Florida A&M shut out North Carolina A&T 3-0 in a MEAC conference match (25-11, 25-20, 25-22) Sunday.
Sophomore outside hitter Yeisha Arcia lead the game in kills with a total of 17. Sophomore middle blocker Ginna Lopez-Chavez and Senior outside hitter Katherine Huanec followed Arcia, both having 10 kills.
In the first set, the Lady Rattlers (7-6) came out with a burst of energy, racking up 16 team kills and beating the Lady Aggies (2-17) by 14.
The Lady Rattlers lost some of their momentu in the second set. As a result, the Lady Aggies, who only had 3 kills, boasted 13 in the second set.
“The first set we had a lot of energy,” Arcia said. “I think we got too comfortable and thought we could beat them easily but they showed us they could play.”
Though NCAT was making a comeback, FAMU overcame NCAT in the second set, 25-20.
NCAT’s rise in intensity kept the third match competitive.The Lady Aggies scored an additional 15 kills by placing balls and hitting off the Lady Rattlers blocks.
“We started dead but in the second and third set we picked up intensity,” said Lady Aggies sophomore middle blocker Aleena McDaniel. “We continued to communicate, and we got more aggressive.”
The Lady Rattlers fought hard and won the third match by three points (25-22).
“Our communication was good, we cheered every point, Huanec said. “In the second set we were down but in the third set we picked it back up.”
Head coach Tanio Trifonov said he wants to see his hitters improve their percentages.
“Yeisha and Ginna have been putting balls away,” Trifonov said. “Katherine’s hitting percentage has dropped and some of the other hitters are inconsistent. We need to improve our hitting, and we need to keep our intensity the entire game.”
The Lady Rattlera will take on the Bethune Cookman University Lady Wildcats Oct. 11, in Orlando.