The Scots have their bi-district playoff set, facing Frisco Liberty at 7 p.m. next Tuesday at Carrollton R.L. Turner. HP (29-15) already faced Liberty once this season, coming from behind to take a 21-25, 25-17, 25-15 win over the RedHawks in the championship bracket of the Byron Nelson Tournament two months ago.

That was about the same time we last saw the Scots at full strength. The return of Isabel Herndon to the back row, along with Tayler Robertston up front, has HP in a different groove now with the playoffs ahead. They proved that Tuesday night as the wiped out Wylie East in three easy sets. 

 

Granted, the competition facing a team that was winless in district play was less than stellar, as HP's 22 aces displayed all too well on the scoresheet. But it was one of the Scots' best performances in weeks despite the weaknesses on the other side of the net.

And it plays right into the momentum a team wants to have heading into the postseason. HP is back at full strength with its defense and its depth, and is driven by a chance to play the state's top-ranked team, Richardson Pearce, a third time after coming oh-so-close the first time and enduring a disappointing defeat two weeks ago.

The biggest difference between the Scots and RedHawks is their schedule. HP has been battle-tested all season, most recently in the two matches 

against Pearce. Before that, it was a tough grind against some of the state's top Class 5A programs. Which is why HP's overall record isn't pretty, winning not even two out of every three matches thus far.

Looking at Liberty's body of work, the RedHawks (20-19) haven't beaten a team better than they are all season. That they've played 39 matches shows they played deep into the brackets at their three tournaments, but Liberty has yet to rise up and beat someone they shouldn't have been able to. 

 

Liberty lost at home to Wylie, 3-2, a team HP beat in a close match on the road (also 3-2) and 3-1 at home. And when it counted most for them in district play, the RedHawks were swept twice by co-district champion Frisco Wakeland, and lost twice by 3-1 counts to co-champion Frisco Centennial. Much like HP's District 10-4A, wins against the rest of 9-4A don't count for much.

So there's the bi-district prediction: HP wins in three. The Scots have momentum, a playoff pedigree behind them, their serving as a team is on fire, and they're far more battle tested than Liberty. 

 

The other side of HP's opening quadrant has South Oak Cliff playing Bryan Adams. Neither of those teams would place in the top six in 10-4A, so go ahead and advance the Scots into the regional quarterfinals. There it will likely be a battle against another Frisco school, either Centennial or Wakeland. 

A short synopsis of the regional bracket shows this: there are five clear-cut favorites in the bracket, plus two sleepers. Put down Pearce, HP, Red Oak, Elgin and Hallsville as favorites within their quadrants. Waxahachie and Hutto might surprise and reach the semifinals. Regardless, everyone's chasing Pearce right now, and there's only one team in the region that has threatened them to this point - HP.

Here is the Region II-4A pairings in the opening round, although multiple tiebreakers have yet to be played. In those cases, both teams playing for a certain spot are mentioned. The UIL will release the full bracket on Saturday.

 

Woodrow Wilson vs. (Seagoville or North Dallas)

(Frisco Centennial or Frisco Wakeland) vs. Wylie (19-15)

Richardson Pearce (40-3) vs. Carrollton Creekview (17-22)

Molina (18-9) vs. (Hillcrest or Lincoln)

Elgin vs. Forney (21-18)

Denison (22-15) vs. Tyler J. Tyler

Hallsville (36-5) vs. Texarkana Texas (18-20)

(Waxahachie or Mesquite Poteet) vs. (Pflugerville Connally or Hutto)

South Oak Cliff (15-10) vs. Bryan Adams (12-10)

(Frisco Centennial or Frisco Wakeland) vs. Rockwall-Heath (26-10)

(Hillcrest or Lincoln) vs. (Seagoville or North Dallas)

Red Oak vs. (Bryan Rudder or Pflugerville Hendrickson)

Longview Pine Tree vs. Greenville

Royse City (26-11) vs. Whitehouse

(Pflugerville Connally or Hutto) vs. (Waxahachie or Mesquite Poteet)

The area playoffs are Nov. 4-6.