TAMPA — For Plant, the most difficult part of preparing for its march for a fourth consecutive state championship might be muddling through a batch of unfamiliar opponents.
The Panthers' past three titles came in Class 5A, so their move to 6A offers an entirely new group of teams. And for Panthers coach Leanna Taylor and her team, they honestly didn't know what to expect from Countryside in their region quarterfinal Wednesday.
"I see names I don't even know," Taylor said. "I have to go and do research and see what clubs they play for. Is the competition good? What does their record mean?"
The Cougars advanced to the 6A state tournament last year but lost four starters, including All-American Madison Truluck.
And even though the Cougars gave Plant some of its toughest competition this season, the Panthers easily advanced, 25-10, 25-12, 25-16, setting up a date with Palm Harbor University next week.
"The teams are different, but I think it's still the same mind-set," Plant senior libero Ali McCurdy said. "We still need to play our best and work our way through every match regardless of the team. If we play our game, we'll do well."
Senior outside hitter Maddie Martin led the Panthers with 19 kills, eight digs and five aces. Junior outside hitter Alex Johnson added 10 kills and nine digs while McCurdy led Plant (25-1) with 13 digs. Becca Howard tallied 40 assists.
"We were working for our points tonight," Martin said.
Countryside (23-4) was outsized and overmatched, even though the some of the Cougars knew Plant well. Seniors Davionna DiSalvatore and Nicole Dunn play club ball with Martin, McCurdy and three other Plant players.
"It's just the luck of the draw," Countryside coach Kaylyn Bayly said. "If we had won our district, we wouldn't have been in this situation anyway. We had to play great and they didn't have to play their best match. They have a great team.
"They don't have 50 million state titles for no reason."
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No shame in losing to #1 rated in the State, Plant HS. In the end a very successful season for the Cougars. In a very talented District and County, losing to the smaller PHU squad and the taller East Lake team is not as bad as it looks, with the talent in these communities. Truluck was a big loss, but seniors, Rousselle, Dunn, Siminski, DiSalvatore and Wallace carried the team on their backs all season long. Without a clear all-star like Truluck, the team relied upon these seniors to get everyone on the team involved in each game. Each taking turns leading the Cougars when needed. Coach Bayly again demonstrated her mastery at knowing how to get the most out of her talent and get her girls to play harder than they could imagine - well done Coach. You have to love a team with great chemistry, a great work ethic and 5 Seniors who all contribute evenly. Hope you all get a chance to play on the next level.
PinellasVBParent your so full of it!!!!
I have sat back this volleyball season and read the comments posted by one "PinellasVBParent", most of which were pro PHU and nothing but negative towards Countryside, and wondered where it all came from. Why the need to single out Countryside and "analyze" them week after week? There doesnt seem to be any friction between the girls on the team, so why do the parents feel the need to use this blog as a way to stir up trouble? I also have one question for you..PinellasVBParent". When you wrote that the Countryside Seniors "carried the team on their backs all season long"... to whom were you referring?..the Juniors on the team?.. Nina Berry?Savannah Stona? Sara Wright?...Really?. Again, I just wonder how you come to these conclusions and why you feel the need to post them..and FYI.. there is a 6th Senior on the Countryside Squad you left out.. Ana Perdomo, who contributed every bit as much as the 5 you chose to address. I find your attempt to tell the team "no shame in losing to #1 rated Plant" and your compliments to the Seniors and Coach Bayly both patronizing and insincere at best.
CHS Parent
AMEN...You said that right....
Pinellas VB Parent likes to start trouble and has nothing better to do..
CSide Congratulations on all of your wins! You have a team that has a very positive group of girls. Only difference is you played Plant one week before PHU. CSide is a fun team to watch and play. What will PHU do next year without their 2 Sr's that carried the team on their backs all season???
Can't wait to watch next year!!!
Whining from c-siders? Say it aint so!
CONGRATS TO CSIDE ON AN AWESOME YEAR!!!
one of the most underrated players on this team if not in the county is Alexis Rouselle. She never gets the attention that she deservres and just continues to work hard and play for her team! She is one of the unsung heros of this team. with out her this team would not have been as succeful the last 2 yrs. She is an awesome player and a great teammate. She is the first person there to encourage someone having an off game.
To cotinue on Lexi she is one of the best two liberos in the county (along with andria tagerelli from east lake) alexis and davi split pass half there server recieves a very difficult thing to do which mean she is covering half the court alone!
i wanted this chance for everyone to know how much lexi has ment to countryside over the last three years!!
strange how little attention the libero gets on a team all about passing!!
lexi you are an amazing volleyball player and an amazing teammate!! also a captain for the cougars she is always there for her team (also lexi is brillant for those who dont know and is ranked in the top 3 of her class!)
Great Job Lexi!!! you had amazing years at CSide!!
also great job to all the seniors!!
GO COUGARS
Great season Cougar girls. You started the season underrated at #9 and climbed to #4, your individual stats are always up their in the top (and yes naysayers, pretty sure they're accurate as the stat takers have played and coached volleyball for many years), and your overall record speaks for itself. You girls overcame height, controversy, hostile gyms, illness, and injury. All of these things never got you down!All the while you developed relationships with each other on and off the court that i'm sure some will last a lifetime. No matter who was playing and who was sitting the bench, you all remained a team throughout it all. I am so proud that I was able to share in this season with all of you, and I thank the coaches, supporters, players, and their parents for making it an incredible experience!
Anybody else notice how most of the stories involving Countryside High Girls Volleyball generate a lot of comments? Lots of haters out there. What a shame. Just my observation...