Inside Byron Nelson’s reign as the nation’s best high school volleyball team
Every student-athlete in high school sports faces pressure.
Whether you’re fighting for a state championship, attempting to land an athletic scholarship, trying to make school history or simply trying to show up every day for your teammates to accomplish a shared goal — part of being an athlete is dealing with expectations.
Every athlete faces the fear of failure and strives to uphold a standard.
For Byron Nelson volleyball, that standard is nothing short of excellence.
For the second straight season, the Bobcats are ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps. The defending Class 6A Division II state champions have won 71 straight matches and remain unbeaten this season at 35-0 with their sights set on repeat state and national titles.
The high school volleyball playoffs start next week. The state championship match is Nov. 22 in Garland.
“We come in every day, wanting to perfect something, wanting to get better in some way,” junior setter Sophee Peterson said.
“So, I think while having a lot of success last year, we understand that we still have more work to do. We’re very hungry this season, and anything less than a state championship would be underachieving for us.”
Byron Nelson hasn’t been pushed to a fifth set, dropping only three sets total on the season.
“Our coaches do really well at being forgiving, but also pushing us to be our best,” senior outside hitter Ashlyn Seay said. “So, we strive for perfection, but we can’t always reach that. So, we know we’re going to have some errors here and there, but it’s really about how you respond to that.”
Head coach Brianne Groth, who won state titles as a player at Amarillo in 2006 and 2007 and also led the Bobcats to the 2019 state title, knows what it takes to maintain focus amid high expectations.
“The message hasn’t been, we have to be perfect, because we’re not going to be perfect,” Groth said. “It’s the game of volleyball; mistakes happen. We just have to be very good consistently. ... We have to get 1% better in practice. We talk about that a lot. And it can’t be just winning games. It has to be, were we better today than we were yesterday?”
A historic opportunity
Byron Nelson’s consistency has transformed into a rare dominance. Now, the Bobcats have a chance to cement themselves not only as Texas’ best, but as one of the greatest high school volleyball teams ever.
“We don’t really talk about it, because at the end of the day, like, none of that matters if we don’t win state,” Groth said of a perfect season. “... Every game in the playoffs, we’ll just be focusing on the game in front of us. Focusing on what our goal is — to beat that opponent, whoever that opponent is.”
If Byron Nelson finishes the season unbeaten, the Bobcats will make history as the first team to repeat as MaxPreps’ national No. 1-ranked squad while going undefeated in the second year of its run.
Archbishop Mitty (Calif.) reigned as MaxPreps’ top squad from 2013 through 2016, but dropped multiple games in each of those seasons.
And with its stellar record, Byron Nelson has played some of the toughest teams in Texas and the nation, including No. 2 Sierra Canyon (Calif.) and No. 11 Redondo Union (Calif.).
The Bobcats also play in District 4-6A, which is arguably Texas’ toughest group. Southlake Carroll is MaxPreps’ No. 3-ranked team in Texas, while Keller comes in at No. 9.
“To come up with the wins that we did against some really amazing teams, it’s just a testament to these girls’ character, hard work, and the fact that they weren’t gonna let anybody beat them so far,” Groth said. “... We don’t talk about the undefeated thing, but it really is pretty special. When you look at the number of quality teams that we’ve played.”
Throughout this two-year stretch of dominance, Byron Nelson’s sole loss came to Highland Park in a three-set tournament game on Aug. 18, 2024.
Now, Byron Nelson can become the UIL’s second team to win back-to-back championships in the highest classification while dropping one match over two years. Houston Clear Lake is the only other school to accomplish this feat, in 1983 and 1984, back when 5A was the largest classification.
“Everyone wants to beat us,” senior outside hitter Kylie Kleckner said. “We’ve got a target on our backs, so we can’t afford to be slacking off in practice or doing things that aren’t preparing us every day. We value every opponent that we come up against because they want to beat us so badly because of what we’ve accomplished.”
