Bob Jones ends season as runner-up in state volleyball championship for second consecutive season
BY JOSH BEAN | For the AHSAA
BIRMINGHAM – McGill-Toolen Catholic High School repeated as the Class 7A state volleyball champion, beating Bob Jones 22-25, 25-22,25-17, 25-19 on Thursday at the 53rd AHSAA Elite 8 State Volleyball Championships at Bill Harris Arena at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
McGill-Toolen (46-8), which lost to Bob Jones twice earlier this season, captured its 23rd state title in AHSAA history and earned back-to-back titles for the first time since 2017-2018.
The Dirty Dozen put its resiliency on display again in Thursday’s championship match, dropping the first set before sweeping the next three.
Bob Jones (54-3), meanwhile, fell to McGill-Toolen in the championship round for the second straight season.
“It’s a tough one,” Bob Jones coach Jenny Jarrett said. “We were in the same spot last year, and we were just happy to be here. This year, we felt like we had what it took. We were just a little off. It’s a little hard to swallow.”
Tournament MVP Paris McQuirter led the Dirty Dozen with 20 kills, while Chelsea Daffin added 16 kills and Emma Moore had 13 kills. Laura Boykin dished out 25 assists and had seven digs, and Mamie Fromdahl had 23 assists and eight digs. Libero Juliet Galla tallied a team-high 26 digs.
For Bob Jones, Kennedy Vaughn led the Patriots with 16 kills and eight digs, while Rachel Mecklenburg and Anabelle Arnold added eight kills apiece. Meg Jarrett had 21 digs, and Riley Lovell had 19 assists, seven digs and two service aces.
CLASS 7A ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Paris McQuirter, McGill-Toolen (MVP); Emma Moore, McGill-Toolen; Chelsea Daffi, McGill-Toolen; and Juliet Galla, McGill-Toolen; Rachel Mecklenburg, Bob Jones; and Kennedy Vaughn, Bob Jones.
