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Byron Nelson sweeps Keller in battle of top-ranked Dallas-area volleyball teams

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Byron Nelson sweeps Keller in battle of top-ranked Dallas-area volleyball teams


There’s a quote emblazoned on the gymnasium wall at Byron Nelson that reads: “Winners are a different breed of cat.”

Byron Nelson showed it’s a different breed from any other volleyball team in Dallas and the area’s best bet to win a state title in a dominant 3-0 win over Keller on Tuesday night.

In a matchup of The Dallas Morning News’ top ranked teams, Byron Nelson (30-1, 11-0 District 4-6A), which is ranked first in the nation by MaxPreps, swept Keller (24-3, 11-1) for the second time this year, this time in front of its home crowd. The Bobcats played like they were a class above their opponent in every phase of the game and put the rest of the Dallas area on notice, as if it wasn’t already.

Byron Nelson vs. Keller is volleyball’s version of Duncanville vs. DeSoto football rivalry

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“The first time we played Keller, it was a complete win,” Byron Nelson head coach Brianne Barker-Groth said after the match. “This time, it was a dominant, complete win. That’s what we’re looking for, to get better and better during the year.”

Byron Nelson flexed its power right away, winning the first set 25-10 in just 12 minutes. Outside hitter Ashlyn Seay had seven kills and dialed up a jump serve on the final point. Setter Sophee Peterson sealed the set with an emphatic block at the net.

The Bobcats turned up the heat even more in the second set, with Seay and outside hitter Kylie Kleckner, a Washington pledge, tallying three kills each. Middle blocker Rayvyn Thomas also made her presence felt, coming up with several big blocks and spikes as Byron Nelson cruised 25-14.

Keller challenged the home team more in the third set, but Byron Nelson found a way to keep rallies alive and finish the points. With the set tied at 9, Kleckner made a diving play to her left to save a ball going out of bounds, and Seay then hit a cross-court smash to put the Bobcats in front. They never relinquished the lead and won the set 25-16.

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This match is always enticing for followers of Dallas-area volleyball because Barker-Groth’s sister, Danielle Barker-Spivey, is Keller’s coach. The two teams also have some history, as Keller knocked Byron Nelson out of the playoffs last year in the regional quarterfinals in a five set thriller.

“Anytime we play Keller, it’s an extra level of intensity you don’t get with a lot of other teams,” Barker-Groth said. “With it being my sister on the other side, she knows me and how I coach so well, and there is a lot of strategy going back and forth making in-game adjustments. It’s a lot harder, but it’s fun.”

Dallas-area underclassmen that have stood out the most this high school volleyball season

Byron Nelson is trying to become the first Dallas-area team to win a 6A state title since 2019, when Byron Nelson defeated Plano West. Barker-Groth believes District 4-6A is the most competitive district in the state this year, and that playing in it as the No. 1 team in the country will make the Bobcats even better in the postseason.

“You don’t get a night off. It’s night in and night out,” she said. “But playing in this district prepares us for the playoffs, to go in and face a more challenging team every time we hit a new round.”

Barker-Groth wasn’t shy about her aspirations for the 2024 version of Byron Nelson, either.

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“I think this team might be a more complete team than 2019,” she said.

    UIL gives state executive committee power to investigate schools with excessive transfers
    Dallas-area underclassmen that have stood out the most this high school volleyball season

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Dallas, TX

2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced

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2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced


Behold the 2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule.

We knew coming into Thursday that the Cowboys would be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday Night Football, that Dallas is “hosting” the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and that the Philadelphia Eagles would be in town for Thanksgiving Day. Now we know it all.

Among the first things that jump to mind is that bye week is late. Dallas isn’t on bye until Week 14, the Sunday of that week is December 13th for full perspective.

The Cowboys also only play twice in their own building, thanks to the Brazil game, before November. Sometimes those weird quirks show up in schedules and this is certainly one of them.

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It is interesting to see that the NFL gave Dallas the longest amount of rest possible after their Thanksgiving tilt. It hasn’t been uncommon for the league to have the Cowboys play on consecutive Thursdays, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.



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Dallas Approves $180,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs

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Dallas Approves 0,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs


A portion of South Lamar Street was officially renamed Botham Jean Boulevard in 2021.

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On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved funding that will replace highway exit signs and road signs marking Lamar Street with new signage honoring Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Dallas accountant who was fatally shot in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in 2018. 

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The $180,500 in funding for 13 signs to be installed by the Texas Department of Transportation is the final step in the street renaming that was unanimously approved by the council in 2021. The new signs will be placed at exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. Highway 175. 

Already, Botham Jean Boulevard signs run along the road in the Cedars, where Jean lived before he was killed. 

“This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much,” his mother, Allison Jean, told the council in 2021.  

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Jean was shot by Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, after she entered his apartment believing it was her own. A Dallas jury found Guyger guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She has also been ordered to pay the Jean family nearly $100 million in a civil trial, which accused her of using excessive force. 

The Jean family is seeking restitution from the city of Dallas because they argue that Dallas, as Guyger’s former employer, had a duty to defend Guyger and pay out claims brought against her. The Jean family filed suit against the city in April of this year.

On Wednesday, city council member Adam Bazaldua stated that the continued remembrance of Jean’s name is a reminder that “no one is above the law.” 

“This has never simply been about changing street signs; it has always been about commemorating a life that was taken too soon,” said Bazaldua. “When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across the country each year to senseless gun violence.” 

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Bazaldua said that once city leaders were made aware that some signs from the initial 2021 street name change had not materialized, the horseshoe took steps to correct the oversight “somewhat promptly.” But he acknowledged that Wednesday’s funding came on the heels of community advocacy urging the project’s completion. 

Community leader Yafeuh Balogun said his organization, Community Movement Builders, began asking the city for the updated signs in September 2025. Addressing the council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Balogun encouraged the horseshoe to vote in favor of the funds because it “would make no sense” to not follow through with the street renaming approved years ago. 

 “I think this is very powerful simply because driving here today, I still saw the Lamar Street Signs,” Balogun said. “I remember how powerful it was back in 2021 when the city council voted to rename Lamar Street to Botham Jean. I’d like to keep that legacy going.” 



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World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released

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World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released


We’re less than a month out from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and North Texans volunteering in the event have received their uniforms. FOX 4’s Peyton Yager has more on that and the new hospitality tickets released today.



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