BIRMINGHAM – Thompson Warriors Volleyball finished an incredible season to be named the 2026 Alabama High School Athletic Association's (AHSAA) 2026 State Runner Up.
Two top-five teams per al.com’s volleyball rankings faced off in a 6A blue map chase to kick off Wednesday action at the AHSAA State Volleyball Championships at Bill Harris Arena on the west side of Birmingham. Both teams were starving for a title, having been in the backseat of state championships recently. Bob Jones was state runner-up from 2023-2025 before falling in the Elite Eight last year. Thompson tasted that status in the 7A finals last year, losing to McGill-Toolen in the finals. Wednesday’s action lived up to the determination exhibited by both teams.
The Patriots took the first set 25-14 with great defense with 17 digs and the Warriors having 20 attack errors in 39 attempts. Early in the second set, Bob Jones was down 3-5 before an 11-7 run vaulted them to capture it 25-16 and give themselves a lead of 2-0. “I was telling everyone after the first and second sets, it was zero to zero. We have something to prove, and they want it just as bad as us,” said senior setter, Brooklynn Morgan.
The Warriors lived up to that thought process with a furious rally even after an early 6-1 Patriot lead in the third set. Thompson countered with an energetic but steady climb as the aggressive attacks that weren’t falling in the first two sets began to find the line. The Warriors took a fingernail-biting third set, 25-23. The momentum gained turned into a tsunami for Thompson in the fourth, as they skyrocketed to a 21-6 lead on their way to a 25-14 win to tie the match at 2-2. Thompson Coach Judy Green said, “I am proud of our fight, and I am proud of us being able to calm ourselves down after they came at us like a freight train.” Senior Kaci Armistead added, “This is a team that wasn’t just happy to be here. We keep coming back, and we are going to try and figure it out.”
Thompson had traveled these roads before as recently as the area championship against Spain Park. In that match, the Warriors were down 2-0 and 18-23 in the third before somehow surviving and thriving to win it in a reverse sweep. “We were made for moments like this and thriving in the chaos,” said Maddy Henderson, a senior playing in her final match. For Bob Jones, they were not about to accept another runner-up trophy either. “Four times in the last five years, we have been in this moment, and we just haven’t been able to finish the job. We were going to finish,” said head coach Jenny Jarrett.
And that is exactly what the Patriots did. A strong start was keyed by strong kills and blocks at the net by sophomore Genie Brown. Then, as Thompson mounted yet another mini-comeback, a key moment evolved. And it came down to a defensive play by Morgan, who somehow dug the ball barely above the floor for a save off a powerful kill attempt, and the subsequent point soon after for the Patriots. From there, The Patriots marched to a 15-10 final-set win to take their first state championship since 2013. “It doesn’t feel real yet. I am so grateful that I got to be a part of this,” said the sophomore, Brown.
For Thompson, it was a difficult task. They had already beaten Bob Jones twice in this calendar year, most recently at the North Super Regionals last week, 3-1. The charm of three times was not meant to be. “Everyone left it all on the court, and we leave here with no regrets,” said Morgan. The Warriors finish the season 31-9, while Bob Jones ends the runner-up drama with the blue map and a 38-12 mark.