MORENCI — The Morenci varsity volleyball team entered the 2025 season with a new coach and a goal of changing the culture of the program.
Head coach Erin Ekins didn’t have to wait long for her squad to demonstrate they truly wanted a different season from years past.
The Lady Bulldogs opened up competition at the Addison Invitational on Aug. 23. “We absolutely dominated the tournament,” Ekins recalled.
“We went into that one not knowing what to expect,” she said. “After our first win I just felt this calm knowing that we were about to do something pretty fun that day.”
Ekins’ inclination was spot on and Morenci went on to win the tournament.
They had regular-season wins over league foes Sand Creek and Britton Deerfield and had a strong showing at the Onsted Tournament. But their performance at the Lenawee County Tournament in mid October turned some heads.
“We were up on Tecumseh,” Ekins said — a D2 state-ranked team. “We led by as much as eight. All three courts in the gym had turned to watch that set and teams that normally wouldn’t cheer for us, said that they were cheering us on. We ended up losing that set 26-24, but that really showed the county the potential we have in us.”
The Lady Dawgs finished the regular season with a 13-14-1 record, improving on a 5-24-3 season from the previous year.
Senior Lauryn Dominique had 556 assists on the season. “Lauryn hit a milestone that some setters don’t see in their whole varsity career,” Ekins said.
“When Lauryn hit 250 it was big,” she said. “When we realized that she could really go over 500 it was very exciting.”
Ekins noted the intelligence and athleticism of her group as well as their aggressive presence on the net. Dominique “has several people on the court at all times that she can set and potentially earn that assist,” the coach said.
Another top contributor was junior Colbie Ekins, who had 278 kills, 250 digs, and 55 blocks. Senior Addyson Valentine finished the regular season with 264 digs and classmate Emersyn Bachelder came in with 246 digs.
“All four of these girls rarely ever left the court,” the coach said of her team leaders.
Morenci will start postseason play on Nov. 5 at Lenawee Christian School. And despite having games left to play this season, it’s clear the younger players have no inclination to wait to get better.
“I have girls asking when open gyms will open up this winter and our season hasn’t even ended,” Ekins said.
The Lady Bulldogs almost hit the .500 mark for the season this year, a feat Ekins said is a great motivator to want a winning season next year.
“The work is never done. We grow during the offseason, and both the team and I need to put in the time to keep this forward momentum,” she said. “We’ll be going into next year wanting more.”