Volleyball fans near and far came to show their support as the Lady Rattlers beat their rival, the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman College.
The stands were full as the Lady Rattlers defeated BCC (30-14, 30-9, 30-9). “Point FAMU” was all you heard through Gaither Gymnasium as the Lady Rattlers destroyed BCC in the first three matches.
The Lady Wildcats fought hard but had a difficult time returning the powerful serves of the defending MEAC champions. The Lady Rattlers held the Wildcats to a negative 0.41 hitting percentage.
Both Terra Wagner and Vonetta Simpson led the third-ranked Wildcats with three kills each.
The floor diving, junior middle blocker Maria Andonova, led the Lady Rattlers into action.
Andonova contributed 10 kills toward the team’s win over BCC. She was also named the MEAC Player of the Week for her performance in the game.
Senior offensive hitter and teammate Adriana Kostadinova followed up with nine kills and seven aces.
The Lady Rattlers all agreed that the crowd at Wednesday night’s game made them play even harder.
“It feels good to play in front of a big crowd and it makes you play more intense,” Kostadinova said.
Senior middle blocker, Jayli Jackson, said it made the team feel good knowing they had FAMU’s support.
“We tried to give our fellow Rattlers a good game,” Jackson said.
The number one MEAC ranked Lady Rattlers continue to use MEAC games for practice.
“We worked on faster offense and more efficient defense tonight,” Jackson said.
The players were pleased with their performances, but head coach Tony Trifonov thought otherwise.
“I think we are going through the motions,” Trifonov said.
Trifinov says that the game against BCC was special because it was a rival game but when you’re almost certain of the outcome, it’s hard to get excited.
The four-time champions face a difficult foe Nov. 7, as they face the University of Southern Mississippi Lady Golden Eagles.
Head coach Trifonov says those type of games worry him a little because the competition is better.
“If we’re not careful, we can be in for an unpleasant surprise,” Trifonov said.
Prior to Wednesday’s victory, the Lady Ratters were named to the number one spot in the MEAC volleyball championship seeding for the seventh consecutive year.
The championship tournament is set to take place Thursday, Nov. 17 through Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Sportsplex in Greensboro, N.C.
The undefeated champions have won 43 consecutive conference matches. They are champions of four straight MEAC tournament titles and have won five of the last six MEAC championships.
The Lady Rattlers remain undefeated in the MEAC this season with a record of 10-0.
” Every team in the MEAC gives us everything they’ve got hoping that they can beat us,” Jackson said.
The next and final home game in Gaither Gym, also the Lady Rattlers Senior Night, is set to take place Friday, Nov. 11, at 6 p.m.
The Lady Rattlers play against the Lady Bulldogs of South Carolina State University.
Also for this game, the Sports Marketing Department graduate students are asking as many students as possible to show up, as they are attempting to break the MEAC record for volleyball attendance.
Contact Quidara Russell at thefamuansports@hotmail.com