By Patrick Yost
Staff

Morgan County High School Spike Dogs Coach Pam Hooten is optimistic.
With 18 wins versus five losses, with three of those losses coming at the hands of Oconee and Hart counties, the Spike Dogs are rolling toward the October 11 Area Tournament with high hopes.
Senior Rosalie Keck, the Spike Dogs "go-to girl" on offense, is playing well. Dynamo Rosa Cox is "vacuuming up every ball in the back row," Hooten says. Junior Olivia Keegan is complimenting Cox on the line and consistent play from sophomore Taylor Bruce, juniors Alana Stewart, Tori Young and Mikayla Taylor and senior Alyson Curry has the team playing as a dependable unit.
"We still have some things to work on but all in all we are playing fairly well," says Hooten. "Even in the matches we have lost, we have been competitive, the scores have been close." Morgan is currently tied in the area with North Oconee for third place. A spot in the state tournament, while not assured, is a solid bet.
But Hooten wants more and, she says, this team deserves more.
Somehow, she says, she has to make these girls believe.
"Because we are still a fairly new program we don't believe we can beat some of the established programs, like Oconee County and Hart County. We are working on changing that belief. We have just as much talent as those programs. Now we need to believe that we can beat them."
Morgan host East Jackson and Hart County at home on October 2, which will be the last home set for the Spike Dogs and Senior Night. Hooten has circled the Hart game as a barometer for the playoffs. Beat Hart, which is currently leading the area, and put the rest of the area on notice.
The Spike Dogs are still attempting to peak in mid-October, still working toward improvement leading into the Oct. 13 Area Tournament at Oconee County where a top two finish would bring the Spike Dogs back home to host a state tournament game. A third or fourth place finish will put the Dogs on the road.
October 2 action begins at 5 p.m. at Morgan County.

Printed in the September 27, 2012 edition