Following a successful 2025 campaign that included a second-straight Class AA state championship, the Morgan County volleyball team had several players named to the All-Area team for their performances on the court.
The Spike Dogs had nine players named to the All-Area team and one who also earned an individual award.
Senior setter Abby Dennard was named the Area Player of the Year on top of being an All-State selection.
Morgan County head coach Alan Shultz said he was proud of Dennard and her accomplishments.
“Abby had a great season and definitely earned the Player of the Year award,” Schultz said. “Last year, she was a setter in a 5/1 offense, which made her a full-time setter. This year, we ran a 6/2 offense, which puts two setters in the rotation. This allowed her to spend half her time as a hitter, and she posted impressive numbers. Abby tallied 359 kills last season, averaging almost four per set. She was also one of our key leaders.”
Dennard, seniors Camryn Scherer, Natalie Phillips, and Mari Johnson, as well as sophomores Graycen Cawthon and Brayden Burke, were named to the All-Area first team. Senior Riley Mitchell and freshman Mallory Davidson were selected for the second team. Also, junior Hailey Floyd was named to the honorable mention list.
Shultz was highly impressed with each of his players who earned postseason recognition.
“I could not be more proud of the team,” he said. “We set goals of winning the region and winning state, but they understood that we were going to have to work really hard for it. They never looked ahead and did a great job of taking it one game at a time.
“We probably weren’t good enough to win (a championship) at the beginning of the season, but the goal was to be playing our best ball at the end, and I definitely think we did that,” Schultz added. “Our senior leadership did a great job of setting the standard for everyone.”
Morgan County finished the season with a 33-12 overall record, an area championship, and its second-straight state title. The Spike Dogs defeated Ringgold 3-1 on Oct. 30 in the championship match at Cartersville.
“I was very proud of (the girls) and excited for them,” Shultz told the Lake Oconee News after the Spike Dogs won the state title.“Like we’ve talked about this season, winning that state championship was a goal of ours, but I didn’t want the girls to be judged on success or failure based solely on whether they won that championship.
“So, it was big for them to achieve what they set out to do,” he said. “The season certainly would not have been a flop had we lost in the finals, but it definitely feels a lot better being the champions.”
Morgan County has now won three state championships in four years. The Spike Dogs won their first-ever title in 2022 under former head coach Kathleen Goodwin, who retired in the offseason, as Shultz replaced her.
The team will graduate five seniors — Dennard, Mitchell, Scherer, Johnson, and Phillips — but returns a wealth of talent and a core nucleus of Burke, Cawthon, Floyd, and Davidson, among others, next season.
Shultz said he’s excited about where the program is heading.
“The future looks bright,” he said this week. “We’re losing five very good seniors, but we still have a lot of talent in the program. We will have a much younger team next year, but it will be an experienced team.”