Florida A&M head volleyball coach Tony Trifonov isn’t overly concerned with his team’s 6-7 overall record to start the season.
For the Rattlers, winners of the previous eight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships, it’s all about the finish.
“The rankings of the teams that we’re playing are much higher in the beginning of the season than later on down the line,” Trifonov said.
Under Trifonov, the Rattlers have traditionally played a tough non-conference schedule against some of the top programs in the country. Now it is time to get into the meat of the MEAC schedule. FAMU is already 2-0 in the conference with 3-0 victory at Norfolk State Sunday and a win against South Carolina State Monday.
Conference opponents haven’t put up must resistance against the Rattlers in the past eight years, but Trifonov said that doesn’t mean his teams take conference play lightly
“It’s not going to be a cake walk, and we’re going to play every game hard,” Trifonov said.
Trifonov has been pleased with the team’s cohesiveness this season and the players’ resolve to fight through injuries.
“As with any sport, injuries come with the sport, but it’s nothing,” said senior Maria Gomez.
“The main focus is to take [the season] one game at a time.”
The FAMU volleyball team has been practicing daily in the Multipurpose Gym focusing on the drills Trifonov thinks will help this young team survive at this year’s tournament.
“We are progressively doing better,” said junior Jessica Bond. “That’s what we are really working on, getting better as a team. The plan is to win that ninth championship in a row.”
Junior Chelsea Pennick believes that the team is on the right track to success.
“I think it’s going good,” Pennick said. “We have a little more work together to get better as a team, but hopefully we will be able to bring back another championship.”