spinel CoV$_{2}$O$_{4}$. Magnetostriction measurements indicate that a subtle
distortion of the crystal along the direction of magnetization, $\Delta L/L
\sim 10^{-4}$, exists and varies from elongation to contraction in a second
order fashion upon cooling. Unpolarized and polarized single-crystal neutron
experiments indicate that upon cooling the ferrimagnetic structure changes from
collinear to noncollinear at $T \sim 90$ K, where the elongation of the crystal
is maximized. These results imply the existence of an orbital glassy state in
the nearly metallic frustrated magnet CoV$_{2}$O$_{4}$.
