Florida A&M

Rattler Volleyball Continues Homestand

10/15/2021 8:53:00 AM

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | Florida A&M volleyball continues its seven-game homestand with Alabama State (Sunday) and Alabama A&M (Monday). The matches are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.

About the Rattlers

- The Rattlers are currently working a five-game winning streak, where each resulted in a 3-0 score. Ten of their 13 wins this season were sweeps.

- They are the only team in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) with an overall record above .500 as well as the only team with double-digit wins (13). The Rattlers tie Arkansas Pine-Bluff for second in league standings with a SWAC mark of 5-1.

- The team now commands a 19-8 record at home over the last three seasons, starred by an unblemished 7-0 mark in 2017.

- Irem Ucar was named the SWAC Setter of the Week -- for the fifth time this season -- after posting 106 assists in FAMU's matches against Prairie View A&M, Alcorn State, and Southern.

- Gokhan Yilmaz secured his 50th as a head coach in the 3-0 decision over Alcorn State (Oct. 10); he compiled 17 in a single season at Charlotte and has 34 at the helm of FAMU.

- A 3-2 triumph over Auburn (Sept. 17) marked their first win against a Power 5 institution since 2006.

- Florida A&M holds the No. 1 spot in the SWAC in several statistical categories, including hitting percentage (.251), digs per set (17.07), match win-loss percentage (.722), assists (714), and kills (797).

- Dominique Washington is in the midst of a breakout season. She currently ranks 10th in the country in total kills (297) and third in kills per set (5.12). The graduate outsider hitter is also the only athlete in the SWAC with more than 250 kills.

- Defensively, Jessa Long sits atop the SWAC with 5.31 digs per set and 308 total digs, ranking 14th and 44th in the country, respectively.

Scouting the Competition

- Both teams will take on Bethune-Cookman before visiting Al Lawson Center.

- Kalysia Bates guides Alabama State (6-14, 4-2) in points (207) and total blocks (56), while Jada Rhodes adds a team-high 143 digs. Logan Horne and Alexis Ratliff recently received SWAC honors as defensive and newcomer of the week, respectively.

- Category leaders for A&M (3-15, 3-3) include Ryann Tolbert (93 points), Aerienne Acuff (119 assists), Maci Battle (108 digs), and Alondrah Santana (22 blocks).

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