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HomeTeam 25: Volleyball rankings for Tampa Bay

 
TAMPA - Berkeley Prep senior Isabella Samson looks for an opening against Walton High from Georgia during the championship final on Saturday at the Berkeley Premier tournament. Walton, ranked No. 1 in the country by maxpreps.com, went on to defeat the Bucs 25-16, 25-18. Taken 9-16-17 by Scott Purks
TAMPA - Berkeley Prep senior Isabella Samson looks for an opening against Walton High from Georgia during the championship final on Saturday at the Berkeley Premier tournament. Walton, ranked No. 1 in the country by maxpreps.com, went on to defeat the Bucs 25-16, 25-18. Taken 9-16-17 by Scott Purks
Published Sept. 19, 2017

1. Plant (2-0)

This week: Friday-Saturday at Venice tournament

The buzz: The Panthers have not played a match in September due to the hurricane. Clearly, they are anxious to get back on the court. As expected, junior Camryn Vogler is the top hitter for a potent offense that needs to shake off the rust.

2. Berkeley Prep (6-1)

This week: Today at Academy of the Holy Names,

The buzz: The Bucs lost in the final of the Berkeley Premier to Georgia Walton, the top team in the country according to MaxPreps. No big deal. The only match this week is today before they leave for a tournament in Chicago.

3. Palm Harbor University (3-0)

This week: Today at Pinellas Park, Thursday vs. St. Petersburg

The buzz: The hurricane cancelled two marquee matches for the Hurricanes, Berkeley Prep and East Lake. PHU knows it's good, but just how good remains to be seen. St. Petersburg will be a good challenge.

4. Mitchell (6-1)

This week: Today at Wiregrass Ranch, Thursday at Land O'Lakes

The buzz: The Mustangs played in the Berkeley Premier and did pretty well. The only loss was in pool play against Miami Westminster Christian, and that was in three games. Two tough road matches await this week for a team that actually has some recent matches under its belt.

5. Clearwater (4-0)

This week: Today vs. Boca Ciega, Thursday vs. East Lake

The buzz: Like most teams, Clearwater hasn't been able to play much in the past few weeks. This week's highlight is a home match against East Lake. The Tornadoes have spread out their attacking between Hailey Bosetti, Olivia Jones, Mariah Ramirez, Sasha Tomak and Kyleigh Dunn.

6. Carrollwood Day (8-2)

This week: Today at Tampa Prep, Thursday at Calvary Christian

The buzz: A busy week for the Patriots. After going 3-2 at the Berkeley tournament, they defeated Lakeland Christian on Monday in straight games. Two more challenges await for a team with a lot of weapons and depth.

7. Wiregrass Ranch (6-1)

This week: Today vs. Mitchell, Thursday at Zephyrhills, Friday vs. University

The buzz: The Bulls had their five-game win streak broken in a 3-1 loss to Tampa Prep. Some tough ones await this week, especially the Mitchell match. Jaizah Anderson and Destanie Aydt both have 38 kills so far.

8. Fivay (4-2)

This week: Today vs. Gulf, Thursday vs. Wesley Chapel

The buzz: The Falcons got two matches in last week at the Winter Park tournament and went 1-1. This week features two district matches. Kirbea Harrell continues to be the main offensive threat. She also has 96 digs.

9. Tarpon Springs (7-0)

This week: Today at Osceola, Thursday at Gibbs

The buzz: The Spongers are rolling to start the season. They got a nice win over St. Petersburg on Sept. 6 and haven't played since. Gabby Kennedy and Jill Foster have been standouts so far.

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10. Tampa Catholic (7-2)

This week: Today at Clearwater Central Catholic, Wednesday at Land O'Lakes, Friday-Saturday at AHN tournament.

The buzz: The Crusaders won four matches at the Lake Highland Showcase two weeks ago. That was followed by an impressive 3-0 win over Calvary Christian. Junior Elissa Alcantara has been the go-to player at the net with 81 kills. Senior Olivia Wilson has added 56 kills.

11. Clearwater Central Catholic (1-1)

This week: Tuesday vs. Tampa Catholic, Thursday vs. Cypress Creek, Friday-Saturday at Out-of-Door Invitational

The buzz: The Marauders dropped a five-game match Sept. 5 to Sarasota Cardinal Mooney, a Class 5A, District 9 match. They have started slowly, but the schedule picks up now.

