Bi-district volleyball: Aledo bests Birdville, Byron Nelson routs Weatherford, more
The UIL Texas high school volleyball bi-district round concluded on Nov. 5.
See which Fort Worth-area teams are moving on to the area round, which starts on Nov. 7.
Aledo cruises past Birdville, advances to face Burleson
In the 2023 area round, Aledo defeated Birdville in a five-set thriller.
One year later, the Bearcats and Hawks matched again, this time in the bi-district round. Aledo (31-7) delivered the same end result, defeating Birdville in four sets Nov. 5 at Wilkerson-Greines.
Aledo head coach Claire Gaye said her team, for the most part, executed the game plan and discovered cracks in the foundation of a solid Birdville squad by bringing consistent offensive pressure.
“We knew coming in this would be a really tough team,” Gaye said of Birdville. “They’ve been tested all district long, so we knew they were going to compete. They’re scrappy. They’ve got some really great players. At this point, you’ve got to battle everybody is good.”
Set one was a back-and-forth affair, with Aledo pulling away at the end for a 25-22 win. In set two, Birdville overcame a slow start to take a 9-8 lead when Aledo turned on the gas, starting a dominant run to take set two, 25-16.
Although Birdville was competitive throughout the match, it appeared Aledo’s offense was too much to handle. The Hawks, however, withstood the offensive onslaught, storming from behind to take set three 26-24.
In set four, the Hawks ran out of steam, and the Bearcats finished the bi-district championship with an emphatic 25-10 set four victory.
Aledo recently finished an undefeated championship run out of District 5-5A and entered the Division One playoff bracket. With UIL rule changes, the 2024 season is the first with division splits in playoffs, which creates an additional state title per classification for volleyball, softball, baseball, soccer, and basketball.
“There are some really, really good teams in the state of Texas,” Gaye said. “Rewarding good teams and having more rewards for them is not a bad idea. ... At the end of the day, you’re rewarding really good volleyball players. There are so many good schools, especially in the North Texas area.”
In the area round, Aledo will face Burleson, a team that secured a bi-district victory over Fort Worth Paschal in five sets.
“Burleson is very athletic,” Gaye said. “They fought really hard against Paschal. They’re a bunch of fighters. We’re going to go back to the drawing board tomorrow, regroup and try to pick apart what they are weaker at and capitalize.”
According to UIL archives, the Bearcats last made the state tournament in the 2017 season.
Nationally ranked Byron Nelson routs the Roos
Byron Nelson volleyball, ranked No. 1 in the nation by Max Preps, stomped Weatherford, taking down the Roos in three sets, 25-15 25-16, 25-14.
Byron Nelson last won a state championship in 2019 and, after an undefeated District 4-6A championship run, is a favorite to contend for another. The Texas Girls Coaches Association ranks them No. 2 in Class 6A; Dripping Springs holds the top spot.
Both Byron Nelson and Dripping Springs are in Class 6A D2 and could potentially meet in the state tournament, which starts on Nov. 21. The Bobcats, in the area round, will have to get past Wolfforth Frenship.
Scores
Class 6A D1
Mansfield Lake Ridge 5, Haslet Eaton 3
Arlington Martin 3, Richardson 0
Dallas Lake Highlands 3, South Grand Prairie 0
Keller 3, Mansfield Legacy 0
Class 6A D2
Southlake Carroll 3, Boswell 0
Richardson Pearce 3, Arlington Lamar 0
Arlington 3, Richardson Berkner 0
Class 5A D1
Aledo 4, Birdville 1
Colleyville Heritage 3, Granbury 0
Burleson 3, Paschal 2
Burleson Centennial 3, Arlington Heights 0
Class 5A D2
Mansfield Timberview 3, FW Trimble Tech 0
Joshua 3, FW North Side 0
Azle 3, Grapevine 1
Argyle 3, Chisholm Trail 0
Class 4A D1
Decatur 3, FW Carter-Riverside 0
Springtown 3, FW Eastern Hills 0
Kennedale 3, North Dallas 0
Class 4A D2
FW Eagle Mountain 3, FW Dunbar 0
Krum 3, FW Benbrook 0
Brock 2, Lubbock Cooper-Liberty 1
Whitesboro 3, FW YWLA 0
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 9:45 PM.
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