With 34 wins and a No. 7 ranking, the Bulldogs open the postseason against Frenship as Dolton brings precision, perspective and confidence to the court.

By Greg Jaklewicz

Wylie volleyball has a new height to reach this year, but the climb starts to get steeper this week.

Coach Shay Cox’s team has put up one of the best season records in program history, winning 34 of 38 matches, and achieved a No. 7 ranking in Class 5A.

Yet, the Bulldogs have not been able to summit the third round of the playoffs. Twice, Argyle has sent Wylie back to south Abilene by 3-0 scores.

Argyle ended the regular season ranked No. 1 in 5A, ahead of other tall orders named Liberty Hill and Eagle Mountain.

Is the 2026 Bulldogs team the one to get to the top?

The answer begins Thursday with a 6:30 p.m. bi-district match in Snyder against Frenship.

Tough First-Round Matchup

The Tigers have Wylie’s attention.

The teams played in the second game of the season, with the Bulldogs winning 3-1 at a neutral site. Frenship has gone on to post a 29-14 record including 13-5 and tying Lubbock-Cooper for third in District 3-5A.

“First round. We’re excited to get on the court,” Cox said.

Wylie has played Lubbock Coronado in the first playoff match the past two years.

“Different opponent this year. We’re familiar (with them), but it has been awhile,” Cox said of Frenship. The Wylie-Frenship match was Aug. 11, which seems years ago.

Wylie has won 19 straight matches and Frenship four coming into the rematch.

The Tigers won a set vs. the Bulldogs - something 28 Wylie opponents failed to do this year.

“They have some great hitters,” Cox said. “They have multiple weapons that we have to be aware of. They work a lot of line and they work off of our block, or they did. That is something we’ve been prepping for and hopefully can take care of.”

The big hitter for Frenship is Reese Roberts, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter.

“She is their go-to and plays all the way around. She likes to hit a lot of line and a lot of cross,” Cox said. “She is going to get hers, but we need to make sure that we do the best we can to contain the others. Play good defense.

“And, of course, take our weapons with us.”

Wylie tuned up for the opening match with a hard-fought 3-1 win over No. 18 Wichita Falls Memorial.

“They are scrappy. Some of things we can put down on other teams they just … they don’t go away,” Cox said. “It was a tough match but sometimes, we made it tougher on ourselves.”

After the Mavericks put Wylie in its place in Set 2, the Bulldogs responded with a 25-8 win in Game 3.

Wylie will face adversity in the playoffs, so how the team reacts is key.

“It was great to come from behind and push ourselves. Maybe deal with some adversity,” the WHS coach said.

The Bulldogs went 8-0 in district, dropping only two sets - both to the Mavericks.

Cox said Wylie knows Argyle is out there but the focus this week is on Frenship.

“It’s a big game. Each one is big. We have to be locked in and ready to go.

“This team usually is, so I am excited to watch them get out on the floor. I know they are excited, too, to finally get to the postseason,” Cox said.

Added junior D’nae Dolton, “We’re just going to take every match one at a time. We can’t win the next game without winning the first one.”

D’nae Is Dynamite

D'nae Dolton

When Cox mentions Wylie’s weapons, fans quickly will think of senior 6-foot-2 middle blocker Haddie Mock and junior kill specialist Kiki Bolden, whose thundering hits bring the crowd to its feet.

Mock currently is headed to Stephen F. Austin while Bolden may end up at Illinois.

And don’t forget 6-1 junior Jenna Stricklin, who also is eyeing SFA.

Wylie would not be 34-4, however, if those were the only players doing the work. There are three others on the court with them, and one dependable starter is Dolton.

Against Memorial, Wylie closed two sets with scoring hits from Dolton, who had 13 kills to match her jersey number.

Did she play well?

“I think I did,” the junior said, smiling.

Dolton certainly is not the tallest player, maybe 5-7, but her jumping ability allows her to pick her spots against the taller defenders on the other side of the net.

Being overshadowed is not a thing.

“We don’t really think about it like that,” Dolton said of playing alongside players who may get more ink. “We’ve been together so long that it’s more like, ‘Oh, you’re just another person on the court.’ But, honestly, it pushes us because we also want to be up there.

“At the end of the day, they are our teammates and love them.”

Dolton and her teammates have their sights set on a playoff rematch with Argyle. But, she said, there is far more to this season.

“Beating Argyle is top two on our list. But just enjoying the moment with each other means more to us than winning,” Dolton said.

She would like to share unprecedented success with her teammates this year - there are five seniors on the team - but it’s not about adding pressure. “Doing the best we can do. That’s all we can do,” Dolton said.

As a player, she works on ball placement rather than power.

“Being able to see the court on my side really helps me,” she said. “Power is not the main thing … it’s where I put the ball.”

She has worked on her "vertical," meaning she has to outjump the taller defenders she faces to get the ball to where she wants it.

“And my serve-receive. If you can’t pass, you can’t get a good hit,” she said.

Communication is key. Volleyball is a fast, reactive sport. The team that controls the chaos wins.

Dolton agreed that communication is key on the court, but off the court as well.

“We’re able to have tough conversations with each other. We’re able to call each other out if we feel someone is not giving the best of their ability, in practice or a game,” she said. “I think that really helps us.”

Dolton has been playing volleyball for 10 years.

“I grew up watching my older sister play,” she said of Alexis Dolton, who starred for Abilene High. “I really loved watching her and got into it myself.”

Now, her family is watching her star on the court.

To Infinity and Beyond

If Argyle is top two on the to-do list, what’s the other goal?

“In all of our heads, we believe we are going to state,” Dolton said. “I think that's the main goal for all of us. We’re going to beat Argyle.

“We want to stay with each other as long as we can. That’s definitely a pushing factor for us.”

Argyle was 38-3 last fall and the 2025 state runner-up, losing to Cedar Park in three sets. Two, however, went beyond 25 points to win.

To beat Argyle takes a state-caliber team.

Wylie hasn’t fared well against its nemesis. What’s different this year?

“We definitely have more confidence,” Dolton said.

A state championship, huh?

A little Mount Everest out there for the Wylie climbers to conquer.