Summit High School's defense of its Class AAA volleyball state championship is over.
The Spartans fell 2-3 to Arlington on Thursday, Oct. 22, in a consolation semifinal at Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, ending their season. Set scores were 25-17, 20-25, 25-23, 18-25 and 15-6, according to TSSAA tournament results published by Tri-Cities Sports.
Summit entered the consolation bracket after a heartbreaking quarterfinal loss to Science Hill on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The Spartans won the first two sets 25-20 and 27-25 before the Hilltoppers rallied to take the final three 25-19, 25-21 and 16-14, as first reported by the Williamson Herald.
"We let three get away from us and got kind of complacent and flat to give them enough momentum to get back in it," Spartans coach Warne Riker told the Williamson Herald after the Science Hill match.
The Spartans bounced back Wednesday, Oct. 21, beating Collierville 3-1 with set scores of 23-25, 25-23, 25-15 and 25-20. But the Arlington loss the following morning ended any chance at a consolation finish.
Under this season's TSSAA Division I format, a quarterfinal loss eliminated any path back to the championship match. The best Summit could achieve was third place.
The Spartans had hoped for one more shot at rival Franklin, which beat Summit in four five-set matches during the season, including the District 10-AAA and Region 5-AAA finals, the Williamson Herald reported. Franklin went on to claim the Class AAA championship Friday, Oct. 23, sweeping Science Hill 25-19, 25-18 and 25-22 at Middle Tennessee State University.
Senior middle blocker Madison Spelta earned recognition beyond the court as well. Summit High School named her the Farm Bureau Insurance Athlete of the Week for her play during the Spartans' sectional win that punched their ticket to state.
The school described Spelta as "a solid middle blocker and leader at the net" during the sectional round. She also played a key role in the Science Hill match, delivering a kill and a solo block during an 11-5 Summit run in the second set, according to the Williamson Herald.
The state tournament marked only the second trip to the TSSAA volleyball state tournament in Summit program history. The Spartans won the title in their first appearance in 2025, beating Brentwood in the championship.
The season is over. But with Franklin's title Friday, a Williamson County team has now won the Class AAA championship three years running: Nolensville in 2024, Summit in 2025 and Franklin in 2026.
