Inside look: A championship mentality at nationally ranked Byron Nelson’s volleyball program

Byron Nelson volleyball players start their practices by forming a circle to discuss the highs and lows of a typical school day.

High school can be tough to balance for a student-athlete, especially when you play for a state championship contender. With a Max Preps ranking as the No. 2 team in the nation, Byron Nelson has high expectations.

“Before we start practice, we let everything go from the school day,” said Ashlyn Seay, a junior outside hitter. “Because after a long day of school and having practice right after, it’s not the easiest thing to do. We like to decompress, talk to each other, let our emotions out, and then we start our dynamic warm-ups.”

Head coach Brianne Groth, a former national coach of the year, led the Bobcats to a state championship in the 2019 season. Groth is the daughter of Hall of Fame coach Jan Barker, also a national coach of the year, and a standout collegiate player with Amarillo and the University of Oklahoma.

“The girls can tell that she knows what it means to be successful,” said assistant coach Chrissy Garcia. “So, I think that they really respect that.”

Although Groth knows Byron Nelson is one of the best in the nation, she doesn’t put weight into subjective rankings.

“I take a page out of Nick Saban’s book,” Groth said. “Rankings are like rat poison. Nothing good can come from really harping on rankings. And so we really don’t talk about it a lot, but we do talk about pressure.

“We talk about the target on our back that continues to grow every single night. We are going to get the best from whatever team we’re playing.”

Byron Nelson (26-1, 8-0 District 4-6A) is arguably in a top-two district in Texas, according to Groth. With elite teams like Southlake Carroll and Keller on the schedule, the Bobcats face plenty of challenges.

Groth says the team’s experience, both mentally, physically and emotionally, helps them keep composure through tough games and moments.

“Leading up to this season, we had this sense of purpose and a sense of drive that I hadn’t seen before,” Groth said.

For the first tournament of the season, the Bobcatswent to Hawaii. The team also visited the Aloha State in 2019, when the Bobcats last won a state championship.

“The sense of team bonding and just the camaraderie between the girls, it grew so quickly during that tournament, and then it just kind of carried over,” Groth said. “We have been very blessed with the talent level, but I think it’s the leadership that’s really elevated us this year.”

One of the ideas Groth preaches is consistent, error-free volleyball. It takes dedication, mental fortitude, leadership, talent and problem-solving skills. It’s an extreme challenge but also a necessary sacrifice to win a state title.

“It’s very easy to be good for a month,” Groth said. “It’s easy to be good for two months. It’s very, very hard to be good and consistent through three and a half months of the season. … Sometimes, you can be the best team in Texas and not win a state championship. And I’ve had a couple of those teams.”

As most championship-caliber coaches say, it’s rarely the talent that creates a championship team. Plenty of teams with talent lose. That’s why Byron Nelson volleyball prioritizes off-court issues just as much as on-court ones.

Groth said volleyball programs tend to play well when feeling good emotionally and mentally. That’s one of the reasons why she values leadership, which can provide mental clarity, strengthen the team’s sense of purpose, and ensure everyone is on the same page.

She mentioned that they can hold each other accountable when the team understands the direction and ultimate goal. Although she says Byron Nelson isn’t playing its best volleyball yet, accountability will help the team stay on a championship pace.

Byron Nelson has had a stellar season thus far but hasn’t been perfect. In an 8 a.m. three-set tournament game against Highland Park on August 16, Byron Nelson was defeated 25-17, 14-25, 15-13.

“Highland Park played really well. Almost error-free volleyball,” Groth said. “ … We talked afterward about what team we wanted to be. Are we going to be a team that doesn’t learn from losses?

“Are we going to be a team that struggles emotionally because we’re upset about losing? Once one set is over, we can’t go back and change it. So, we’ve got to move on and learn from it.”

Groth said the team responded in the right way. It was the first time she saw the squad’s emotional intelligence, which has been one of the driving forces of a 22-game win streak. Byron Nelson has lost sets but hasn’t lost a match since.

“Great teams always find ways to win,” Groth said. “Even when they’re not playing their very best. They grind it out. They find ways to win. And I think this team has it.”

The players leading the charge

Many of Byron Nelson’s key contributors are sophomores and juniors. Although the younger players may not have multiple years of high school experience, they have loads of on-court experience through club and development programs.

Running the five-one offense is sophomore setter Sophee Peterson, Prep Dig’s No. 8-ranked sophomore in Texas. Although Sophee Peterson isn’t hitting as much as last season, Groth challenged her to be an offensive threat anywhere on the court, and she has delivered in a big way.

Sophee Peterson, who has nearly 900 assists this season, tallied the first triple-double in school history with 34 assists, 12 digs and 10 kills on Sept. 13 vs. Keller, a historically great program.

One of her greatest assets is an elite volleyball IQ, and she said watching film is more fun than watching a movie.

“She is the biggest volleyball freak I’ve ever met,” said senior Sydney Peterson, Sophee Peterson’s older sister. “She ingests film. She doesn’t want to do anything else. ... She eats, sleeps and breathes volleyball. It’s been fun as an older sister to see her step into a mature captain role.”

