It’s been 40 years since Plant City High School’s volleyball team last held a district championship trophy up high, but the girls did it again last Thursday with a 3-0 win over Armwood.
The Raiders (11-2) continued their strong run with their third win over the Hawks by scores of 25-13, 25-16 and 25-21 playing on the road after Armwood received a first-round bye in the FHSAA’s blind playoff draw. With the clean sweep, Plant City finished its 2020 series against Armwood winning all nine sets.
Not only did the Raiders rewrite the school history book, but they also likely rewrote the school’s record book with a win percentage of .846.
“I knew coming into this year that this was the group of girls that would win a district championship, so it was very exciting to see it all come together and despite all the craziness with COVID and everything, it’s been extremely successful,” head coach Sara Tooman said. “It’s a group of very skilled players and they all work very well together. When they’re on the court they just make it happen.”
Tooman said this team’s secret weapon has been its chemistry. The girls all share a tight bond on and off the court and know exactly how to complement each other during games. Nowhere is this more evident than in district play, where the team went 6-0 and won 18 sets — nine more than runner-up Strawberry Crest, another strong program that’s won two of the last three district championships.
“They work so well together,” Tooman said. “Sometimes they don’t communicate enough on the court because they’re all pretty much reading each other’s minds, but somehow they pull it off. That’s for sure.”
Plant City hosts Leto at 7 p.m. tonight in the regional quarterfinal round.