TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida A&M's volleyball team will put a six-match winning streak and a 7-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference record on the line this weekend, hosting Alcorn State on Sunday and Southern on Monday at the Al Lawson Center.

Match Information

• Who: Alcorn State (3-14, 3-4 SWAC) at Florida A&M (12-9, 7-1 SWAC), Sunday, Oct. 25; Southern (7-13, 3-4 SWAC) at Florida A&M, Monday, Oct. 26
• When: Sunday, Oct. 25, noon (Homecoming); Monday, Oct. 26, noon
• Where: Al Lawson Center, Tallahassee, Fla.
• Watch: SWAC TV

The Rattlers (12-9) have won eight of their last nine after a slow start. FAMU was 4-8 following a five-set loss to Idaho on Sept. 18, a stretch that included matches against UConn, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, FIU and Idaho. The Rattlers have gone 8-1 since beating LSU New Orleans the next day. The lone loss in that run was a 3-2 decision to Alabama A&M on Sept. 27. FAMU's last six wins are over Mississippi Valley State, Jackson State, Bethune-Cookman (twice), Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Grambling. Three of those wins came at home.

The turnaround has been driven by the offense. FAMU is hitting .216 for the season and .263 in conference play, while holding SWAC opponents to .154. The Rattlers average 13.39 kills per set in league matches, compared with 10.97 for their opponents. Their best night came Sept. 25 against Alabama State, when they hit .405 with 64 kills and 11 errors.

LaDonna Trantham leads the way with 279 kills, an average of 3.62 per set that is tops in the SWAC. She averages 3.97 in league play and had a season-high 26 kills against Hampton on Sept. 12, followed by 25 at Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 16. Trantham also leads the team with 158 digs and has 316.5 points.

Sydney Whitfield is close behind with 258 kills (3.15 per set) and 292.5 points. She hit .524 with 25 kills against Alabama State. Farah Farooq has 145 kills and leads the conference with a .365 hitting percentage. Iyonnie Sanford (111 kills, .218) and Brandi Boston (61 kills) round out the attack.

Makenzie Taylor runs the offense with 467 assists, an average of 5.84 per set. She had a season-high 45 against Louisiana on Sept. 10. Bengisu Kazazlar has 214 assists and a team-high 27 aces, and Simone Robinson averages 3.16 assists per set in limited time.

The defense has been just as important. FAMU leads the SWAC with 176 total blocks, an average of 2.12 per set, and committed only eight block errors all season to 20 for its opponents. Tamia Coleman has 82 blocks (0.99 per set), and Farooq has 70 (0.97). The Rattlers recorded 17 blocks against Idaho and 16 against Alabama A&M. In the back row, Victoria Santana (155 digs), Sydney Humes (135, 2.50 per set) and Kelly Kelsick (96) help FAMU average 12.53 digs per set.

FAMU also leads the SWAC with 155 aces, a 1.87 average that ranks 34th nationally. Kazazlar, Trantham (23) and Whitfield (22) have led the way, and the Rattlers served 16 aces against Hampton.

Sunday: Alcorn State
The Braves (3-14, 3-4 SWAC) are hitting .136, and opponents are hitting .252 against them. Rylan Jones has 177 kills (2.95 per set), including 28 in a five-set loss to Jackson State on Oct. 9. Daylin Saiki averages 6.27 assists, and Tomoni Giddings averages 3.57 digs. Alcorn State beat Southern on Oct. 7 and Mississippi Valley State on Oct. 11.

Monday: Southern
The Jaguars (7-13, 3-4 SWAC) swept Dillard on Wednesday. Sereniti Johnson leads with 193 kills (2.72 per set) and 226 points, and Mariah Mott has 147 kills. Najah Harris averages 5.10 digs per set, and Penina Vito averages 5.86 assists. Southern is hitting .112 as a team.