FHSAA denies Baby a spot with Berkeley Prep

If Berkeley Prep makes the state volleyball tournament this season, it will be without a key addition.

By BOB PUTNAM
Published July 5, 2005

County player of the year who transferred from Clearwater to Berkeley Prep, will not be able to play after the Florida High School Athletic Association denied her appeal.

Baby, a 5-foot-7 setter, enrolled at Berkeley Prep in January and hoped to compete with the Buccaneers as a senior this season.

She needed permission from the FHSAA because Berkeley Prep is coached by Randy Dagostino, who coached Baby in club volleyball for the Tampa Bay Juniors.

According to FHSAA bylaws, under such circumstances the Tampa Bay Juniors team would be considered affiliated with Berkeley Prep, and if a student competes for such a team, then transfers to the affiliated school, it is considered "prima facie evidence" of recruiting.

Baby presented her case before an FHSAA appeals committee three weeks ago, insisting academics, not recruiting, was the impetus behind her decision to attend Berkeley Prep.

Baby's father, Jamie, said in December the move to the volleyball powerhouse Buccaneers was a "nonvolleyball related issue" and added the academic opportunities were too good to pass up.

The FHSAA didn't budge. After a 6-6 tie, the vote came down to the associate's commissioner, John A. Stewart, who turned down the appeal.

"I'm pretty disappointed with the decision," Baby said. "I thought we made a strong case."

Jamie Baby said her daughter would stay at Berkeley Prep, meaning her high school career appears to be over.

"It's a sacrifice for our family to have Sloane come here," Baby said. "It was tough to take, being turned down by the appeals committee. We're looking at exploring other avenues to allow her to play. But Sloane won't be going back to Clearwater. It's just not a good social setting for her."

Last summer, Baby made a name for herself by helping the Tampa Bay Juniors 16 team become the first Florida team to win a National Junior Olympic Championship. She also earned All-America honors with the Team Florida High Performance team.

After that, Baby led Clearwater to conference and district championships while earning all-tournament honors at the prestigious Tampa Bay Invitational. She finished her junior season with a team-best 351 digs and a county-best 1,085 assists. She also had 160 kills, 53 aces and 25 blocks.

Baby will continue to play for the Tampa Bay Juniors and is heading to Salt Lake City this week to compete in the Junior Olympic tournament.

"It's not like I have to give up volleyball completely," Baby said. "It just would have been nice to play at the high school level. I think the hardest part will be watching games next year from the stands.'

[Last modified July 5, 2005, 19:04:35]