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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

The Thompson Warriors put a capper on the regular season with a pair of victories over the course of a 12-hour span as they downed the Chelsea Hornets and Arab Knights.

Thompson swept Chelsea on the road on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at Chelsea High School, and the day after in front of droves of their fans, the Warriors defeated Arab on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at Warrior Arena.

Thompson started off the week by traveling to Chelsea after earning runner-up honors at the Battle for Old Shell road.

The Warriors got the upper hand in the first set and pushed themselves to the early lead away from home. Thompson went on to win the opening frame by a score of 25-19 and grabbed a 1-0 lead in the matchup.

Chelsea then made the second set a closer affair by challenging the Warriors for the lead throughout. The Hornets got close in the final stretch, but Thompson finished the job to keep its hold on the match.

The Warriors won the second set in 25-21 fashion to increase their lead in the match to 2-0.

Needing just one set win to capture the match, Thompson took advantage of its opportunity and put together its best set of the evening. The Warriors pulled away against Chelsea and used their third-set effort to finish off the victory.

Thompson earned the 3-0 sweep with a 25-16 win in the third set, setting the stage for the next day’s match against Arab.

Playing in front of droves of their classmates in the middle of the school day, the Warriors overcame a good fight from the visiting Knights in the first set. Thompson grabbed the upper hand in the opening frame and used a 25-20 win to take the 1-0 lead in the match.

That paved the way for a dominant performance in the second set. The Warriors raced ahead to a double-digit lead in the second set and made short work of Arab. Thompson took the 25-14 win to put itself one set win away from sealing the match.

However, the Knights had other ideas.

With its back against the wall, Arab surged back in the third set and took the fight to the Warriors. In the end, the Knights grabbed a 25-21 third-set win to keep the match alive and take it to a fourth set.

Faced with adversity though, Thompson brushed it off and powered through for a commanding fourth-set win. The Warriors used another double-digit lead to keep Arab at bay and seal the match win.

Thompson’s 25-15 win in the fourth set gave it the 3-1 victory in its final home match of the season.

The Warriors improved to 25-11 to finish out the regular season. Thompson will battle for a spot in super regionals at the Class 7A, Area 6 tournament at Hoover High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. The Warriors will face the Oak Mountain Eagles in the second semifinal matchup at approximately 5:30 p.m.