MORGAN COUNTY
Morgan County faced Hart County at home on Oct. 24 in the third round of the 2026 GHSA 3 AAA playoffs. The Spike Dogs swept Hart County 3-0 on Saturday afternoon to claim a spot in the Final Four.
With its recent playoff victory, Morgan County now heads to the LakePoint Sports Champions Center in Emerson to face Lafayette High School Oct. 28 in the semifinals.
Spike Dogs head coach Ryan Sarrett described advancing to the final four as an exciting opportunity, but said the semifinals are not his team’s goal. However, he added his players entered the season knowing a new region would mean greater challenges.
"[The Final Four] was definitely something we were looking to get to this year," Sarrett said. "[Going into the season] we knew we were a young team and that it was going to be more challenging; not everything's guaranteed, even with the success of the past, so I think it's very exciting."
The Spike Dogs' sweep began with tight competition, as they were trailing Hart County 18-10 in the middle of the first set. Morgan County ultimately pulled out of the eight-point deficit, winning the set 26-24.
"The first match was back and forth for the first 15 or 20 points, and Hart County went on a really strong run," Sarrett said. "We were finally able to get the ball back and just decided, 'It's the first set; it doesn't matter if you win or lose it. There's plenty of opportunities to win from this point forward.’”
Sarrett said his players made a few adjustments that allowed them to secure a 25-16 win in the second set and a 25-13 win in the third.
“My message to them after the first set was that they have been in that position before on the other side, and understand how it feels as a team,” Sarrett said. “[I told them] ‘We cannot let them back in this match becausewe're fighting for a chance to be in the Final Four. Use that knowledge of how it feels, feed off of it, and see how effective we can be if we just continue to attack.'"
Sarrett said his players then proved serving was a major strength in their performance in the Elite 8 matchup on Saturday afternoon.
“Our serving was fantastic and very aggressive,” he said. “We were able tokeep them out of the system a lot. They weren't able to get the ball to their two big hitters as often as they'd like, so serving definitely was a key point for us.”
Overall, Sarrett said that the Elite 8 sweep was a "complete team effort," with different athletes stepping up in different situations. Regarding the Oct. 28 match, he noted that he most looks forward to the "general experience,"as this is a new opportunity for several players on his team.
“Lafayette has a very strong outside, a really good middle, and strong defense. They're probably very similar to us and have a very balanced team and a lot of skill in different areas,” Sarrett said. “I think this will be a grudge match.”
He also called community support for his team “fantastic” and said everyone is excited about the opportunity ahead.
“We're just really looking forward to that time with them, going through this process again, accepting our successes, and continuing to push forward.”