We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured Vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Halle Thompson.
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After 10 years in competitive cheer, Halle Thompson was ready for a change. As she said, “there are only so many levels and I needed something else to do. Volleyball just happened to be there.”
Thompson – a 6-0, 5-star outside from the Class of 2026 – wasn’t totally unfamiliar with the sport. Her older sister, Fallon, was getting into her recruiting years when Thompson began playing around 11 years old. Fallon is currently at Gonzaga and Thompson has fond memories of watching her sister growing up.
“I was at all of her tournaments doing flips on the sidelines,” Thompson said. “I was her biggest cheerleader. I loved watching her. I did developmental (volleyball) for a month or two then I made the top 11s team. One of my biggest reasons for playing was watching my sister all those years and watching her team and her progress. I didn’t think about playing in college for volleyball until these past two or three years.”
One thing Thompson – who has a twin brother, Cullen, – didn’t anticipate is how much of an escape volleyball would offer and how much she would embrace it. Beyond the competitiveness the sport offers and the camaraderie it brings, she never thought it would provide her with so much joy.
“I think what drew me into volleyball is the amount of serotonin it brings me,” Thompson said. “Whenever I’m down or in a sluggish mood, if I played volleyball, or practiced or was just in the backyard with my sister it was such a distraction from anything I was thinking about. Most of all, it’s so fun. It’s literally the only thing I do really. I really enjoy it and meeting new people and creating the relationships out of state. It’s super exciting.”
Along with her pure athleticism, Thompson has been experiencing a recent run of success in both club and high school. Playing with Hou Skyline 15 Royal last summer, the team captured the 15 Open bronze medal at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships.
“It was kind of a new team last year and I was proud of how we finished against teams that had been together since they were 12,” she said. “To finish third was a better outcome than I thought at the beginning of the season. That was amazing. I was stoked for that.”
That led her into her sophomore season at Grand Oaks. The program had never been past the second round of the state playoffs, but with two additional 5-star recruits in the mix in senior middle Jaela Auguste (Florida) and junior outside Samara Coleman (Pitt) the expectations were high. Grand Oaks suffered what turned out to be its only loss of the season to Prestonwood Christian in the semifinals of Volleypalooza in August.
From there, Thompson and company ran off 24 consecutive victories. It included winning 60 straight sets at one point until dropping the second frame against Sachse in the regional semifinals.
“It was definitely an unspoken pressure,” Thompson said. “We wouldn’t bring up the rankings or how we haven’t lost a set. You could feel the pressure building and we hadn’t dropped a set until Sasche. Losing that set it was a humungous pressure lifted off our shoulders and it prepared us for our next matches.”
The state championship season was in peril, however, after Grand Oaks fell behind two sets to none in the state semis against Prosper. It featured losing the second set 25-12.
“We got kicked in the face and we needed to wake up,” Thompson said. “We had never gone to five sets and it was super nerve-wracking knowing we had to take it to five when it mattered the most. We had 11 graduating seniors and even though I was younger, as a six-rotation outside I knew I had a leadership role. The wheels were coming loose and so I brought out the screwdriver and started turning the screws back on. That we pulled that out I still can’t believe it happened to this day. At that point, no one was stopping us. I can’t believe it to this second. Winning state was surreal.”
Thompson finished the season with a team-leading 525 kills, averaging 4.1 per set. She was also first in aces, third in digs and fourth in blocks. Since then, she’s turned her focus to club, where she’s suiting up for Hou Skyline 16 Royal. The group recently finished 11th at the Triple Crown NIT.
“This season has been trial and error,” Thompson said. “We added a new libero and middle. Both Blaire (Thiebaud) and Lacy (Tinnell) got hurt and they were out. Triple Crown was our first competition with everyone back. We finished in the same place last year at Triple Crown. It’s not the outcome we wanted but it’s good to know we are not peaking too early. I would rather get 11th here than at nationals.”
As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Thompson about volleyball and more.
Who is a role model or someone you look up to?
