Plant City-area volleyball teams have proved they are aces.
As the 2015 season winds to a close, local squads are holding down first, second and fourth places in the standings out of the Class 7A-District 9 teams. With the FHSAA district tournament set to start Wednesday, Oct. 21, that’s a good sign that at least one squad from the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World could be headed for a playoff run.
For anyone who has been following the area volleyball scene over the past few years, the results look familiar — even if the names in the district don’t.
DIGGING IT
Durant may have taken a 2-1 loss to a quality Wharton squad Saturday, Oct. 10, but it won’t affect the Lady Cougars (13-6; 6-0 district).
The only team to go undefeated in district play, Durant went on a tear of 10 straight wins between Monday, Sept. 21, and Friday, Oct. 10, to help bolster its status as the top dog in 7A-9 play. In fact, the only district team that the Lady Cougars didn’t sweep in that span was Bloomingdale, against whom they got a 3-1 win Thursday, Oct. 1.
Durant coach Brittany Wade and her team is looking to three-peat as district champions.
They’re likely to face tough competition from second-place Strawberry Crest, which wrapped up its regular season Thursday, Oct. 15. Crest (12-6; 5-1 district) hasn’t gone on an extended win streak this season — it never won more than three games in a row — but the Lady Chargers have still played well with Hillsborough County all-star Terra Brooks anchoring the middle.
Unlike Durant, Crest was able to beat Bloomingdale Wednesday, Sept. 16, with a 3-0 win.
Crest finished as runner-up last season, and the 2015 team will certainly be playing with that chip on its shoulder.
Plant City’s .500 district record puts the Lady Raiders (7-7; 3-3 district) in fourth place, and the team would probably like to improve upon its October record.
After playing well in September — losing only to Strawberry Crest, 3-1, Thursday, Sept. 10 — the Lady Raiders began October on a three-game losing streak. Spruce Creek, Bloomingdale and Durant each swept Plant City from Saturday, Oct. 3, to Thursday, Oct. 8, and the latter two games ensured that the Lady Raiders would finish outside of the top three.
Plant City has proven that it can beat the rest of the district with few problems, but it will now need to prove that the girls have learned from their losses to everyone in the top three. Winning next week is possible, but it will be tough.
OTHER SIDE OF THE NET
Third-place Bloomingdale is definitely one to watch throughout the tournament.
The Lady Bulls (9-4; 4-2 district) have only lost in the district to Crest and Durant but have gone on a winning streak since the Thursday, Oct. 1, match against the Lady Cougars. The two-game streak saw the team pick up 3-0 wins over Plant City and Lennard, before heading to Chamberlain Monday, Oct. 12.
Bloomingdale lost twice in September, to Strawberry Crest and New Port Richey-Ridgewood, but dropped only three sets among all of its wins.
East Bay (4-6; 2-4 district) picked up two of its four regular-season wins against district opponents Lennard (3-6; 0-5 district) and Tampa Bay Tech (3-8; 0-5 district). But, as the records indicate, those two teams have had almost no good luck in 2015.
While the final result of the tournament could have two Plant City teams in the playoffs, area squads would be wise to watch out for the Lady Bulls next week.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
7A-9 District Volleyball Tournament
WHERE: Lennard High School, 2342 Shell Point Road. E., Ruskin.
WHEN: Games begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21; championship match held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22.
COST: $6 per session
Regionals will be held from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3; sites, dates and times are TBD.
