McGill-Toolen played Bob Jones twice earlier this season, falling both times.

“They got us really good, and I think that motivated our kids to work harder,” Dirty Dozen coach Kate Wood said.

The third time was the charm, as the Dirty Dozen (46-18) earned a 22-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-19 victory Thursday in the Class 7A championship game at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham. McGill-Toolen (51-8) earned its 23nd state volleyball title and won back-to-back titles for the first time since 2017-2018.

The Dirty Dozen has now won the 7A championship in four of the last seven seven seasons.

Bob Jones, meanwhile, fell to McGill-Toolen in the championship match 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.”

Tense moment: As part of the AHSAA’s post-game protocol, Wood accepted the Blue Map trophy and then presented it to the team when they ran onto the floor.

Wood wisely handed the trophy to a player and quickly escaped the scrum.

“I told them, ‘Chill out, chill out!” she said.

Everyone escaped the celebration without injury.

Stat sheet: McGill-Toolen –Tournament MVP Paris McQuirter finished with 20 kills, while Chelsea Daffin added 16 kills and Emma Moore had 13 kills for McGill. Laura Boykin dished out 25 assists and had seven digs, and Mamie Fromdahl had 23 assists and eight digs. Juliet Galla tallied a team-high 26 digs. … Bob Jones – Kennedy Vaughn tallied 16 kills and eight digs, while Rachel Mecklenburg and Anabelle Arnold added eight kills each. Meg Jarrett had 21 digs.

Coachspeak: “We want to knock you out. Bob Jones is the same way. They want to knock you out. We were expecting to go five sets.” – Wood

“They were able to be in system a little more and be a little more aggressive. We were constantly playing defense instead of offense, which is hard.” – Jarrett

Did you know? Bob Jones lost three times all season, and all of three teams that defeated the Patriots – McGill-Toolen (7A), Mountain Brook (6A) and Montgomery Catholic (4A) – won state titles.

They said it …: “In volleyball, the last point doesn’t have to affect the next one. If we play our game, they can’t stop us.” – Galla, explaining how the Dirty Dozen rebounded from the one-set deficit.

“We fell a little short, but it’s something to be proud of.” – Mecklenburg, when asked to reflect on the Patriots’ season

“They were telling me, ‘You can jump high, they can’t stop you.’ That kind of like pumped me up.” – McQuirter, talking about her teammates’ ability to inspire her

All-Tournament Team: Rachel Mecklenburg and Kennedy Vaughn, Bob Jones; Emma Moore, Chelsea Daffin and Juliet Galla, McGill-Toolen; MVP – Paris McQuirter, McGill-Toolen