The Lady Rattler volleyball team defeated MEAC rival Norfolk State 30-12, 30-7, 30-13, Saturday improving to an 8-2 record, and remaining unbeaten in the conference.
It may not have been the way Head Coach Tony Trifonov would have liked to beat the Spartans, but a win is a win.
“There was no competition,” Trifonov said about their 0-12 opponent. “It’s difficult to motivate the players in a situation like this.”
Trifonov noted defense and ball handling as some of the stronger parts that keep the team winning.
Andreina Ruiz led the team with 13 blocks. Adriana Kostadinova and Ruiz led the team with 13 kills apiece and the team had 48 total.
The one part of the game Trifonov said his team could have improved on was blocking. Kostadinova and Giulianna Velorio each had one for a team total of two.
Depth is also something that Trifonov attributes to why his team keeps on winning. Each team member played in at least one game, each making a positive effect on the outcome.
The volleyball team is on a five-game winning streak heading into their re-match with Norfolk State on Friday. The Lady Rattlers losses came earlier in the season against Ohio University and Michigan State University.
The Lady Rattlers are about one-third of the way through their season. The team will travel to Virginia to play Norfolk State on Friday.
Then, before a block of playing MEAC rivals, FAMU will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. to take on the University of North Carolina in what Trifonov considers a “must win.”
“We need that win order to get a good seed in the (NCAA) Tournament,” Trifonov said.
Trifonov said receiving a higher ranking is one of the goals the Florida A&M volleyball team.
Having a good seed in the NCAA Volleyball tournament, which will be held this December, is something that the volleyball team is striving for.
The team has already defeated University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which was ranked no. 2 in the nation at the time and playing tough Division I-A schools, such Ohio University and Michigan State will bode well for them later in the season.
Contact Daana Burnette at sweetdaana@earthlink.com.