TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | After a slate of non-conference tournaments it's finally time for the Florida A&M volleyball team to kick off its first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) season. The Rattlers begin conference play this weekend against Jackson State on Friday (Sep. 24) and Mississippi Valley State on Saturday (Sep. 25). 

Match 1: Florida A&M at Jackson State 
-Friday, September 24 - 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT

Match 2: Florida A&M vs. Mississippi Valley State
- Saturday, September 25 - 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT  

About the Rattlers

- The Rattlers' 3-2 win versus Auburn last weekend marked the program's first win against a Power 5 school since 2006 when they beat Miami 3-2. The win also handed the Tigers their first loss of the season. 

- The Rattlers concluded their non-conference schedule with a perfect weekend at the Auburn Invite; action featured a 3-2 success over the tournament host and back-to-back sweeps over Belmont and Nicholls State 

- FAMU holds the No. 1 spot in the SWAC in several statistical categories including hitting percentage (.232), match win-loss percentage (.667), assists (512), kills (571), and digs (772). 

- The team enters SWAC play with a record of 8-4; five of the victories were sweeps.   

- FAMU has one of the top offensive players in the nation in Dominique Washington. She currently ranks second in kills (225) and third in kills per set (5.23). Washington is the only athlete in the SWAC with more than 100 kills. 

- Jessa Long sits atop the SWAC with 5.56 digs per set and 239 total digs, which also ranks eighth and tenth in the country, respectively. 

- Washington, Kaila Todd, and Isis Williams have been forces at the net, and enter conference play with 21.0, 20.0, and 17.0 blocks, respectively. 

Scouting the Tigers

- Jackson State holds a 0-10 record, having been swept in five contests. 

-  Jackson State sits in third among SWAC teams in assists per game (9.57) and kills per set (10.37). 

- Team leaders include Alexis Williams (96 kills), Damassy Thompson (208 assists), Trinity Bryant (96 digs), and Taila Gaines (20 blocks). 
 

Scouting the Devilettes

- The Devilettes are 1-3 on the season coming off a sweep of Tougaloo College (Miss.) on September 11.

- They are playing their first home matches of the season against Bethune-Cookman Friday and the Rattlers Saturday. 

- Chardea Berthelot commands the offense with a team-high 15 kills, followed by Victoria Mallard's 13. 

- Kiya Garza leads the team in digs with 43, while Destini Banks and Chardea Berthelot are tied for a team-high four blocks.

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