Going into the last game of the season, members of the Florida A&M University Lady Rattlers volleyball team said they were hopeful in winning the match.
And they did.
Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. the team defeated the Bethune Cookman University Lady Wildcats in a 2-1 victory, bringing them to a 7-1 closing in the season.
Going into the first game, Maria Gomez gained the first points for the Rattlers for a kill in wildcat territory.
The Rattlers stayed strong during the first game, taking a 25-27 win over the Lady Wildcats. During the second game the Rattlers momentum slowed down by the many errors that occurred throughout the game, as the Lady Wildcats took a 25-23 victory.
Closing out the last game the Rattlers beat the Wildcats 25-16, putting them in the lead, 2-1.
“I feel I could [have] blocked more and moved faster,” said Samara Ferraz, 24, middle blocker from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “I had several difficulties while serving and mistakes with hitting the ball.”
Head coach Tony Trifonov said the team had an awful start with finances.
“With changes in scholarships and budget cuts, and line ups, it is hard for the team to survive,” Trifinov said.
The Rattlers said they have been through many enduring times this season from loss of players to games ending in injuries.
“The team has overcome hard times,” said Ferraz who according to Trifonov is the most valued player on the team this season. “We started out with 12 players, and ended the season with eight,”
The Lady Rattlers said communication and paying attention to signals is key to their victories.
“We need to work more individually on correcting our mistakes, and nothing more,” said Jovana Blazeski, 20, outside hitter from Belgrade, Serbia.
Blazeski also said that she has to work on spiking over the block and hopes everything will be better.
Closing out the season the Lady Rattlers are currently number one in the southern division of the MEAC conference.
“We have to work on our confidence, mental preparation, and learn for past experience,” Trifonov said.
This was Trifonov 250th win with the Rattlers and next week the ladies start the MEAC conference finals.