McKinney Boyd has already beaten Allen once this season. The Broncos will need to do it again Tuesday night to reach the state volleyball tournament.
Boyd (31-7) meets Allen (40-2) in the Class 6A Division I Region I final at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, according to pairings published by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
McKinney North plays Highland Park in the 5A Division I regional final in the same building at 7:30 p.m., so both McKinney ISD programs still alive will be one win from state on the same night.
Three meetings, one Boyd win
The Broncos' win over Allen came in August. Boyd won a tournament match 2-1 on Aug. 15, one of only two losses on Allen's record, according to the Eagles' MaxPreps schedule. Duncanville handed Allen the other on Aug. 29.
District 6-6A play went the other way. Allen won 3-1 at home on Sept. 25 and 3-0 at Boyd on Oct. 20, and the Eagles finished 12-0 in the district. Boyd was second at 10-2, with both losses coming against Allen.
Allen has not lost since the Duncanville match and carries an 18-match winning streak into Tuesday, MaxPreps reported. MaxPreps ranks Allen first in Texas and fourth nationally, with Boyd fourth in the state and 24th nationally.
Boyd's route to Garland
Boyd's playoff run started with its hardest match. The Broncos beat Hebron 3-2 in the bi-district round on Oct. 30, winning the first two sets 25-15 and 25-17, losing the next two and taking the fifth 15-12. The Hawks had pushed Allen to five sets in August.
The area round was quicker. Boyd swept Plano East 25-13, 25-16, 25-22 on Nov. 2.
In Friday's regional semifinal at Coppell High School, Byron Nelson won the first set 25-23 before Boyd took the next three 25-19, 25-19, 25-18. The win was Boyd's fourth straight, according to MaxPreps.
Allen's path has looked similar on the scoreboard. The Eagles dropped the first set to Flower Mound before winning in four, then swept Plano West and V.R. Eaton.
