AISA CLASS A VOLLEYBALL: Macon East gets first championship since 2018

Macon East celebrates the 2025 Class A state volleyball championship at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

There was a stretch in early September where Macon East Academy lost three volleyball matches in the span of a week, spoiling an unbeaten start to the season.

“I don’t think there was a point that I ever doubted that we were good enough to win, but there was that moment where the three losses we had were back to back to back,” Macon East coach Codi Berry said. “We had a really bad week. We had to get back in the gym, try to recenter ourselves and since then we’ve been perfect.”

The perfect stretch continued through the Alabama Independent School Association state tournament, with Macon East sweeping South Choctaw 25-19, 25-22 and 25-15 to give the Knights the Class A state championship at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl on Tuesday afternoon.

The Knights won seven out of eight state championships between 2011-18 but haven’t won since then until Tuesday when Macon East (33-3) capped a 21-game winning streak with dominating performances in the quarterfinals and semifinals on Monday and the finals on Tuesday.

“We had no doubt,” senior Mollie Ross said. “We believed from the moment we stepped on the court we were going to win it all. From day one, we’ve connected with each other and bonded really, really well with each other. That’s the main part that leads to this.”

Ross is one of three seniors that led the Knights to their first state championship since 2018.

“This group of seniors that I have this year have been starters on the varsity team since they were eighth graders,” Berry said. “This environment, the speed of the game that we like to play and the competition that we like to play is nothing new to them. We’ve been very good the last several years, we’ve just been very young and a little bit of nerves.

“It’s due to all three of my seniors. Jamya (Powell) is an absolute powerhouse. There is no doubt in my mind that she is one of the best players in this state. Mollie is one of the most competitive girls I have on my team. She has so much grit and determination that she is not going to let anybody outhustle her. And Livi (Robinson) doesn’t get as much playing time as she deserves. She would be a starter on anybody else’s team. She is the biggest leader on the sideline for us and has never wavered on that for us. The way they lead this team makes my job so easy.”

The Knights sported shirts with the slogan “BTT” (Build The Temple).

“We’ve made it to the final four several times, made it to the championship game and couldn’t find a way to finish,” Berry explained. “We talked about building the temple for God and putting our team above our personal needs. I have more than six girls that can play (as starters). I have nine or 10 that I run on and off the court, so it was finding their role, learning what their role is and being able to accept that for us to be the best team we can be.”

Included on the all-tournament team were Gavin Spencer, Ross and Powell of Macon East, Mary Clara Floyd and Dixie Perry of South Choctaw, Abigail Chaviers of Coosa Valley and Emmy Lou Johnson of Abbeville Christian.