Bishop Gorman setter Trinity Thompson on verge of Nevada career assists record

Bishop Gorman girls volleyball coach Gregg Nunley recalls overhearing a conversation between setter Trinity Thompson, then a freshman, and another person.

He can’t remember who Thompson was talking to or when exactly it happened, but Nunley said what he heard made him realize he had his next starting setter.

“She said something to somebody like, ‘My name is Trinity and I set the ball fast,’’’ Nunley said. “I just started laughing. That’s the kind of confidence that wins state championships. We got to go with this kid.”

Thompson, now a senior, has left her mark at Gorman. The Gaels are the two-time defending Class 5A state champion and are favored to win their third straight state title this year.

The 5A Southern Region playoffs begin Monday. Gorman (28-8), the Desert League’s No. 1 seed, hosts Centennial, the No. 4 seed from the Mountain League, in a region quarterfinal at 6 p.m.

Thompson, a Pitt commit, is on the verge of setting the state record for career assists. She has 4,166 and is 47 away from breaking the current record of 4,212, set by Durango’s Amy Schlauder (2000 to 2003).

Nunley said he knew Thompson had a chance to break the record before the season. He started to bring it up to Thompson a few weeks ago after outside hitter Ayanna Watson set the state record for career kills.

“I had no idea that there was even an assist record. I had no clue about any of the state records,” Thompson said. “I don’t even know where they are at. Then my mom showed me and Ayanna (Watson’s) mom showed me and that’s pretty cool.”

‘Do my job well’

When Thompson joined the Gaels varsity team as a freshman, she had her older sister Tatum, a junior then, on the team to help her out.

Trinity Thompson split playing time with another setter her freshman year. She still had 732 assists to help the Gaels reach the 5A state semifinals. Nunley said early it was a “trial by fire” to get Thompson ready mentally to run the offense.

“A (Division I) setter, they’ve got to be able to make decisions on the fly,” Nunley said. “Look to see what’s going on on the other side of the court, know what’s going on on our side of the court and make decisions that are going to put your team in the best position to win.”

Thompson recorded 1,132 assists as a sophomore to win her first 5A state title. She followed it up with 1,216 assists last year to help the Gaels claim another championship.

“My main mindset is just to stay calm,” Thompson said. “I think it’s really important in pressure situations to stay calm, and I think that my team feels like I’m the constant when we play, which is good because I’m not going to be the player that’s going to be in their head all the time. That also helps me do my job well and know who to set and just have the emotional intelligence to do it.”

‘Something special’

Nunley said he lets Thompson call her own sets on the court. She’s in charge of running Gorman’s offense, which has a plethora of talented outside hitters.

“It’s something special. It takes a special kid,” Nunley said. “You’ve got to be on the varsity level for four years and then you’ve got to be playing with a caliber of teammates that can help you get those kinds of records. It’s a special season.”

Nunley said before every year, he tells each team they “owe it” to the program’s former players to play up to the standard they set. He said when he gives that speech next year, Thompson will be one of the players he’s thinking of.

“It would mean the world because it would really be the icing on the cake to end a great four-year run,” Thompson said. “My freshman year, we lost in the state semifinals and that was really heartbreaking. We started to win, sophomore and junior years won state. If we were to win our senior year, that would just be great.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X