Rattler Volleyball: 2023 SWAC Tournament Preview

The two-time defending SWAC champions clinched the No. 3 seed in the upcoming SWAC Tournament.

11/15/2023 1:46:00 PM

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | Florida A&M volleyball, the two-time defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champions, clinched the No. 3 seed in the upcoming SWAC Tournament and will take on No. 6 Grambling State in the quarterfinal round.

Tournament action is scheduled for Nov. 17-19; Prairie View A&M will serve as the event host.

Friday, Nov. 17 | 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT (Quarterfinals)
No. 3 Florida A&M vs. No. 6 Grambling State

Saturday, Nov. 18 | 5:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. CT (Semifinals)
Winner of No. 2 Prairie View A&M vs. No. 7 Texas Southern vs. Winner of No. 3 FAMU vs. No. 6 GSU

Sunday, Nov. 19 | 4 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT (Championship)

Quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be live streamed on the SWAC Digital Network.

Recapping The 2022 Season
• A year ago, Florida A&M claimed its second Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament title in a 3-0 victory over the top-seed, Alabama State – the two were crowned co-regular season champions with mirror 15-1 conference records
• The Rattlers finished the 2022 season 21-13 overall, further highlighted by a 12-match
winning spell and 15 straight-set victories

Season Highlights … So Far
• FAMU (16-13, 12-4) concluded its regular season on a six-match winning streak; the first five successes finished 3-0
• Brooke Lynn Watts has recorded a team-high 11 double-doubles this season; she amassed her 1,000th career kill in the Rattlers' 3-1 win over Jackson State (Oct. 1)
• Brooke Hudson possesses 1,486 career digs, 1,138 were recorded in a FAMU uniform; she currently ranks fifth all-time in Rattler history in career digs
• Hudson also sits No. 1 and No. 2 in single season digs. A year ago, she became the school's all-time leader with 553, and at JSU (Nov. 5), she broke her previous record, currently managing 585.
• Camila De La Rosa amassed her 1,000th career assist in the Jackson State victory (Oct. 1)
• In the Rattlers' regular-season finale versus Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 10), Gokhan Yilmaz earned his 100th career win as a head coach

Conference Rankings
FAMU currently leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference in the following categories:

Team Assists | 1,238
Team Digs | 1,691 (38th in the NCAA)
Team Kills | 1,351

The Rattlers also rank second in the conference in assists per set (11.05), digs per set (15.10), kills per set (12.06), hitting percentage (.220), total attacks (3,731) and team total blocks (190.5).

Individually, Brooke Hudson guides the SWAC and sits 12th in the nation in digs per set (5.32). The Preseason Libero of the Year also ranks fifth in the NCAA in total digs (585). Brooke Lynn Watts, the Preseason Player of the Year, paces the conference in kills per set (3.47), attacks per set (9.78), and points per set (3.94).

SWAC Players of the Week
Shortly after making school history, Brooke Hudson added another accomplishment when she was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 7). She leads the current roster with a team-high five SWAC weekly awards.

Brooke Lynn Watts (Offensive) / Brooke Hudson (Defensive) (Aug. 30)
Iyonnie Sanford (Newcomer) (Sept. 6)
Brooke Lynn Watts (Offensive) / Brooke Hudson (Defensive) / Camila De La Rosa (Setter) (Sept. 13)
Brooke Hudson (Defensive) / Shelby Chamblin (Newcomer) (Sept. 19)
Camila De La Rosa (Newcomer) (Sept. 26)
Camila De La Rosa (Setter) (Oct. 3)
Brooke Hudson (Defensive) / Iyonnie Sanford (Newcomer) (Oct. 10)
Iyonnie Sanford (Newcomer) (Oct. 17)
Camila De La Rosa (Newcomer) (Oct. 24)
Brooke Hudson (Defensive) (Nov. 7)

Follow Florida A&M Athletics
For complete coverage of Florida A&M athletics, download the official Florida A&M Rattler app and follow the Rattlers on social media at @FAMUAthletics (X), FAMUAth (Facebook), and @famuathletics (Instagram).

Print Friendly Version