Thompson: I love this question. My role model is definitely my sister. She’s a constant source of inspiration. She’s guided me through a lot of things. Her resilience and facing challenges. She had an injury right before her recruiting season. She moved clubs. Her resilience and unwavering support and encouragement taught me so many valuable lessons that I don’t think anyone else could have taught me. She’s far away right now going to Gonzaga so that’s hard but spring break is coming up.
If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would you do and why?
Thompson: If I had a chance to do anything for the day I think I would try to go to as many countries as I could in one day, if that’s even possible. I love traveling and learning about new cultures, trying new foods and meeting new people. I love learning about all wakes of life and exploring places that are unfamiliar to me. It’s not just about having fun, it’s also gaining a deeper understanding and traveling is a great way of doing so.
Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why?
Thompson: I think the skill I would most like to learn would be surfing. I always thought that would be fun to learn even though I don’t live by the water. Surfing seems like such a cool thing being out on the wave and being so free. It looks hard balancing on a board in the water with sharks, which is such a scary thing. It would be such an adrenaline rush and I thrive off that, so I think surfing or something like that would be really cool.
Do you have any volleyball superstitions or rituals and if so what?
Thompson: Yes, I do have volleyball superstitions. I have little ones here and there but the one that’s most do or die for me is I always wear my hair in a high ponytail or in a bun for games. It makes me feel like it brings me luck, plus it’s also muscle memory. I’m the type that when I stick to a routine that’s when I thrive. I wake up and do my hair and get ready to go play, it’s going to definitely be a high ponytail or the bun.
Aside from basic necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without?
Thompson: One thing I can’t go a day without and it’s a cliché answer but it would be my family. They bring me so much joy and support into my life. Their presence and love for me is what makes each day meaningful for me and I know I couldn’t do anything without them.
What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile?
Thompson: Obviously playing volleyball instantly makes my day better. There is something about the game that instantly lifts my spirit and energizes me. I love the thrill of competition and having fun with my teammates. Just the overall joy that comes from all the hard work from the team and the coaches and seeing that hard work payoff is such a fulfilling feeling. It makes me so happy. If I’m having a bad day it instantly makes me feel better.
What’s one of your favorite ways to have fun?
Thompson: One of my favorite ways of having fun is spending time with friends and family. Whether it’s going out shopping or doing new things or trying new activities. I would totally go skydiving. I love adrenaline rushes and trying new things. Or sharing a meal with my family and laughing and having good conversation. Those moments are always the best.
Outside of volleyball what are you most passionate about and why?
Thompson: I was talking about it earlier outside of volleyball, but the outdoors and being outside traveling. I love being somewhere I’m not familiar with. I feel the most connected then if that makes sense. It also grounds me. I cherish those opportunities when I get to go explore and get to appreciate the brightness of the world. When we go to a qualifier or go out of town for whatever reasons, I love going to these new places. My family went to Mexico last summer and it was so much fun. I loved it. I wish I could be there right now it was such an amazing experience. Traveling is such an eye-opening time.
What is one thing that may surprise people about you?
Thompson: One thing that may surprise people about me is that I have a twin brother. He’s a big guy. He is 6-5. He comes to all my games. He is my biggest supporter and I love him to death. He plays football. He’s not just my sibling. Yes, we have are arguments sure, but he’s my built-in best friend. I shared a womb with him and came into the world with him.
If you could live anywhere you wanted, where would it be and why?
Thompson: It would definitely be somewhere in Europe. I would most likely pick Italy. It has everything that I love. It has amazing food. Amazing sites. Beautiful landscapes. The stuff you see in movies.
What’s your favorite food or foods?
Thompson: I used to be such a picky eater but recently I’m trying whatever. When it comes to my favorite food or food, it’s anything my dad makes. He has the touch when it comes to food. Anything he cooks whether it’s Mississippi pot roast or pasta, literally anything he makes it is amazing.
What’s your favorite number and why?
Thompson: My favorite number is number 8. It’s my jersey number. When I started volleyball No. 8 was my sister’s number. Number 8 was also my mom’s number. They have obviously passed the torch onto me. It’s also my favorite number because it’s a lucky number. There are so many things about it. I was born on the 16th, and half of that is 8. I was also born in 2008. It’s just my favorite number.
