Trophy Club Byron Nelson closed the regular season with 30 consecutive wins after going 16-0 in District 4-6A and dropping just two sets in district play. The 34-1 team, ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps, will be 4-6A’s top seed in the Class 6A Division II playoff bracket and will open the postseason against Weatherford at 6 p.m. next Tuesday at Byron Nelson.
Washington pledge Kylie Kleckner could be a candidate for the Gatorade state player of the year award after finishing the regular season with a team-high 495 kills and averaging 5.2 kills per set. Sophomore Sophee Peterson led Byron Nelson in assists (1,227) and blocks (61) for a team that hasn’t lost since Aug. 16 against Highland Park.
Keller (27-4, 14-2), ranked No. 20 in the nation, was the 4-6A runner-up and will be the district’s top seed in the Division I bracket. Three of Keller’s losses were to nationally ranked teams — two to Byron Nelson and one to Plano Prestonwood Christian.
Hebron (33-6, 14-0), ranked No. 3 in the area, won District 5-6A by two matches over Flower Mound, and both schools will be in the Division II bracket. Flower Mound will play 6-6A champion Plano West (25-7, 15-1) in the opening round, while Hebron will await the winner of Friday’s tiebreaker match between Prosper and McKinney Boyd.
The 5-6A vs. 6-6A first-round playoff matches in Division I will have 6-6A runner-up Plano East playing Lewisville and Allen facing Coppell.
The other area-ranked 6A team that will be in the Division I bracket is No. 5 Rockwall, which was undefeated in District 10-6A. No. 7 Southlake Carroll and No. 10 Wylie East will be in Division II.
Plano Prestonwood Christian (32-2) moved up to No. 3 in this week’s MaxPreps national rankings and is joined in the top 20 by defending Class 5A state champion Lovejoy, which is No. 16.
District 9-5A champion Lovejoy (33-7, 14-0) has won 17 in a row and will be in the 5A Division II playoff bracket along with area-ranked Argyle, Frisco Wakeland and Frisco Liberty.
Melissa, which finished second to Lovejoy in 9-5A and is No. 9 in the area, will be in Division I with area-ranked Colleyville Heritage, Highland Park, Midlothian and McKinney North.
Volleyball area rankings
Class 6A
Rk. Team, Record, Previous
1. Trophy Club Byron Nelson, 34-1 (last week No. 1)
2. Keller, 27-4 (LW 2)
3. Hebron, 33-6 (LW 3)
4. Plano West, 25-7 (LW 4)
5. Rockwall, 29-13 (LW 5)
6. Plano East, 31-8 (LW 6)
7. Southlake Carroll, 25-10 (LW 7)
8. Allen, 27-12 (LW 8)
9. Flower Mound, 23-15 (LW 9)
10. Wylie East, 32-7 (LW 10)
Class 5A-others
Rk. Team, Record, Previous
1. Plano Prestonwood Christian, 32-2 (last week No. 1)
2. Lovejoy, 33-7 (LW 2)
3. Argyle, 34-5 (LW 3)
4. Colleyville Heritage, 32-6 (LW 4)
5. Highland Park, 30-9 (LW 5)
6. Frisco Wakeland, 29-6 (LW 6)
7. Midlothian, 32-7 (LW 8)
8. Frisco Liberty, 26-7 (LW 9)
9. Melissa, 34-8 (LW 7)
10. McKinney North, 23-10 (LW, NR)
Dropped out: No. 10 Argyle Liberty Christian
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