By Rod Gipson
MaxPreps.com
It's one of the most intense rivalries in the Tampa Bay area.
It routinely is played in front of standing-room only crowds with cheerleaders and mascots in tow. Not to mention two sets of rabid fans cheering on every point.
And it's not football.
The annual Tampa Prep-Tampa Berkeley Prep volleyball meetings are high points of the early Fall sports calendar in the Bay area. And even though neither the Buccaneers or Terrapins are the powerhouses of past seasons, any Tampa Prep-Berkeley Prep match features some of the best played volleyball in the area.
The latest edition at the Tampa Prep campus was no different as Berkeley Prep topped Tampa Prep 3-1 (25-18, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19). Berkeley Prep, the Class 3A state runner-up last season, were led by libero Christina Theofilos' 21 digs and outside hitter Lindsay Young's 19 kills.
Tampa Prep was led by Alisa French's 17 kills and Alena Ransom's 10 kills, four assists and seven digs.
With the win, Berkeley Prep coach Randy Dagostino inched closer to 700 career victories. At 6-3 this season, Dagostino's career mark stands at 690-145.
The Bucs will square off with the Terrapins again on Oct. 16 at Berkeley Prep. Also, Berkeley prep hosts its annual Premier Tournament Sept. 28-29, featuring some of the state's top squads.
In addition to both the Bucs and Terrapins, the tournament will feature Tampa Plant, Tampa Academy of Holy Names and Plant City Durant.
Big Names at Tampa Gaither
Former University of Tampa and LSU women's coach George Fotopoulos has agreed to become the Tampa Gaither girls soccer team's coach. Fotopoulos will have his wife Danielle as an assistant coach.
Danielle Fotopoulos is a former player at the University of Florida and a member of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup championship team.
George, who helped lead Tampa Leto to a state championship in 1985, spent five seasons as the LSU coach before resigning in 2004.
Two Bay Area Players Selected to National Team
Clearwater Central Catholic pitcher Ryan Weber wasn't the lone Tampa-area player on the U.S. 18-and-under Junior National Team at the COPABE Pan Am "AAA" Junior Championships earlier this month in Ixtapa, Mexico.
Tampa Plant's Mychal Givens also was named to the team and started five games in Mexico as the all-star squad won four of six games. Givens, an infielder and junior at Plant, collected three hits and scored four runs during the tournament. He also posted four RBI and stole a base.
Weber was among the top hurlers at the event, going 1-1 with a 1.65 ERA. Weber, a 6-foot, 170 lb. senior right hander at CCC, struck out 14 batters in 16 innings of work.
Wolves Sweep City Relays
For the first time in its program's five year history, Lithia Newsome won the Tampa City Relays swim meet. And the Wolves didn't just win, they swept.
The Newsome girls dominated their competition to top second-place Tampa Sickles, and defending meet champ, by 40 points. The boys had a slightly tougher time but still won by 16 points, also against Sickles.
The girls were led by Kelli and Kati Kyle, who helped the Wolves take first place in three of five relay events. On the boys' side, Justin and Jason Waterman, along with Jason Taylor won three relays and placed in the top three in two more.
