Pope focused on summer 'together' before title defense officially begins

Pope Greyhounds HC Erica Miller looks on as her players participate in summer workouts

When the 2025 Georgia High School Association volleyball season gets underway, the Pope Greyhounds will be in a familiar position as they will begin their title defense after claiming the 2024 Class 5A state championship last season, just two seasons after winning the 2022 6A state title.

"I think there's a humility around it. I think they were so pleased and proud of themselves to have done it again," Pope head coach, Erica Miller said when she spoke with Prep Sports Nations Daminon Lewis about the Greyhounds' summer workouts as they begin to lay the foundation for the upcoming season.

"And then you know when you role out a group of seniors and you are a new group coming in that it's time to start over," Miller added, explaining that while their may still be some lingering excitement from the 2024 title win, the focus for her players ramping up for their new season. "You really have to become the gas for the new machine," Miller said.

And like so many other volleyball teams across the state of Georgia and around the country, with the summer being an important club season for her players, part of the Pope approach early on this summer, is simply time spent together.

"We just have that fun energy of being together, being social and it's a good time," Miller said of the Greyhounds time together the first few weeks of summer workouts, which includes time strengthening themselves knowledge wise and physically with weight room workouts. "When they come in here, they come in with intention and they're focused," Miller said of her players' balancing of club season and time with one another for team workouts.

Pope will open up the 2025 season when they face the Kell Longhorns on August 7.