ALABASTER – The Thompson Warriors hosted their annual South of Town Showdown tournament on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Warrior Arena and finished out with a 4-1 record.
Thompson defeated the Tuscaloosa County Wildcats, Chilton County Tigers, James Clemens Jets and Gardendale Rockets ahead of a loss to the Enterprise Wildcats.
The Warriors started out with a sweep of Tuscaloosa County. Thompson started the match in control and finished off the opening set well to win by a score of 25-17. Afterwards, the Warriors closed out the sweep with a second-set win in 25-16 fashion.
Jayla Green had 10 kills and five digs while Maddy Henderson earned four kills, 15 assists and three aces. Kori Bond finished with eight digs and Kaci Armistead earned six digs.
Thompson then commanded another straight-set win against Chilton County. The Warriors started off strong and secured the first-set win by a score of 25-16. That set the stage for a dominant performance in the second set as the hosts cruised to a 25-6 win to sweep the match.
Henderson and Green each had six kills in the win, with Henderson adding nine assists and two aces. Madilyn Fox also had nine assists. Armistead secured eight digs, with seven going to Breanna Castille and five to Bond to go with her two aces.
Thompson then took on a Class 6A test in James Clemens. The Warriors carried the momentum from their first two wins of the day into a double-digit victory. Thompson's 25-14 win in the first set positioned the hosts well for the rest of the match, and the Warriors polished off their third-straight win with a 25-17 second-set victory.
Green finished with eight kills and seven digs while Riley Lingo had seven kills, four digs and three aces. Henderson secured 14 assists, six digs, five aces and four kills. Armistead had nine digs, and Fox earned eight assists.
Thompson's final victory of the day also came in straight sets against Gardendale. The Warriors set the tone for the match with a double-digit win in the first set, securing the win by a score of 25-11. Thompson followed that up with a 25-16 win in the second set to earn its fourth-straight win.
Henderson and Lingo each finished with seven kills and four digs while Green had five kills and four digs. Henderson added in nine assists to go with Fox's eight, and Armistead secured seven digs and three aces. Brielle Merriweather dominated up front with five total blocks, including three solo blocks.
Thompson's tournament ended against another Class 6A foe in Enterprise.
The Warriors did start out well with a 25-18 win over the Wildcats in the first set. However, Enterprise emphatically responded with a 25-16 set win to even up the match. The two teams went down to the wire in the third set, and Thompson had a chance to send it to extra points.
The Wildcats then finished out match point to win 15-13 to take the 2-1 victory.
Green racked up 10 kills and five digs while Henderson had nine kills, 13 digs, 11 assists and a pair of aces. Armistead earned 17 digs, five assists and two aces, Fox finished with 12 assists, Lingo had five kills, five digs and two aces and Ava Roberson secured four kills. Bond also had six digs.
Thompson moved to 11-4 ahead of a matchup with the Hewitt-Trussville Huskies. The two sides will clash on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. at Hewitt-Trussville High School.
