Volleyball team prepares for conference play

The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers are working out the kinks as they get prepared for their last game before conference play starts. They will play on the road in Jacksonville, Fla., Saturday against the University of North Florida Ospreys who has a record of (2-11) coming into this game.

The Lady Rattlers know this last game is very important as conference play will begin soon.

“Winning this game would be a big confidence booster for the girls,” coach Tony Trifonov said.

“This game will give us a chance to play a closer game because the more opportunities you have, the better your chances are of winning, and it gives the girls a chance to show their true character.”

Florida A&M has not registered a win this season, but the young team has plenty of confidence. The team is very confident they can bring a win back home after playing the Ospreys.

“As a team we are very confident and we feel we can put together a complete game to bring home the W,” freshmen Katelyn Kemp said.

The Lady Rattlers will have middle blocker Pamela Barrera back sparingly, as she returns from an injury. Trifonov said he will use different lineups to see which one works the best.

“We are going to try different lineups to see which one works the best because we are bringing Barrera back slowly,” Trifonov said.

“Her injury has been irreplaceable because of the fact she is the one active player at the position, so when she is out we are going to struggle a little bit.”

The Lady Rattlers are anxious to get back into game play and show their improvement.

“This game gives another opportunity to go out and work, improve to get better, and work on some skills that we need to master,” senior Jessica Bond said.

With conference play around the corner, the Lady Rattlers know this game will be a great first step when it comes to defending their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference crown.