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Volleyball: Berkeley Prep dispatches rival in straight sets

 
Published Aug. 28, 2015

TAMPA — Berkeley Prep kicked off the season in style, easily dispatching visiting Tampa Prep 25-13, 25-15, 25-17 in both team's season opener on Thursday.

Berkeley Prep looked sharp from the onset, combining crisp passing with overpowering play on the wings. The Bucs defense was equally impressive, making several key athletic digs to keep rallies alive.

Jenna Hampton, who finished with a team-high 12 kills, led the Bucs' offense. The Penn State commit drew raves from coach John Coup following the match.

"She's one of those generational players," he said. "She goes hard every single play. She never stops. And she's a good kid."

Berkeley Prep started off on fire in Game 1 and never looked back, building a 17-1 lead.

"I like coming out strong," Hampton said. "We know they want to beat us. Everyone wants to beat us. It's really fun beating our rivals."

Game 2 was much closer. But with the score tied at 11, Madison Jenkins gave the Bucs the lead for good with a kill. Emma Calverley then won a joust at the net for the game point and a 2-0 Bucs lead.

"We had a good mind-set coming out," Coup said. "Then they started to push us in Game 2, and I don't think we were as crisp."

Berkeley Prep never trailed in the third game and had runs of three or more straight points. Sofia Florin finished with five kills for the Bucs while Grace Varsames recorded three of Berkeley Prep's eight aces. Tampa Prep was led by a match-high 13 kills from Alana Nelson.