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Thompson returned to the top of Class 7A, Area 6 by learning from its previous matches against Oak Mountain and Hoover to beat both for the area title, leaving the Warriors dreaming big about their title chances. (For the Reporter/Jason Homan)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

HOOVER – The Thompson Warriors knew going into the Class 7A, Area 6 Tournament on Thursday, Oct. 16 that they would likely have to face the Oak Mountain Eagles and Hoover Buccaneers on their way to a title.

By Thompson coach Judy Green’s own admission, those were their two worst performances of area play.

“It just was really good teaching moments for us, like we had to get better at blocking,” Green said. “And at that point in time, we were not. But we were still, we beat Oak Mountain on the road, terrible blocking match for us. We lose to Hoover in five, a little bit better but not great. But now we’re better. And our defense and our block are synced together.”

Everything looked in sync for Thompson in a pair of big results, first a 3-0 sweep of Oak Mountain to reach the super regionals and then a 3-1 match at Hoover that the Warriors had to fight hard in but largely controlled.

That progress against those two opponents almost means more than the actual area title for Green.

“To be honest with you, what feels the best is to see how hard our team has worked since we lost Hoover at home, and they showed us what we needed to be better at,” Green said. “And we went back to work, and we have improved a great deal since that particular match, and I’m really proud of our team.”

The two teams exchanged blows to start, and neither team won consecutive points through the first five points. That changed when Thompson took a 4-3 lead off a Jayla Green kill followed by an Oak Mountain hitting error.

The Eagles tied up the set two more times in the next three points, but they couldn’t get in front. Thompson took advantage with a lengthy run and grew the lead to 16-8 to extract both timeouts from Oak Mountain.

The Eagles found more success out of the second timeout and kept the Warriors from quickly ending the set. However, a service error led to a Maddy Henderson ace and a 23-13 lead, the first double-digit lead of the match.

Thompson needed three set points to seal the deal thanks to two errors, but Meriweather put away the 25-16 win with a kill to give the Warriors the 1-0 lead.

The teams traded the first six points before Oak Mountain grabbed a 5-3 lead. However, Thompson bounced back with a 3-0 run for the 6-5 lead. The two teams engaged in another stalemate before the Warriors pulled away again, just like the first set.

Only this time, it started with a 13-8 lead off two aces from Riley Lingo and then grew to 21-9 before long with another run of five-straight points. In all, Thompson went on a 14-2 run to take command of the set with 12-point lead.

The Eagles showed signs of life late with three of the final seven points, including a Betsy Smith ace. However, a service error from Oak Mountain set up the Ada Hasenbein kill on set point, and Thompson grabbed the 25-12 second-set win.

The Warriors looked to have the momentum early with a 3-1 lead before Oak Mountain had one of its best runs of the match. Two blocks made up a 4-0 run to put the Eagles in front 5-4, and it kicked off the most competitive stretch of the match.

The teams traded the lead in the middle of the set as they struggled for a foothold in the match. Oak Mountain ended up separating itself with a 3-0 run off a service error, giving the Eagles a 13-10 lead and triggering Thompson’s first timeout of the match.

Oak Mountain remained in front for the next stretch, but Kenzly Foote pushed the Warriors closer with an ace, and she got another one to put Thompson in front 16-15.

The Warriors were threatened multiple times, including at a 21-21 tie going into a timeout. Oak Mountain got an ace from Caroline Spence out of the timeout, but a Henderson kill into a Jayla green block put Thompson up 23-22.

The Eagles tied it up one last time before Lingo and Jayla Green kills sealed the 25-23 win and a sweep.

It set up a tight battle as usual with Hoover for the area title.

After the teams split the first 10 points, Thompson went up 8-5 with a 3-0 run and led for the vast majority of the set. However, service errors prevented the Warriors from pulling away, and that proved costly down the stretch.

Hoover cut the gap to 19-18 with a block to force a Thompson timeout, and the Bucs would take the 21-20 lead out of the timeout. While Lingo got a kill to tie it back at 22-22, Hoover won three of the next four points, including a borderline kill call on set point, to steal the 25-23 set win.

The teams traded runs to open the second set, first with Thompson up 4-2, then with Hoover in front 7-4. The Warriors then rallied again to take a 12-10 lead off a 7-0 run, using a Meriweather and Jayla Green block to tie before Henderson got the lead with an ace.

Hoover would then come back to take a 15-14 lead, causing the momentum to trade hands once again. After the lead became 19-18, Thompson pushed back in front and took the lead off a Foote ace. Henderson then got a kill to lead to a 22-19 Thompson lead and a Hoover timeout.

That effectively sealed the set as the Warriors went on to win 25-23 to even the match at 1-1.

Once again, the teams split the first 10 points, but this time, the Bucs used a service error to take an 8-5 lead going into a timeout. Soon enough though, Jayla Green tied the set at 9-9, and Thompson went up on the ensuing point.

The Warriors led the rest of the set, pulling away to a 15-10 lead off back-to-back Henderson kills.

Hoover could only get within two the rest of the way, and with Thompson up 21-19, the Warriors won four of the next five points. Jayla Green was clutch down the stretch with three kills in four points, and Henderson wrapped up the 25-20 set win with a kill.

Now up 2-1 in the match, Thompson reeled off a 5-1 run to start the set, but the Bucs did likewise to tie it at 6-6. While the Warriors retook the 8-6 lead, Hoover immediately went on a 5-1 run to regain control.

However, Thompson showed its resiliency and came back. The Warriors went on a 4-0 run to take a 16-15 lead, and after giving up the 18-16 lead off a block, Green called timeout. The stoppage worked, and Thompson won the next six points to go up 22-18.

The 6-0 run decided the game going into the final stretch, where the Warriors took the final two points for the 25-20 fourth-set win and the area title.

After the match, Green said her team is as locked in as it’s been this season and took its area tournament prep very seriously this week. She credits that laser-like focus and a strong bond with the area title.

“This team is, I don’t want to use the word special, because I don’t want to jinx us, but I will tell you this, that it is a team that truly loves each other and it is a team that will go to war for each other every single day,” Green said. “This past week of practice was our best week of practice we’ve had since June. Our preparation was so good and so on point, but that’s because they still want to get better. And how fun is that to be at the end of your season, and you’re still that hungry to get better?”

Now, the road continues for Thompson as it will face the Vestavia Hills Rebels on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 10:15 a.m. at the Finley Center in Hoover for the first round of the North Super Regionals. A win would put Thompson back in the state tournament after a year out of the playoffs.

After rising to overcome their area opponents and battling a tough schedule, Green’s confidence is as high as ever going into the Sweet 16.

“Honestly, I just looked at the team and said, ‘Why not us?’” Green said. “’The only thing that’s going to stop us is us.’”

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