12. Steinbrenner (7-3)

This week: No matches scheduled

The buzz: The Warriors played in the Lake Highland Showcase two weeks ago and fared well. They went 3-2 in the tournament after dropping their first two matches. That was followed by a loss to Wharton, so they are hoping to bounce back after a long break.

13. Northside Christian (4-0)

This week: Today at Shorecrest, Thursday vs. Tampa Prep

The buzz: Northside narrowly defeated Class 4A, District 4 opponent Seffner Christian 3-2 prior to the storm, it's last match played. It's right back at it after the break with two tough matches this week.

14. Bloomingdale (4-1)

This week: Today vs. Strawberry Crest

The buzz: The lone loss was to Plant. The Bulls have quality wins over Wharton and Robinson. Senior Gabrielle Culhane leads the team with 41 kills.

15. Nature Coast (4-1)

This week: Today vs. Lecanto, Thursday at Hernando

The buzz: Both matches this week are against Class 6A, District 7 opponents. The Sharks lost to Lecanto in five games the last time they played on Aug. 29. Not many matches have been played since then, so both teams should be fresh.

16. Tampa Bay HEAT (5-1)

This week: Today at Bishop McLaughlin,

The buzz: The HEAT won four straight after losing to Carrollwood Day. That includes a 3-0 win over Academy at the Lakes on Sept. 5, the last time they played. Abigail Casiano has 55 kills and Madison Lee has added 51 to lead the team.

17. Indian Rocks Christian (3-2)

This week: Today at Calvary Christian, Thursday vs. Shorecrest

The buzz: The Golden Eagles followed a nice win over Holy Names with a five-game loss to Seffner Christian prior to the storm. IRC has good senior leadership with Rachael Difrancesco, Ellie Burris and Reese Touma so they should right the ship.

18. Robinson (3-1)

This week: Friday-Saturday at AHN tournament

The buzz: It will be a while before the Knights play again. And when they do it will be against good competition at the AHN tournament. Interesting to see how much the layoff affects their play.

19. Land O'Lakes (6-1)

This week: Today vs. Sunlake, Wednesday vs. Tampa Catholic, Thursday vs. Mitchell

The buzz: The lone loss for the Gators was against Mitchell, so no shame there. They hit the ground running after the storm with four straight matches this week. None of them are pushovers.

20. St. Petersburg (3-2)

This week: Today vs. Seminole, Thursday at PHU

The buzz: The Green Devils picked up a nice district win over East Lake before the storm hit. Then came a loss to Tarpon Springs. Senior Brooke Dolan has 25 kills to lead the team.

21. Academy of the Holy Names (3-1)

This week: Today vs. Berkeley Prep, Friday-Saturday at AHN tournament

The buzz: Like most teams, the Jaguars haven't been able to play much. This week will be different, with challenging matches just about every day.

22. King (5-0)

This week: No matches scheduled

The buzz: The Lions are off to a roaring start. They have won three straight Class 7A, District 7 matches, all in straight games. Senior Taylor Wooldridge has been big at the net with 63 kills. Junior Stephanie Mohler isn't far behind with 51.

23. Bishop McLaughlin (6-1)

This week: Today vs. Tampa Bay HEAT

The buzz: The Hurricanes got in a match on Friday, a 3-1 win over Academy at the Lakes. They have won five straight after losing to the HEAT on Aug. 22.

24. Tampa Prep (6-6)

This week: Today vs. Carrollwood Day, Thursday at Northside Christian, Friday-Saturday at AHN tournament.

The buzz: Not a good week for the Terrapins, who lost all five matches in straight games at the Berkeley Premier. Another busy week awaits and it's not easy either.

25. Seffner Christian (4-2)

This week: Today at St. Petersburg Catholic

The buzz: The Crusaders picked up a nice 3-2 win over Academy at the Lakes on Monday. The two losses thus far are to ranked teams, Tampa Prep and Northside Christian. They should keep rolling this week, but the schedule gets harder next week.

On the bubble: East Lake (5-5), Academy at the Lakes (5-3), Hillsborough (3-1), Shorecrest (2-2), Calvary Christian (1-2), Osceola (2-1), Durant (2-1)