The Boyd High volleyball team has used last year's disappointment as its motivation to improve this season. It certainly has paid off, as the team is No. 14 in the Xcellent 25.
Photo courtesy of Boyd volleyball
Walking off the volleyball court for the last time in 2010, the girls from
Boyd (McKinney, Texas) were hit with that hollow, tugging pit-in-your-stomach feeling. The finality of what occurred evoked tears, along with the nagging frustration that a chance to do something special was lost.
The "Lady Broncs" had just been defeated in the regional semifinals by The Woodlands, the eventual Texas 5A state runner-up. It was like dying to the Boyd volleyball team. All the commitment, time spent honing their skills, all wiped away. It was a feeling they silently vowed to one another, looking through teary eyes, that they didn't want again.
The Lady Broncs have carried that powerful motivating tool into this season. It explains why they achieved something no other team from Boyd, which has existed for six years, has done before by reaching the Texas 5A state semifinals. Boyd, 44-6 this season, will play Cypress Falls Friday at 5 p.m. at Texas State University's Strahan Coliseum, with San Antonio Johnson and Coppell in the other best-of-five semifinal match at 7 p.m.
Texas 5A girls volleyball brackets
Coach Kelly Quinn has Boyd one winaway from the Texas 5A state final.
Photo courtesy of Boyd volleyball
Boyd coach Kelly Quinn had an idea back in August that this was all possible. Her galvanizing moment came in a one-week span during a match with Texas powerhouse Carroll (Southlake, Texas). The Dragons swept Boyd 3-0 on Aug. 13, and then Quinn saw her team stay with Carroll in a 2-1 loss on Aug. 20. The following week, the Lady Broncs placed fifth out of 84 teams invited to the Pearland Tournament, which included Boyd's victory over fellow state semifinalist Johnson.
"We got creamed the first time we played Carroll," Quinn said. "The second time, we got a game against them, and I can say in a week's time I saw that much of a jump. I really credit the chemistry and drive of these girls as a key factor. I think the girls saw that in the second Carroll match. They actually could compete with the best. But they needed to see that. Our coaching staff believed more in these girls early this season than they believed in themselves. After the second Carroll match, it wasn't our best match, but it was a match where we figured out who we are and how good we could be."
Boyd has done it with a fairly undersized team. The Lady Broncs don't possess that one intimidating force. What they have is a team of grinders that work the ball, are fundamentally sound and rarely make mistakes. The pieces complement each other well. At their core are seniors
Ally Cobb, team captain
Drew Darling,
Brittany Phelan,
Maddie Burleson, and juniors
Kelly Koop,
Krista Bukovec,
Emma Meyer,
Kaley Seaber,
Brantlee Reid and 5-foot-9 rising star
Megan Mollett.
"We aren't huge, but in my opinion, we're the best passing team in the state; we won't get beat on ball control," Quinn said. "I have confidence and the girls have confidence that our ball control can beat a lot of teams."
It has.
The Lady Broncs seem ready for this moment. What's hovered over them is Quinn's final message after the 2010 regional loss to The Woodlands: "I pulled them in the locker room and I told them 'Don't be angry that you didn't, be angry that you could have.' The girls spoke about that for awhile. They realized they could have gone further. This has been a pretty special group. We're not making any promises we can win the state championship, but there is something very, very special about these girls. I feel this is a determined group and they're where they should be. They're confident and mentally prepared. They're also not satisfied; they want more."
Mollett is the closest thing the Lady Broncs have to a daunting power. Though she's 5-9, she has incredible hops, and the outside hitter is drawing attention from Iowa State, Miami and West Virginia. That list promises to grow. She credits the team's bond as a strength, but when she lost to The Woodlands, it was lowest point of her young volleyball career.
"That loss broke everyone's heart," Mollett said. "Last year we went into the game thinking we don't know the team we were playing and wound up getting beat in four sets. When we lost, we automatically went into thinking about this year and what we could do. This year is our year. We don't want that losing feeling again. We all have that much love for the game."
Darling, a four-year starter, is the heart and soul of the Lady Broncs. She's the selfless leader, the hub her teammates have always rallied around. She's also playing for something very singular this weekend. She's looking to attend Texas, TCU or Oklahoma. But this weekend will mark the end of many, many hours, days and years she's committed to volleyball. The 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter doesn't plan on playing in college. She also doesn't want to question herself, as she did last year, if more isn't out there.
The Boyd players are her sisters. Darling wants to see them reach this goal.
"I just knew that there was more and we could have gone further last year; it was almost like we blew an opportunity," Darling said. "It's why this team is playing the way we are this year. Our team chemistry is so much different; we're a lot tighter. Most of us have been playing together for years. A lot of us went to middle school together and lot of us have played club together. We grew up together. We have the attitude that we know we can do anything if we play our game.
"Winning a state championship is all I ever dreamed of since I was on the varsity my freshman year, and this is the team I'd like to experience a state championship with. Volleyball has been a big part of my life, and this team is a big part of my life. This is it for me. I want to end it on a good note."
