Only two new teams broke into the rankings this week, but with a lot of big matchups in the coming days, things could shake up in no time. Bloomingdale and Tampa Prep, now our No. 1 team, each have a rivalry match Tuesday, with the Bulls taking on district rival Plant and the Terrapins hosting Tampa Bay’s other volleyball giant, Berkeley Prep. Top-ranked CCC will also have its work cut out for it this weekend at the Berkeley Premier, a tournament that brings some of the best talent in the state.
1. Tampa Prep (8-0)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, vs. Berkeley Prep
Lowdown: One of just two undefeated Tampa Bay teams, the Terrapins should have their hardest week yet, taking on the Bucs before entering this weekend’s Berkeley Premier.
2. Clearwater Central Catholic (4-3)
Upcoming matches: Weekend, at Berkeley Premier
Lowdown: Coming off a 2-3 showing at the OVA High School Showcase, the Marauders go right into another tough tournament, the Berkeley Premier. All of these tournaments are CCC coach Stephen Shepherd’s plan of having his team ready for postseason.
3. Bloomingdale (11-1)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, vs. Plant; Thursday at Riverview
Lowdown: The Bulls continued their streak with sweeps of Newsome and Alonso. They enter Tuesday’s game against Plant with a 4-0 district record.
4. Calvary Christian (9-1)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, at Holy Names; Thursday, at Indian Rocks Christian
Lowdown: Hard to believe the Warriors will have a tougher week than last week. There was a five-game loss to CCC, a five-game win over Northside Christian and five straight wins at the Karl Flammer tournament.
5. Sunlake (7-0)
Upcoming matches: Thursday, at Tarpon Springs
Lowdown: The Seahawks have proven to be one of the top teams on the North Suncoast, with senior outside hitter Sarah Sprague leading the way with 88 kills, an average of more than 12 per match.
6. River Ridge (5-1)
Upcoming matches: Monday, vs. Central; Thursday, vs. Anclote
Lowdown: After a loss to Wiregrass Ranch, the Knights rebounded with a close win against Tarpon Springs and remain one of three 5A-8 teams tied for the top spot in the district.
7. Fivay (5-1)
Upcoming matches: Wednesday, vs. Wesley Chapel; Thursday, at Dunedin
Lowdown: The Falcons had their first loss of the season against Anclote last week, but are still competitive in a strong district.
8. Palm Harbor University (4-0)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, vs. Manatee; Thursday, vs. East Lake
Lowdown: The Hurricanes are flying under the radar a bit, but this is a good team. Manatee is a district match, and East Lake is a neighborhood rival.
9. Carrollwood Day (3-0)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, at Academy at the Lakes; Sept. 22, at Lakeland Christian
Lowdown: The Patriots are in the middle of a lengthy break in action, giving them plenty of time to prepare for an undefeated Lakeland Christian team.
10. Seminole (5-1)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, at East Lake; Wednesday, at PCAC tournament
Lowdown: The only loss was to PHU. All five wins have been sweeps for Warhawks.
11. Bishop McLaughlin (6-1)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, vs. Brooks DeBartolo
Lowdown: Bishop McLaughlin might be rebuilding, but it finished a respectable 3-1 in its tournament this weekend, losing 2-0 to a one-loss Seven Rivers Christian team.
12. Mitchell (5-1)
Upcoming matches: Monday, at Land O’Lakes; Tuesday, vs. Largo; Thursday, vs. Pasco
Lowdown: Considering the Mustangs’ only loss this season was to undefeated Sunlake in its opener, we’d say Mitchell is on a roll.
13. Plant (3-1)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, at Bloomingdale; Thursday, at Wharton
Lowdown: Plant cruised through district play last week, but will certainly be tested against No. 3 Bloomingdale and No. 20 Wharton.
14. Academy of the Holy Names (5-4)
Upcoming match: Tuesday, vs. Calvary Christian; weekend, at Berkeley Premier
Lowdown: The Jaguars were swept by a nationally-ranked Venice team last week, and they’ll continue to be challenged by Calvary Christian and in the Berkeley Premier this weekend.
15. Steinbrenner (5-4)
Upcoming matches: Monday, at Gaither; Wednesday, vs. Freedom
Lowdown: The Warriors lost three straight games in the AHN tournament, but rebounded with a sweep of a solid Sickles team.
16. Berkeley Prep (5-3)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, at Tampa Prep; weekend, Berkeley Premier
Lowdown: The Bucs will try to avenge last year’s 3-0 loss to the Terrapins.
17. Newsome (6-4)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, at Wharton; Thursday, vs. Alonso
Lowdown: Newsome might be .500 in its district, but the Wolves did have some bright spots in their loss to rival Bloomingdale last Thursday.
18. St. Petersburg (2-2)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, vs. Sarasota Riverview, Wednesday, vs. Pinellas Park
Lowdown: A light week for the Green Devils, who will try to rebound from a straight-games loss to Palm Harbor.
19. Cambridge Christian (9-1)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, vs. Tampa Bay HEAT; Thursday, at Academy at the Lakes
Lowdown: Cambridge Christian hasn’t faced the most challenging competition. Still, the Lancers have dropped just three games in their nine wins.
20. Wharton (4-1)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, vs. Newsome; Thursday, vs. Plant
Lowdown: The Wildcats had two district sweeps last week and will play for two more in the week to come.
21. Hernando (5-1)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, vs. Nature Coast; Thursday, vs. Wesley Chapel
Lowdown: Hernando finished last week with wins against ranked Pasco and Weeki Wachee teams. Next up: a pair of district matches for the Leopards, 5-0 in 5A-7 play.
22. Tampa Catholic (5-2)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, at Cardinal Mooney; Friday, vs. Academy at the Lakes
Lowdown: Tampa Catholic has proven it can pull out wins, taking two matches in five sets. Time will tell, though, how the Crusaders, who have yet to play any 4A-10 matches, will fare in a tough district.
23. Wiregrass Ranch (5-2)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, vs. Land O’Lakes; Wednesday, at Sickles
Lowdown: The Bulls had three wins last week, including one against River Ridge, and will have the chance at three more before taking on district rival Steinbrenner on Sept. 23.
24. Seffner Christian (6-3)
Upcoming matches: Monday, vs. Academy at the Lakes
Lowdown: New to the rankings, Seffner Christian earned its spot with marquee wins against Tampa Bay HEAT and Indian Rocks Christian.
25. Pasco (4-5)
Upcoming matches: Tuesday, at Wesley Chapel; Wednesday, vs. Nature Coast; Thursday, at Mitchell
Lowdown: After winning four straight, Pasco lost three straight last week. Still, the Pirates have proven they’ve got talent and have a chance to show it in district matches this week.
In the conversation: East Lake (2-2), King (4-1), Durant (3-4), Northside Christian (4-3), Strawberry Crest (6-1), Springstead (3-1)