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Volleyball: Plant, Brandon to vie for title

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 29, 2009

BRANDON - At 7 tonight Brandon will play Plant in the Class 6A-District 8 volleyball final, and for the third time this season Brandon coach Amy Watson will hope her team believes in itself as much as she believes in it.

"In the first two matches (won 3-0 by Plant each time) we didn't play anywhere near the level that we're capable of," Watson said. "We came in with that deer-in-the-headlights look. We have to believe to have a chance. We need to believe. I do. Now it's up to them."

The stakes aren't do-or-die because tonight's loser still moves on in the region playoffs. Mentally, it could be huge. The trouble is Brandon (19-5) is well aware of Plant's high national rankings, its 23-1 record and the Panthers' wins vs. the Eagles.

In Wednesday's district semifinals, it was pretty much business as usual for the favored Panthers and Eagles. In the night's first semifinal, Plant defeated Wharton 25-14, 25-9, 25-10, and in the second match Brandon defeated Bloomingdale 25-6, 25-21, 25-17.

"We have to believe in ourselves," Watson said. "We just have to come in and fight with everything we have."

Scott Purks

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