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Comeback: Ready for another run, Boyd returns bulk of state finals roster
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By Andrew Snyder, asnyder@starlocalnews.com
A year after advancing to the state finals for the first time, the McKinney Boyd volleyball team is committed to returning.
The best season in the program’s six-year history came to a bittersweet end with a 3-1 loss to Coppell in the 2011 Class 5A Championship, but all the pieces are in place for a repeat appearance – and a new ending.
“The core we have is strong,” said Kelly Quinn, Boyd head coach. “We definitely have a shot at getting back there.”
The Lady Broncos have the talent to more than justify that ranking.
They return the majority of the players from their state tournament roster, as they lost only three who saw action against Coppell to graduation – Drew Darling, Ally Cobb and Brittany Phelan – and return eight, all of whom will be seniors.
“What made them special is the chemistry they created,” Quinn said about her graduated seniors.
The most significant of the returning talent is Arkansas commit Megan Mollett. The incoming senior had 27 kills in last year’s state finals to put the finishing touches on a productive season that earned her a place on the state all-tournament team and status as the District 10-5A MVP.
The Lady Broncos also return Kaley Seaber, Krista Bukovec, Brantlee Reid, Kelly Koop, Caitlyn Mills, Emma Meyer and Mackenzie Wells. Seaber, who was a team captain last year, and Mollett will be in their fourth year of varsity play. That duo, along with three-year varsity player Reed, will be looked to as team leaders.
That wealth of experience should help the Lady Broncos get up to speed quickly in the short span between the official start of practice (Aug. 6) and when matches begin (Aug. 13). Boyd will open with a four-team scrimmage Aug. 11 against area powers Lovejoy – which became the only Class 3A team to win four consecutive state titles last year – Frisco Liberty and Southlake Carroll.
The Lady Broncos’ first official match is 6 p.m. Aug. 14 at Lake Highlands. Their pre-district schedule includes appearances at the competitive Duncanville and Allen tournaments and closes with a match against Coppell.
From there, the Lady Broncos will be introduced to a new, but familiar, set of district opponents in Allen, Plano Senior, Plano East, Plano West and McKinney.
They shared a district with the Allen and Plano ISD schools when they become a 5A program four years ago and made the playoffs in their second season against them after struggling initially.
The Lady Broncos now return as the clear district favorite, though the level of competition should be a significant step up from what they faced in district the past two seasons. Boyd went a combined 27-1 against their former district rivals from Garland ISD and lost just one set during their 14-0 run last year.
“It should be more fun,” Quinn said. “District has been kind of a lull in the season for us the last two years, but now it's going to be a dog fight.”
A more difficult schedule could be just what the Lady Broncos need to prepare for what they hope is another lengthy season. Anything short of a state tournament appearance would be a step backward for them.
As the program stands right now, the only step forward is a state championship.
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