Morgan County volleyball is officially underway for the 2026 season after opening the year against East Jackson on Aug. 6.
The Spike Dogs entered the season with high expectations after winning back-to-back state championships, but this year’s team looks much different with a young roster and just two seniors.
First-year head coach Ryan Sarrett said the team is still finding its footing, but he has been encouraged by the progress he’s seen over the first few weeks.
“The start’s been a little rocky, but they are showing a lot of success on our good games and just showed some immaturity in our bad games,” Sarrett said. “There’s definitely been a lot of positive growth in the last two weeks, so we’re just working on minimizing the gaps and inconsistencies.”
Morgan County is currently 3-4 overall, picking up a 3-0 home victory over Loganville Christian Academy and earning tournament wins over McDonough and Westlake.
Despite the early ups and downs, Sarrett has seen several of his younger players step into leadership roles, including junior Graycen Cawthon and sophomores Miley Stewart and Mallory Davidson.
“Cawthon has done a really, really good job of just running our offense and controlling the tempo of the game,” Sarrett said. “We’ve had really good success from our young players, with Stewart and Davidson. They’re contributing a lot on offense and just doing everything we ask them to do, so it’s been fun to watch.”
Morgan County also returned to Region 8-3A as part of the new GHSA 2026-28 reclassification cycle. The move brings several familiar opponents back onto the schedule, including Franklin County, Elbert County and Hebron Christian.
The Spike Dogs know the region will provide plenty of competition throughout the season.
“There’s three or four teams [in our region] that could come out and really compete for it,” Sarrett said. “We can’t look beyond any of our regional matches and just assume that the outcome is going to be what we think it should be. We’re going to have to show up and play.”
Through the early portion of the season, Sarrett said Morgan County has done a good job of keeping opponents off balance. With a young and undersized roster, the Spike Dogs have focused on learning the finer details of the game and making adjustments when opportunities arise.
“We’re able to control the game sometimes just with our serving, making sure the players on the other side of the net who could really do some damage to us aren’t able to touch the ball as much as they’d like,” Sarrett said. “We’re very young, we’re undersized, and I think we’re working on really understanding how the game works and different ways to take advantage of it.”
That approach has shaped Sarrett’s philosophy for the season.
Rather than focusing solely on results, he wants his team to continue challenging itself against strong competition and be ready when the postseason arrives.
“My philosophy for this year is to play the biggest and best schools in the surrounding area, and just to continue competing and finding ways to win,” Sarrett said.
With the season still in its early stages, the Spike Dogs will have plenty of opportunities to grow before the region schedule and playoffs take center stage. For Sarrett, the top priority is ensuring his young team is prepared for the challenges ahead.
“If we’re growing and competing, I think that’s been my biggest focus for this year, and just going into or preparing for the playoffs,” Sarrett said. “I want to make sure that they’re just prepared to dig deep and be okay with losing a point and finding a different way to score every time they’re given an opportunity.”