The path ahead
The end goal is the same, but Byron Nelson will face new challenges in the 2025 playoffs, as it’s set to play in the Division I bracket with larger enrollment schools.
Last season, the Bobcats swept through Division II, with their opponents averaging only 14.8 points per set.
A placement in Division I, however, does not necessarily mean Byron Nelson will face tougher competition. Both sides of the bracket bring separate challenges, Groth said.
“We’re just excited for kind of a new challenge, and to see new teams that we haven’t seen,” Groth said.
The players who lead the charge
On the court, the Bobcats are a matchup nightmare for anyone they face. Peterson, a Texas A&M pledge and the No. 7-ranked 2027 recruit in the nation, runs the offense with precision, tallying 1,480 assists through 35 games.
Peterson, a member of the MaxPreps Player of the Year watch list, also leads the team in hitting percentage and total blocks as an all-around prodigy.
“She just has such good court awareness,” Kleckner said. “She can get the ball anywhere she wants from anywhere on the court. Like, she’s just so dynamic.”
Kleckner, a Washington pledge, has been dynamic herself. She leads the team with 5.2 kills per set and has registered 596 kills. Seay, a Rice pledge, brings just as much firepower, complementing Kleckner with 4.3 kills per set.
“They are so special,” Groth said of the duo. “And I think I have the best one-two duo as far as outsides go in the state, if not the nation. AJ [Seay] and Kylie [Kleckner] are just so solid all the way around six rotations. Passing, defense, hitting, serving, blocking. You name it, and that skill is elite.”
While those three are the program’s foundation as experienced returners, a new face has emerged as a difference-maker: junior Savannah Sterna, who earned the libero spot.
“It’s easier to play when you’re surrounded by great talent,” said Sterna, who leads the team with 330 digs and averages 3.7 per set.
Groth said Sterna has “killed it all season.”
“She’s just super solid,” Groth said. “And it’s not just physically solid, it’s mentally solid, too. And so you really need that in the libero, and she’s just really taken off and done a fantastic job.”
Staying grounded amid expectations
Talent alone doesn’t win championships, and the Bobcats know that chasing perfection while making history requires mental toughness. Despite their relative youth, the players have a mature approach.
“We just try and keep outside noise on the outside until we get the job done,” Peterson said. “It all doesn’t really matter. So, I think it’s cool to have in the back of our minds, but at the end of the day, we’re focusing on the next game, and we’re just gonna keep taking it day by day.”
Regardless of the wins and losses, the program is nearing the end of the high school careers of seniors such as Kleckner and Seay. Peterson said she’ll take those relationships to heart.
“We all just love each other,” Peterson said. “I think that’s the secret. Playing with your best friends, having fun — it’s not a job to us. We want to be here. We want to come in each day, get better and just have fun in the process.”
And for a senior like Seay, her legacy goes beyond the record books. She said she wants to be remembered as an uplifting teammate and as someone little girls who want to play volleyball can look up to.
“It’s not always just about volleyball,” said. “It’s about supporting your teammates and showing acts of kindness to everyone.”
Pressure as a privilege
Byron Nelson is the clear favorite to win another state title. Through all the pressure of chasing history, each player has to deal with the everyday pressures of high school.
As the playoffs draw closer, Kleckner said they’ll focus on getting 1% better every day while enduring every team’s best shot.
While being role models for their school and community, the players are still teenagers who have come together to strive for a larger-than-life accomplishment.
“People probably don’t understand the amount of pressure that these kids are under,” Groth said. “When you add all of the things that come with high school, and then you add the winning streak that everyone keeps talking about — the fact that teams are celebrating just winning a set against us. There is a lot of pressure that goes into that.
“I think that pressure is a privilege. We know that.”
As for the on-court play, Groth said the team will focus on maintaining a fast tempo, aiming for consistent ball control, effective serves and a serve receive that sets them up for success.
“These kids are still just teenagers,” Groth said. “But I really do feel like these girls have handled the pressure really, really well. And I’m not betting against us.”
This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 4:30 AM.
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