Thursday night, FHSAA spokesperson Cristina Alvarez said three Brandon volleyball players who transferred from Bloomingdale had been ruled ineligible under FHSAA bylaw 11.4.12, which states “participation by a student in non-school athletics (i.e. AAU, American Legion, club settings, etc.) on a team that is affiliated with any school other than the school which the student attends, or attended the prior year, followed by enrollment by that student in the affiliated school shall be considered prima facie evidence of recruiting by the school to which that student enrolled, or that the student enrolled in that school in whole or in part for athletic reasons.”

Alvarez said the players would present their case before the Sectional Appeals Committee Friday, but also said the program is not under investigation.

After the hearing in Bartow Friday, Brandon coach Amy Watson said one player, a projected starter, was cleared to play while the other two were denied. Watson said the two players will present their case again on Oct. 10.

“In all three hearings, the FHSAA said there were no recruiting violations,” Watson said. “Two of them played on my (AAU) club this past season. They were ruled ineligible for prior contact.”

The Brandon volleyball team is currently competing in the KSA Classic tournament at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.

Brandon, one of the top programs in Hillsborough County, reached the Class 5A region final last year.