McKinney North's volleyball team kept a long winning streak intact and booked a regional final date with a familiar metro name.
The Bulldogs swept Dallas Wilson 25-15, 25-14, 25-23 on Friday in a Class 5A Division I regional semifinal, according to the MaxPreps box score. North improved to 26-6. Wilson finished 26-14. MaxPreps' recap put North's winning streak at 19 matches after the win and listed Highland Park as Monday's regional final opponent.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's regional pairings had placed the Wilson match at Richardson Pearce High School at 7 p.m. Friday. North treated the night like a team that has stopped negotiating early sets. The first two frames ended 25-15 and 25-14. The third tightened to 25-23 before the Bulldogs closed it, per MaxPreps.
A sweep with one late test
Straight-set wins can hide uneven nights. This one did not hide much until the third set. Wilson finally stayed within striking distance at 23, forcing North to finish a match it had controlled from the first rotation.
MaxPreps credited North with 46 kills, nine serving aces, 58 digs and five total blocks in the team summary - a balanced line that matches a roster winning by serving pressure and first-ball kills rather than by surviving long rallies alone.
Nineteen straight wins is the context that traveled into Friday. Streaks end when a playoff opponent steals a set and changes the gym's temperature. Wilson never got that set. The Wildcats' season ended at 26-14 after a year that still reached the regional semis.
Highland Park on Monday
MaxPreps lists Highland Park next on Monday. The Scots were also in the Star-Telegram's 5A Division I regional semifinal bracket Friday against Liberty Hill, so Monday's regional final pairs two programs that had to win a third-round match to keep playing. Exact Scots details will firm up with the bracket update; the date on North's calendar is already clear.
