The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers are unstoppable in conference play. The Lady Rattlers and head coach Tony Trifonov have brought home another MEAC trophy for their sixth time in a row. The Lady Rattlers defeated the Morgan State Lady Bears, in a 3-0 match for the MEAC title.
However, preparing for the game was not a walk in the park for some of the players. Rosa Rojas, leading MEAC libero said she realized how important this game was for her and the teammates since a loss would mean they could not play together again. “This wasn’t easy for me because it may have been my final game, and it also qualifies us for the playoffs,” Rojas said. Despite a few of the player’s jitters, freshman Maria Gomez, was cool initially until that final game. “Everything in thing we did in the conference lies on that game,” said outside hitter Gomez. After the tournament Gomez said that the team’s performance was amazing and each player played her part well. Middle blocker, Iva Lakic was excited about the NCAA and felt that their performance was outstanding. “This was not really easy for me, but I pulled it through,” Lakic said. Before the game, senior Maria Andonova retrieved her award for 2006 MEAC Player of the Year, for her second year in a row and sophomore Marrita Royster-Crockett was named outstanding tournament performer. “I really grew a lot this year,” Andonova said. Outside hitter Andonova, contributed to the team while leading the MEAC in kills per game, hitting percentage, and points per game in the tournament and through out the season. Andonova said that the team’s chemistry this year has been the best in the three years she has played she has played for FAMU. “I believe our friendship amongst each other definitely affects our performance,” Andonova said. Rojas said she was excited that the Lady Rattlers brought home another MEAC trophy because she said she won’t get the joy of playing in any MEAC tournament. Although Royster-Crockett is a sophomore to the floor, she ranks No. 26 in the nation with kills per game and No.2 in the MEAC. She finished the game against the Lady Bears with 12 kills and 9 digs. “I have always had confidence in my team and myself and I’m preparing to move forward to the playoffs,” Royster-Crockett said.