McKinney Boyd has now beaten Carrollton Hebron twice this season, both times in five sets, and the second one ended the Hawks' year.
The Broncos won 25-15, 25-17, 23-25, 19-25, 15-12 on Friday night at The Colony High School in the Class 6A Division I bi-district round, according to MaxPreps. Hebron, ranked 16th nationally by MaxPreps and the District 5-6A champion, came in at 35-7 with eight straight wins. Boyd, ranked 34th, is 29-7.
The first meeting, on Aug. 18 at Hebron, also went the distance and also went to Boyd.
How it turned
Boyd controlled the first two sets, holding Hebron to 15 and 17 points. The Hawks answered by taking the third 25-23 and the fourth 25-19, forcing a deciding set to 15. Boyd won it by three.
GM Sports Media's playoff preview had singled out Boyd-Hebron and Allen-Flower Mound as first-round matches pitting four nationally ranked teams against each other, with a combined record of 127-24 between them.
Plano East is next
Boyd plays Plano East on Monday in the area round. A time and site had not been posted as of Saturday morning.
The Panthers are 30-11 and finished second in District 7-6A at 11-3. They swept South Grand Prairie 25-17, 25-23, 25-13 on Thursday. The two programs have not played this season.
Boyd's résumé includes a 2-1 win over Allen at an Aug. 15 tournament, one of only two losses for the Eagles, who are 38-2 and ranked fifth nationally by MaxPreps. Allen beat Boyd twice in district play, 3-1 on Sept. 25 and 3-0 on Oct. 20. Boyd's other losses came against Wylie, Trophy Club Byron Nelson twice, Mansfield and Flower Mound.
Allen plays Plano West in the same bracket on Monday.
North's streak meets Centennial
McKinney North also has a Monday date, at 6:30 p.m. against Frisco Centennial in Class 5A Division I.
The Bulldogs are 24-6, went 16-0 in District 9-5A and have won 17 in a row since an Aug. 28 loss to Byron Nelson. They swept Texarkana Texas High 25-9, 25-11, 25-15 on Thursday.
Centennial, a District 11-5A co-champion, beat North Richland Hills Birdville 25-18, 21-25, 25-18, 25-15 on Friday at Coppell High and is 29-8. The Titans and Bulldogs have not met this season.
North did see another remaining playoff team early in its streak. The Bulldogs beat Eagle Mountain, a 34-7 team from Fort Worth, in five sets Aug. 29. Eagle Mountain also advanced this week.
District rival Celina is still alive in Division II and plays Frisco Memorial on Monday. North swept the Bobcats in both district meetings.
