The Morgan County volleyball team returns to a familiar spot in the postseason after beating Pike County on Tuesday.
The No. 1 seed Spike Dogs (31-12) easily defeated the No. 8 Lady Pirates in straight sets, moving on to the Final Four round of the Class AA state playoffs. This marks their fourth semifinal appearance in six years.
Morgan County has faced tough times this season, with players missing matches due to injury or sickness, so head coach Alan Shultz is very proud of his team for persevering and reaching the Final Four once again.
“One main identity we’ve pinned on them is that they’re hard to kill,” Shultz said. “They don’t go down easy.”
The Spike Dogs began their quest to defend their state championship at home against the No. 32 Salem on Oct. 14. They dominated the Lady Seminoles, winning in straight sets to advance to the second round.
Morgan County faced a much tougher opponent in No. 17 Union County on Oct. 18. The Spike Dogs lost a set to the Lady Panthers but won the match 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Shultz was glad his team was challenged in the second round by Union County.
“Our second-round match against Union County was the one that we felt like was going to be the toughest in our quarter bracket, and that proved to be the case,” he said. “The way the seeding worked out, we thought they were a much better team than their seed indicated in the tournament, and that proved to be true.”
Morgan County’s match against Pike County was seamless. The Spike Dogs had already beaten the Lady Pirates 2-0 earlier this season during region play and performed well again, securing their spot in the Final Four.
Next up, Morgan County will face No. 5 Savannah Arts Academy, the team it beat 3-0 last season to win the state championship. The Lady Panthers (18-28) will be looking for revenge after the loss in the title match.
“We’ve already been watching film on them,” Shultz said of the Savannah Arts Academy. “We played them in the championship last year and won. They’re a good team, but we like the way we match up against them.”
Regardless of the outcome, Shultz hopes the Lady Panthers know that they will get his team’s best.
“At the end of the match, the other team definitely knows that they’ve played us,” he said. “Our girls just don’t go away. They just keep working and don’t go away easily. So I’m proud of them for that. They’re just a really resilient bunch. We’ve had to battle through a lot of injuries and illnesses this season, missing several starters at various times. They just keep pushing through it and working hard, and it’s been fun to watch.”
Morgan County will host the Savannah Arts Academy on Saturday. The winner will face No. 6 Ringgold or No. 7 Franklin County in the state championship match at LakePoint Sports Complex in Cartersville on Oct. 30.