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Volleyball: Plant passes its first test in 6A region

Staff photo by KEVIN HOWE

Plant's Leah Jordan spikes the ball as Countryside's Savannah Stona defends during Class 6A-Region 3 playoff action Wednesday.

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TBO.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 5, 2009

TAMPA - Before this season, Plant volleyball coach Leanna Taylor was curious about how her club would perform at the Class 6A level, the highest classification in the state. Since 2006, her team has dominated 5A, winning three consecutive state titles.

Wednesday night was Plant's first postseason test in 6A, and it passed with ease.

The Panthers (25-1) defeated Countryside, the defending region champion and a 6A state semifinalist last year, in the 6A-Region 3 quarterfinals 25-10, 25-12, 25-16 to advance to Tuesday's semifinals against Palm Harbor University.

Senior outside hitter Maddie Martin led Plant with 19 kills, five aces and eight digs while junior outside hitter Alex Johnson added 10 kills and nine digs. Senior setter Becca Howard controlled the offense with 40 assists.

"We came out focused. We knew they had a great program," Taylor said. "It's nice to see that what goes on in practice shows up in the match."

Savannah Stona led the visiting Cougars with seven kills.

"We had to play great and they had to not play their best match (for us to win)," Countryside coach Kaylyn Bayly said. "We were outmatched. When they have weapons everywhere, it's hard to defend."

Palm Harbor beat Countryside for the district title. "We don't want to underestimate anybody in 6A," Taylor said.

Nick Williams

Brandon loses in 3

PALM HARBOR - Sometimes, a little fear can go a long way.

Hearing that their opponent, Brandon (18-7) was a near equal of state power Plant, legend and rumor had the host Hurricanes believing they would need their best game to survive and advance in the Class 6A region quarterfinal. The result far exceeded Palm Harbor University's expectations.

Palm Harbor (26-3) defeated Brandon 25-6, 25-12, 25-15 Wednesday.

"It was the worst game we played all year," Brandon coach Amy Watson said.

"We were told that Brandon kept up with Plant, and Plant is a powerhouse," Palm Harbor setter Cassie Wilkinson said. "We were really expecting a huge, huge, huge game tonight."

That's exactly what happened, but it was all Hurricanes.

"You would think going into (the match) we'd be ready," Watson said. "Our leaders didn't show up. I can always tell in our first five points where our match is going to be. When it was 7-0, I wondered 'What team is this?'"

Wilkinson led the Hurricanes with 26 assists. Leah McNary had 10 kills and eight blocks, Cassie Roy added 17 kills and Chelsea King chipped in eight aces.

Lee Diekemper

Class 4A-2

BROOKSVILLE - The points kept mounting, the deficit kept growing and no one could blame the Nature Coast Lady Sharks if they started thinking "here we go again."

They were staring at not only a 7-0 hole out of the gate in the first game of Wednesday night's Class 4A-Region 2 quarterfinal against Ridgewood, but also five years of failure in this very playoff round.

"I was that close to a timeout," Nature Coast coach Dan Murphy said. "I have that much confidence in my team. This team does not give up."

No, it did not. Where their predecessors had come up short, this version stepped up, battling back to sweep the Rams 25-18, 25-18, 25-19.

"It wasn't an easy breakthrough," Murphy said. "We tried our darnedest to make it tough. Ridgewood stepped up their game tonight."

Alex Livengood had 18 kills for Nature Coast (21-8), which will travel to Hudson for Tuesday's semifinals. Sarangelys Cruz posted nine kills to pace Ridgewood (19-9).

"They're a tough team," Ridgewood coach Amber Starkey said. "Every aspect of their game is tough.

"We weren't able to answer it."

Chris Bernhardt

Hudson advances

HUDSON - A fast-paced Hudson squad did all it needed to collect a 25-14, 25-12, 25-20 win against Zephyrhills in the Class 4A-Region 2 quarterfinals.

The Cobras will host Brooksville Nature Coast on Tuesday night at 7.

