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By SCOTT PURKS
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 25, 2001
TAMPA -- An inch here and there, a tip, a block, a timely pass, the smallest of things separated Tampa Prep and Berkeley Prep in last year's lone meeting.
Tampa Prep won 16-14, 16-14, 6-15, 15-13, and then Berkeley Prep coach Randy Dagostino put the match in perspective: "There wasn't much difference between the teams, just a difference on the scoreboard."
Expect more of the same tonight when one of Tampa's best prep sports rivalries, if not the best, begins tonight at 6 in Berkeley's packed gym.
"If you want to get a seat," Dagostino said, "I suggest getting there at least 30 minutes early. Otherwise you'll be standing against the wall."
The teams are only slightly different from 12 months ago. Tampa Prep returns all of its starters, while Berkeley Prep lost two key players, Sarah Kirkwood (transferred to Plant to join sister Emily) and Jen Vance (transferred to Sickles).
The Bucs, however, are deep in the talent pool, and Tampa Prep coach Paul McAdoo said he expects very little dropoff.
The real question is not if these teams are good, but if they are exceptional. Berkeley comes in 8-0, while Tampa Prep is 9-0, but both coaches say their teams haven't been tested.
Tampa Prep's Amber Langston, one of the area's hottest recruits, has fired volleyballs at opponents as if it were target practice, with no block in sight.
Until tonight. Expect Berkeley's 6-foot-1 Kayla Mora to get more than her share of contact on Langston's attack.
Overall, the coaches say they will hold back no strategy, and will hopefully learn a great deal for meetings down the road, since both schools are in the same district.
"I expect it to be another classic," McAdoo said. "Just like the old days."
Berkeley Prep (11 state titles) leads Tampa Prep (13 state championships) in the 24-year cross-town rivalry, 43-37.
"The girls from both sides know the history, and they know each other very well," McAdoo said. "I mean really, Tampa Prep vs. Berkeley Prep, a rivalry doesn't get any better than this.
"This is what it's all about."