Morgan County’s volleyball team celebrated its 2025 state championship season with a ring ceremony on May 8 in the school’s auditorium.
The Spike Dogs finished the 2025 campaign with a 33-12 record, securing their second consecutive GHSA 2AA state title and third championship in four years.
Head coach Alan Shultz reflected on the ceremony and the championship season, noting his players’ consistent commitment to excellence throughout the year.
“It’s just meaningful because we feel like the program has not only been able to reach high achievements, but we’ve been able to sustain it,” Shultz said. “It meant a lot to me getting to see all of the girls, and what they’ve done once they’ve gotten to high school after I coached them in middle school.”
Shultz said the Spike Dogs’ 2024 championship team featured several key leaders from a senior class that set the standard for the program. He added that this year’s seniors were motivated to leave their mark on the program.
“They really wanted to leave their own legacy because that previous senior class was kind of the most heralded group we’d ever had,” Shultz said. “There were a lot of people who thought there wasn’t any chance of winning a championship after those girls left, and this group was determined and deserves all the credit because they really went after it.”
The 2025-2026 roster included five graduating seniors: Abby Dennard, Camryn Scherer, Natalie Phillips, E’mariona Johnson, and Riley Mitchell. Scherer and Dennard both began their high school careers during the 2022 state championship season, adding a third ring to their collections.
“Abby and Camryn were the last two girls to come through the program that started at the old middle school and started with me as sixth graders,” Shultz said. “Riley started with me as a seventh grader, and E’mariona didn’t start playing until she was an eighth grader, and Natalie moved here from another state. It’s a really special group.”
With the school year ending, Shultz is stepping away from the program, and current middle school coach Ryan Sarrett will take over. Shultz said one of his biggest takeaways from his return to the program has been watching his players grow on and off the court.
“They’ve matured in their volleyball play, but also between the years, and it’s just nice to see how we’ve built this program in the county,” Shultz said. “It really kind of runs itself, and even at the middle school, by the time these girls were eighth graders, they set the example for the sixth and seventh graders.”
Shultz said the 2025 title run was fueled by belief and steady improvement throughout the season.
“This year, the girls just really wanted it really bad; they felt like we still had a really good team and had the pieces to go out there and win another championship,” Shultz said. “It was always a goal for us all season, but we tried not to just look at that one goal and tried to take it a step at a time.”