Although pleased with their ability to play loose, Hudson coach Shayna Munson would have preferred a sense of urgency in Game 3 from her players. The Bulldogs put up a fight for the first 22 points of that game, tying it at 11. That's when Hudson caught its second wind.

"It's a good thing," Munson said. "It's a little bit frustrating for me as a coach, but I'm glad that they're loose and they can still pull it off in the third game. But the next couple of games are going to be tougher, so we'll see how that goes."

An errant serve and three hitting errors by Zephyrhills pushed the Bulldogs into a 15-12 hole midway through Game 3. Making matters worse for the visiting Bulldogs (19-6), timely kills by Jessica Imbimbo, Katy McGee, Lacey Carley and Shannon Zasloff quelled hopes of a Zephyrhills comeback.

Imbimbo's final kill ended the night, sending the Cobras (23-3) to the regional semifinals.

Eddie Daniels

Class 4A-3

LUTZ - Lakewood coach Sean O'Flannery had a simple message for his team as it faced elimination from the Class 4A girls volleyball tournament.

The Spartans were down two games to one and faced a 24-19 deficit. One mistake would end the season. O'Flannery simply told his team not to regret anything they could have done.

The Spartans, behind the serve of Lindsay Dodge, scored seven straight points to stave off elimination and advance with a 25-22, 18-25, 19-25, 26-24, 15-13 win against host Steinbrenner on Wednesday.

O'Flannery said his team has been fighting from behind all season, but he said even he was a little nervous knowing that one error could mean the end of the season.

"I don't remember any comeback like this ever," O'Flannery said.

The Spartans couldn't have pulled it off without the powerful Berkley Whaley at the net. She had a career-high 43 kills, most of them set up by Michelle Scannell.

Steinbrenner, playing with all underclassmen, won games two and three as Cary Anne Bame spent most of the time on the floor saving kill after kill.

Jeff Berlinicke

Lennard falls

BRADENTON - The Braden River High volleyball team did not have a good grasp of Lennard.

"This was kind of a surprise team that came out," Pirates coach Steve Haugh said of the Longhorns, who upset second-seed Robinson in five games in the district semis. Lennard entered 8-8.

"We had no idea what they were going to be like," Braden River setter Regina Aluise said. "We just knew their record."

The Longhorns were not tall and did not have a good warm-up, but they were scrappy and made the Pirates work. Braden River used its quick-attack offense most of the match to post a 25-12, 25-9, 25-14 victory in the Class 4A-Region 3 quarterfinals in 62 minutes Wednesday night at the Pirates gym.

"Very nice to have the first one out of the way," Haugh said. The Pirates (22-6) will be home for the semifinal against District 10 runner-up Lakewood, which upset District 9 champion Steinbrenner, at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

When the Pirates were clicking Wednesday, Aluise spread the ball around to the hitters. Among her 35 assists, 12 went to Lauren Powell, 10 to Kaleigh Jaco and five to Courtney McDevitt.

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Class 2A-3

TAMPA - It took less than 40 minutes, and the good news for Tampa Prep was that Wednesday's Class 2A regional quarterfinal victory against Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic was as disciplined as it was quick.

"We were obviously more talented than (Santa Fe)," Tampa Prep coach Mike Flynn said. "But that doesn't mean we weren't going to keep our focus. Our girls want to win a state title and we're keeping our eyes on the prize. That means staying focused."

It translated to a 25-4, 25-7, 25-4 victory that propelled the Terrapins to Tuesday's regional semifinal against Indian Rocks Christian.

Tampa Prep's record (14-10) may indicate it's not among the state's best, but don't let records fool you, Flynn said.

The fact is Tampa Prep, a state semifinalist last year, has played one of the state's toughest schedules, preparing for its run for a state title. Its last title came in 2004.

"We've been tested in just about every way possible through the regular season," Flynn said. "Now the goal is to win seven in a row through the playoffs, which is what we have to do (to win a state championship)."

Scott Purks

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