It was a Raiders versus Raiders matchup in the 2025 Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class 6A Volleyball State Championship. The reigning state champion Alpharetta Raiders (38-1 overall record) sought to defend their title and earn a three-peat, but the Raiders of Walton High School (27-6) were ready to unseat the champions and reclaim the crown.
Alpharetta, the top-ranked team in the state, entered the tournament final with a 32-match win streak. Walton, however, had been battle-tested throughout the bracket and was unbothered by state rankings. Walton had knocked off second-ranked Buford in straight sets in the quarterfinals. Then, in an impressive show of will in the semifinals, Walton rallied back from a 0-2 match deficit to pull off the upset of fourth-ranked North Forsyth.
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With that recent history in mind, Walton was unfazed when they dropped the first set to Alpharetta 25-16 in the finals. Walton’s first-year coach, Ashley Jones, calmly gathered her team after that first set and reminded them that the match was far from over. Walton evened the match with a second-set 25-23 nail-biter. In the third, Walton dominated 25-21, giving the Raiders of Walton a 2-1 set lead. They needed just one more set in the best-of-five match to claim the title. In the fourth, Alpharetta regained momentum early and seemed to have taken control. However, down several points, the girls from Walton wouldn’t fold.
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“There was never any doubt,” Coach Jones said with a wry smile later. “We knew we had it the entire time.”
With that kind of confidence, Walton stormed back, tying the score late. With the fourth set extended on points, Walton eventually sealed a 27-25 set win and a 3-1 match victory. The court rush and celebration unleashed in full force. It was Walton’s first volleyball state title since 2021, but it is the 16th championship in the school’s history.
“Walton has a strong tradition of having powerful players,” Coach Jones said proudly. “This is incredibly special. We said from practice number one that this was our year to win it all. To give these seniors, who haven’t experienced a championship and have been with the program for four years, to give them this win in their last season, that’s super special.”
Walton’s championship match featured several outstanding performances. Sophomore outside hitter Addison Contestabile led the team with 15 kills. Senior right-side hitter Simone Searles added 12 kills. Senior libero Ella Cobb was credited with 22 digs, and junior middle blocker Scarlett Holden led the team with six blocks. The Championship MVP Award went to sophomore setter Janie Myers, who assisted on 32 kills and had 11 digs of her own.
“I’m just so proud of all of us,” Myers said with the MVP medal hanging around her neck amid the post-match celebration. “I didn’t do this all by myself. This is such a special group of girls. This feels awesome.”