Groth says her experience and talent is “light years” ahead of her age. She can attack, block and play defense among the best.

Two players Sophee Peterson assists include junior outside hitters Kylie Kleckner and Ashlyn Seay, who are third-year varsity players. Both are fantastic passers and attackers, according to Groth, but are also a bit different. Klecker has a wild, emphatic, powerful swing, while Seay is more precise with location.

Another contributing sophomore is libero Kaitlyn Francis, who is an elite passer. The Bobcats, needing to follow a one-libero system, also mix in senior Emily Houskneht to mix up the defensive game plan.

“A lot of times DS and liberos don’t get as much love as everybody else, but they have dominated their positions against some of the best teams in the nation,” Groth said. “They’re doing a fantastic job.”

Byron Nelson has more contributors with a deep, talented roster that has plenty of experience playing together. The talent, however, won’t be the reason Byron Nelson volleyball reaches its full potential.

“We have the pieces to do it,” Kleckner said. “It’s about putting them together and really focusing extra hard in practice and doing the little things that we can do to better ourselves and the team.”

Sydnee Peterson’s setback creates leadership opportunity

Sydnee Peterson serves as a team captain and has been an effective outside hitter. However, in January, she suffered a torn ACL.

“It’s devastating,” Groth said. “It’s a devastating injury for a volleyball girl because it’s a long time out. I mean, we’re going on 10 months now that she’s been out.

“The good news is, is that Sydney (Peterson) has been so great about all of her physical therapy and all of her training, and she is light years ahead of where most are, but that just shows you the kind of kid she is. She really wants to get back.”

Groth hopes she can return in October, but is unsure of an exact target date. The Class 6A UIL volleyball state championship is on November 23.

Despite the injury, Sydney Peterson has continued to impact the Byron Nelson program through leadership. At first, it was challenging.

“It’s hard to be a leader and feel like you have a voice when you’re not playing,” Sydney Peterson said. “But these girls — they’ve been so supportive. My perspective has absolutely changed. I’ll never complain again when I have to practice now.

“When I come back, I’ll say ’I get to play. I get to work out.’I’ve learned a lot watching. It’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun. I’m not happy the injury happened, but I’m grateful for all the lessons its already taught me.”

Groth said Sydney’s main role is holding players accountable and on the same page, which she accomplishes through assertiveness and communication. It is an “important puzzle piece” to the Bobcats’ success.

“She’s grown so much in her leadership,” Groth said. “It’s when you have to take a step back and find other ways and other roles to fill for the team. She’s done that and so much more. She’s our bench captain. She gets everybody going and fired up.”

Sophee Peterson said she has never seen anyone be more focused, despite the setback.

“She is so dedicated and so determined to get back better than ever,” Sophee Peterson said. “She is taking a different role this year, but she hasn’t missed a beat at all. She is contributing every way she can.”

Sydney Peterson credited her teammates for the success the program has seen so far this season.

“Our team is just so deep,” Sophee Peterson said. “All the girls get along so well. We are all really focused on our goals. The chemistry off the court carries so well to the court. And there is never a doubt about anyone giving their best effort.”

Sydney Peterson will continue her volleyball career at Rice. Her journey through high school athletics has been challenging, but it taught her never to take a second on the court for granted.

“Not that she took it for granted before, but you really get a sense that she loves the game, and she’s ready to come back,” Groth said. “She’s ready to not miss out on anything.”

Striving for consistency as district continues

Oftentimes, business and personal relationships don’t mix well. That isn’t the case for Groth and assistant coach Chrissy Garcia. Groth calls Garcia her best friend; she is also her right-hand and helps develop Byron Nelson’s leaders on and off the court.

“She is a head coach in her own right,” Groth said. “She could go and be a head coach anywhere she wanted to. She has the knowledge, she knows how to run programs. It’s so helpful for me because she knows what needs to be done before it needs to be done, and she just goes and does it.”

Groth will rely on Garcia and her on-court leaders as the second half of district play commences as things get more complicated. Opponents will have a deeper understanding of tendencies and more film available to study.

Groth wants to see a focus on taking care of the little things, such as consistent serve-receive play and precision passing. She also wants players to not only study other team’s film but also to study their own film to make minor adjustments.

“We talk about how our kids are going to have to battle – we call it weathering the storm. … Once we settle into a match, then we can start to dominate. … We talk about starting fast, and then we also talk about staying composed.”

Byron Nelson will receive every team’s best as one of the Class 6A championship favorites. To Groth and the Bobcat volleyball program, however, their greatest opponent is the most challenging one they’ll face: themselves.

Groth emphasizes a focus on improving play by one percent every time you take the court.

“If we’re 30% better than where we started the year, we have a gold medal around our neck,” Groth said. “We don’t have to win a state championship with one match. We don’t have to win a state championship with one practice, but we do need to be consistent.”

Byron Nelson continues district play in a home match against Southlake Carroll on Tuesday.