TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --LaDonna Trantham and Sydney Whitfield each secured double-doubles to help power the Florida A&M volleyball team to a 3-1 win (25-27, 25-20, 25-21, 25-17) against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs Saturday at Lawson Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium. The Rattlers advance to the SWAC Championship on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
The non-conference win improved Florida A&M's overall record to 13-16 on the season.
The Rattlers were led by the double-doubles from Whitfield, who had 13 kills and 11 digs, and Trantham, who had 21 kills and 11 digs. Farah Farooq added 10 kills to help the attack.Victoria Santana also pitched in with five in the contest. On the defensive end, Makenzie Taylor chipped in for with 11 digs to go with seven blocks from Farooq.
Game Notes
» LaDonna Trantham and Sydney Whitfield both put up double-doubles in the win.
» Florida A&M had three players in double figures in kills.
» Florida A&M had four players in double figures in digs.
» Victoria Santana had a match-high five aces in the win.
» Florida A&M never trailed on the way to winning the fourth set 25-17.
» Ladonna Trantham had a match-high 21 kills for Florida A&M.
» Florida A&M got a team-high 11 digs from Ladonna Trantham.
» Florida A&M attackers were helped by a match-high 50 assists from Makenzie Taylor.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Rattlers dropped a tight first set, losing 27-25 in a game that was tied nine times and had two lead changes.
SET 2 | Florida A&M tied the match at 1-1 after a 25-20 second-set win. The Rattlers never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 8-7 in a set that showcased three lead changes before the Rattlers took over the lead.
SET 3 | Florida A&M grabbed another win in the third set to make it a 2-1 match. The Rattlers took control of the set early when the score was 2-1 and never looked back to win 25-21. Florida A&M led by seven points at 10-3 before finishing off the stanza. The Florida A&M offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. Florida A&M's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Alabama A&M attacks in the stanza.
SET 4 | Florida A&M finished off the match with a 25-17 fourth-set victory, winning their third straight set. The Rattlers scored first and never trailed in the set to secure the victory. Florida A&M opened up as much as an eight point lead at 24-16 before closing out the stanza, collecting 15 kills in the process. Florida A&M also supplemented their offense with four aces in the set.
