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Bucking the trend: Lady Broncos avoid sweep, score comeback win at Plano
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
On the brink of an 0-2 start to District 10-5A play, the McKinney Boyd volleyball team rekindled the form that had them ranked among the state's elite not too long ago.
And fittingly enough, the Lady Broncos (1-1) did so against a Plano Senior (1-1) team currently ranked among the state's elite, rallying to defeat the Lady Wildcats, 3-2 (20-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-16, 15-11), Tuesday night.
"I'm so proud of this team," said Kelly Quinn, Boyd head coach. "I'm sick and my head's throbbing, but it's definitely worth it right now."
Opening up a 4-1 advantage behind one of 14 kills by Plano junior Kiley Long, the Lady Wildcats yielded four of the next five points to Boyd, tying the count at 5-5 behind a kill from senior Megan Mollett.
A Plano attack error gave the Lady Broncos a 6-5 lead and from that point forward, Boyd never looked back and led during all but one point -- a 1-0 Plano start to the fourth set -- for the rest of the evening.
"In the middle of the second game, we were down and took a timeout," Quinn said. 'I don't know if it was that point but somewhere around there, we just started playing as a team and I said they had to fight for each other."
The Lady Broncos converted on 30 kills while committing just 14 errors over the final three sets, compared to the 21 kills and 25 errors that haunted Plano down the stretch.
It led to a fifth set that saw Boyd lead from the onset behind a kill from senior Krista Bukovec and expand that lead to as many as 13-8 after a point from junior Lauren Petrisin.
Two Boyd errors and a kill by Plano junior Natalie Fazio closed that gap to 13-11, but as had become customary during the Lady Bronco rally, errors did Plano in. Such was the case in the match's final point when an attack by junior Aubrey Davis careened into the net to complete the Boyd comeback.
"Without going back and looking over the film, I'm not sure where the breakdown was," said Terri Minnis, Plano head coach. "I think we got a little tight and we can't do that."
That appeared anything but the case early on, with the Lady Wildcats racing out to a 2-0 start by scuttling the Boyd hitters to 15 kills through two games.
Plano responded with a well-versed attack that saw Long (14 total kills), senior Samantha Seal (11), senior Madison Morrell (8) and Fazio (7) each post multiple kills in the first two sets.
"We were relaxed and knew what to expect from the other side of the net," Minnis said. "We were executing the game plan and then came the third set and I'm not really sure what happened."
Boyd persistently feasted Mollett on the Lady Wildcat defense, only to be dealt mixed results in the process with five kills in the first set and one in the second.
Despite still finishing with a match-high 15 kills, Mollett got the requisite backup from her supporting cast to aid in Boyd's comeback, with Petrisin, Bukovec and senior Kelly Koop each adding eight kills on the night.
"That's a true characteristic of a strong team," Quinn said. "When one player is down, someone else steps up. I don't think Megan was off tonight; we just need to work on our connections between her and the setters."
The win helped erase a sour taste left in the Lady Broncos' mouth after being swept by Plano West last Friday and created a chance to improve above .500 Friday at 6 p.m. against Allen.
"I think morale was down a bit after [the West loss]," Quinn said. "I think there was a turning point tonight and we were able to turn around and fight for this match. It was very exciting."
Plano, meanwhile, will look to right the ship in a road tilt at Plano East a 7 p.m.
"We haven't had a match like this since we played Southlake early," Minnis said. "It's good for them because we're going to have battles like this the rest of the way.
"I think they learned a bit about themselves tonight."
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