So the bad news for me is that this seems to have everything to do with the Bluetooth Speaker Plugin ( Bluetooth Speaker Plugin - Plugins - Volumio ).
I have verified this on v3.198
I realize this probably leaves me beyond the reach of any kind of official support while using this plugin.
Are there other plugins that will enable connection to bluetooth speakers?
Is there an approved way to update /etc/asound.conf such that I can point pcm.volumioHw at bluealsa?