LAKELAND - It has been a historical year for the Berkeley Prep and Plant High volleyball teams.

Plant (27-3), the two-time defending Class 5A state champions, entered the season ranked No. 2 in the country by ESPN. In October, the Panthers traveled to Chicago to represent Florida at the Nike Challenge, a 25-team tournament featuring the top teams in the nation.

Berkeley Prep (27-2) was ranked No. 63 in the preseason by Prepvolleyball.com but defeated Plant in the highly regarded Berkeley Premier tournament and jumped to 15th. The Buccaneers, led by Coach Randy Dagostino, a member of the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame, enters the state tournament with its best record since 2003, the last year it won a state title.

Berkeley has 12 overall state titles; Plant has seven, five this decade.

The storied programs will try to bring home another state title beginning this afternoon inside George Jenkins Arena at The Lakeland Center.

Berkeley Prep will face Miami Florida Christian in the Class 3A semifinals at 4. Plant will play Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 5A semifinals at 8.

Both teams are led by All-America candidates.

Notre Dame-bound senior setter/libero Christina Theofilos, who was recently awarded the Rose Diaz Award by the Hillsborough County Volleyball Officials Association and named a Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star, leads Berkeley in assists (506), digs (363) and aces (47).

Junior middle hitter Lindsay Young, named one of the top juniors in the country by PrepVolleyball.com, has 232 kills for Berkeley, while freshman Jordan Burgess leads the team with 326 kills.

Plant is led by James Madison-bound senior hitter Danielle Erb (306 kills) and junior hitter Maddie Martin (159 kills), a 2007 All-America honorable mention selection who has committed to Penn State.

Reporter Nick Williams can be reached at (813) 865-4848.

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