No. 4 ACADEMY OF HOLY NAMES JAGUARS (12-3) at No. 3 BERKELEY PREP BUCCANEERS (9-3)

When: Thursday, September 21, 2016, 7:00 P.M.

Where: Berkeley Prepatory School, 4811 Kelly Rd, Tampa, FL 33615

TV: BHSN (Channel 47 and HD 1147)

Coaches: ACADEMY OF HOLY NAMES - Laura Praetorius (1 season at Holy Names, 5th overall, 92-34); BERKELEY PREP - Randy Dagostino (29th overall season at Berkeley Prep, 849-168)

How they match up:

Academy of Holy Names begins it's third consecutive season with a new head coach at the helm of the volleyball program. After four successful seasons at Steinbrenner, Laura Praetorius takes over for the Jaguars. Senior outside hitter Camille Opp just passed 700 career kills and is one of the most versatile players on the court for her team. The Manhattan College commit ia professional model and fell in love with New York on a recent trip up north for NYC Fashion Week. Fellow senior Kendall Bulleit enters Thursday night's matchup with 1,669 career assists and has the ability to control the game from the service line as well.  Senior libero Ashley Lambert helps keep plays alive for the heavy hitters as she has recorded 203 digs on the season.The Jaguars enter this match on a 3-match winning streak after a strong finish at the Berkeley Premiere Tournament this past weekend.

The first two words to describe this Berkeley Prep team are: Jenna Hampton. The junior captain is an outside hitter who will be continuing her career at Penn State. Hampton already has 546 career kills and 555 career digs in less than three complete seasons as a Buc. Coach Dagostino calls her "the real deal" and is excited to see her continue to develop, which is a scary thought considering how good Jenna already is at this stage of her game. Another future Nittany Lion is junior Amanda Phegley, who enters Thursday night with 87 kills so far this season. Phegley is known to have a "wicked fast" arm and should be a big contributor in attacking the net against the Jaguars. Senior libero Zoe Gries will head out west after this season and be a preferred walk-on for the USC Trojans. She has recorded 82 digs on the season.

Serve, set and volley:

1. Dad-Daughter Combo: Randy Dagostino (winner of 15 state championships at Berkelely Prep) will have his daughter, Mackenzie, with him on the sidelines. She is a recent Florida grad and recorded over 2,700 assists as a Gator. The two helped lead Berkeley Prep for 3 straight state titles from 2009-2011, before Mackenzie graduated and Randy retired from the girls game.

2. Ein-Steinbrenner: In Four seasons at Steinbrenner, Laura Praetroius took the Warriors to new heights with three district titles and back-to-back state semifinal appearances in 2013 and 2014. Praetorius also helped start Tampa Elite volleyball club with her husband. She is known for her smarts and ability to put players in winning situations, whether in club or high school volleyball.

3. Tough District: Both coaches acknowledged that Class 5A-District 9 is not an easy place to reside. BHSN's current number one team, the CCC Marauders, are in this district and have already beaten Academy of Holy Names. Coach Praetorius paid the ultimate complement saying that if any of the three teams (Holy Names, CCC, or Berkeley Prep) were in another district, that team would cruise to a district title and make it deep in state competition.