Trophy Club Byron Nelson volleyball coach Brianne Barker-Groth made a powerful statement Tuesday night, saying, “I think this team might be a more complete team than 2019.”
That’s saying a lot.
Byron Nelson’s 2019 team won the Class 6A state title, finished 50-2, lost only one match to a Texas school all season and was No. 1 in the USA Today national rankings. All-American outside hitter Paige Flickinger was the Gatorade state player of the year and the MaxPreps national player of the year as a senior that year, and outside hitter Charitie Luper was named a first-team MaxPreps All-American.
Barker-Groth has good reason to be optimistic about this year’s team after Byron Nelson swept rival Keller 25-10, 25-14, 25-16 in a matchup of nationally ranked teams Tuesday to extend its winning streak to 26 matches. Washington pledge Kylie Kleckner had 15 kills, Rice pledge Ashlyn Seay added 14 kills, sophomore prodigy Sophee Peterson had 39 assists and Kaitlyn Francis recorded a team-high 14 digs as District 4-6A leader Byron Nelson (30-1, 12-0) completed a two-match sweep of second-place Keller (24-4, 11-2) and moved two matches ahead of Keller in the loss column.
How big was this matchup? Byron Nelson is ranked No. 1 in the area, state and nation, while Keller is No. 2 in the area, No. 4 in the state and No. 20 in the country.
Kleckner could follow in Flickinger’s footsteps, as she is on the watch list for the MaxPreps national player of the year award as a junior. Kleckner has 432 kills and is averaging 5.1 kills per set, and it’s difficult for the defense to focus on her, because Seay — also a junior — has 346 kills and is averaging 4.1 kills per set.
Byron Nelson vs. Keller wasn’t the only big match Tuesday. Argyle, ranked No. 4 in the state in Class 5A, beat No. 2 Colleyville Heritage 25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 25-23 as Colgate pledge Jordyn Moore had a triple-double with 12 kills, 20 digs and 22 assists, Harper Hurley and Delany Galligan had 11 kills apiece and Piper Mickenheim finished with a team-high 27 digs.
Argyle (31-5, 8-1) moved into first place in District 6-5A, a half-match ahead of Colleyville Heritage (28-6, 7-1). Argyle avenged a five-set loss to Colleyville Heritage on Sept. 20.
Plano Prestonwood Christian (29-2) is No. 4 in the MaxPreps national rankings and is on course to win its third straight TAPPS 6A state championship as national player of the year candidate Macaria Spears has 485 kills (6.1 per set), 63 blocks (most on the team) and 205 digs, Kansas pledge Taylor Cook has 798 assists and first-team all-state libero Gillian Pitts (committed to Houston) has 341 digs. Spears, a first-team All-American outside hitter, is committed to back-to-back NCAA champion Texas and is the No. 1 recruit in the state.
Defending 5A state champion Lovejoy (29-7, 10-0), winner of 10 state titles and ranked No. 16 in the nation, has won 13 in a row after beating Prosper Walnut Grove 25-16, 25-21, 25-23 for its fifth straight three-set sweep. Lovejoy leads District 9-5A by one match over Melissa, and they play next Tuesday at Lovejoy.
Other area-ranked teams with double-digit winning streaks are Hebron (11 in a row), Plano West (14 in a row), Wylie East (10 in a row), Frisco Wakeland (16 in a row) and Midlothian (10 in a row). Wakeland, ranked No. 5 in the area, plays at No. 6 Highland Park at 5:30 p.m. Friday, and Wakeland leads District 12-5A by one match over Highland Park going into that showdown.
Volleyball area rankings
Class 6A
Rk. Team, Record, Previous
1. Trophy Club Byron Nelson, 30-1 (last week No. 1)
2. Keller, 24-4 (LW 2)
3. Hebron, 29-6 (LW 3)
4. Plano West, 23-6 (LW 4)
5. Rockwall, 25-13 (LW 5)
6. Plano East, 27-8 (LW 6)
7. Southlake Carroll, 22-10 (LW 7)
8. Flower Mound, 20-14 (LW 8)
9. Wylie East, 29-7 (LW 9)
10. Wylie, 29-7 (LW 10)
Class 5A-others
Rk. Team, Record, Previous
1. Plano Prestonwood Christian, 29-2 (last week No. 1)
2. Lovejoy, 29-7 (LW 2)
3. Argyle, 31-5 (LW 6)
4. Colleyville Heritage, 28-6 (LW 3)
5. Frisco Wakeland, 26-5 (LW 4)
6. Highland Park, 26-9 (LW 5)
7. Melissa, 32-6 (LW 7)
8. Midlothian, 30-7 (LW 8)
9. Frisco Liberty, 24-7 (LW 9)
10. Argyle Liberty Christian, 27-7 (LW 10)
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