MORENCI — The Morenci varsity volleyball team starts the season hungry for more in year two under head coach Erin Ekins.
Ekins set out to change the culture and trajectory of the program during her first year, she sought to balance the fun and passion with the discipline and hard work the sport requires. The passion and discipline Ekins spoke of last year was evident before the season had ended with young athletes clamoring to get into open gyms as quickly as possible.
“We’ve put in the court and weight room time over the summer and are already seeing it carry over to the start of our season,” Ekins said of her team.
The Lady Bulldogs improved upon their 2024 record of 5-24-3 (3-9 TCC) to finish 2025 at 13-15-1 (4-8 TCC).
But maintaining that type of growth means replacing graduating production and the Bulldogs lost a lot of production from last year’s team. Lauryn Dominique had 556 assists last season while classmates Addyson Valentine and Emersyn Bachelder finished with 264 and 246 digs respectively.
The Lady Dawgs will look to replicate that production with a new crop of talent. “We expect our girls to keep improving,” Ekins said. “They are fighting for their starting spots and working hard to better our team and themselves.”
The loss of production also goes hand in hand with a certain loss of experience on the court together.
Senior Colbie Ekins (All Region, First Team All TCC) brings both experience and production back to the court for Morenci. She rarely left the court last season as evidenced by her 278 kills, 250 digs, and 55 blocks. And she will be looked to once again to be a leader in production as well as a glue piece for a new lineup.
She’ll be joined by classmates Emma Williams, Savanna Miles, Callie VanBrandt and Tessa Zuvers in what will be a senior-laden team.
Juniors Baylie Miller, Brielle Casey and Tavin Kruse along with sophomores Jordan Ekins and Layla Meyers will round out the team.
“We want to see the team’s trust continue to build,” Ekins explained. “We need to be able to take constructive criticism and build from it as coaches and athletes.”
The Bulldogs will look to get through the growing pains early in order to finish the season strong and accomplish their goals.
Coach Ekins put it simply: “Our team needs to get better every practice and grow together in experience and trust to help improve on our record from last year.”
Season begins: The varsity Bulldogs began the season with a strong showing at the Addison tournament on Saturday, Aug. 22. They picked up wins over Grass Lake and Reading, coming out of pool play ranked second before falling in the first game of bracket play.