TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida A&M volleyball comes home this week for three SWAC matches in five days, starting Wednesday night against in-state rival Bethune-Cookman. The Rattlers, who are defending back-to-back conference champions, then host Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday and Grambling State on Sunday.

Match Information
Wednesday, Oct. 7: Bethune-Cookman (Block BCU), 6 p.m. (SWAC TV)
Friday, Oct. 9: Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Cross Colors), 6 p.m. (SWAC TV)
Sunday, Oct. 11: Grambling State (Spike Out Cancer), noon (SWAC TV)

Setting the Scene
FAMU (8-9, 3-1 SWAC) arrives at the homestand on a high after a perfect trip through Mississippi, capped by a 3-1 win at Jackson State on Sunday (25-17, 25-21, 23-25, 25-19). The Rattlers outhit the Lady Tigers .219 to .143 and held a 14-6 edge in aces.

The conference numbers show the formula that has carried this team all season. FAMU leads the SWAC in blocks (2.15 per set, 157 total) and service aces (1.89 per set, 138 total). It is also second in the league in hitting percentage (.201), kills (11.48 per set), assists (10.71 per set) and points (15.52 per set), trailing only Alabama A&M in each category. Opponents hit just .211 against the Rattlers, fifth best in the conference.

Scouting the Rattlers
The offense runs through two outside hitters. Sophomore LaDonna Trantham leads the SWAC in kills per set (3.28) and points per set (3.87), with 220 kills and 259 total points. She is also fourth in the league in aces per set (0.42, 28 total). Senior Sydney Whitfield is right behind her, ranking second in the conference in kills per set (3.17) and fourth in points per set (3.53). Her 228 total kills are the most of any player in the league's top 10. Both posted double-doubles at Jackson State, Whitfield with 15 kills and 12 digs and Trantham with 13 kills and 10 digs. It was the fifth of the season for each.

Up the middle, sophomore Farah Farooq leads the SWAC in hitting percentage at .354, with 113 kills against only 26 errors. She finished the Jackson State win with 12 kills at a .333 clip, including the last four points of the match. Freshman Tamia Coleman has been just as important at the net. Coleman has 75 total blocks (15 solos and 60 assists), and she and Farooq are both averaging 1.03 blocks per set, second and third in the conference behind only Bethune-Cookman's Talibah Hamlett. Together the pair accounts for 135 of the team's 157 blocks, and Coleman had six against Jackson State.

Setters Bengisu Kazazlar and Makenzie Taylor keep the offense moving. Taylor, a freshman, is third in the SWAC at 5.60 assists per set (392 total). Kazazlar, a senior, had 22 assists and 10 digs at Jackson State and is eighth in the conference in aces per set (0.33). Junior libero Victoria Santana turned in a 16-dig, four-ace performance on Sunday, and sophomore outside hitter Iyonnie Sanford continues to provide balance on the outside.
If there is an area for the Rattlers to tighten, it is in the back row. FAMU is ninth in the SWAC in digs per set (12.40), and the serve-and-block game has to keep winning the points that long rallies decide.

Scouting Bethune-Cookman
The Wildcats are the best defensive team in the conference by one measure. B-CU leads the SWAC in opponent hitting percentage (.174) and is second in both digs (14.88 per set) and blocks (1.86 per set). Hamlett leads the league at 1.10 blocks per set, and Alaya Rhodes is a threat everywhere, averaging 3.00 kills and 3.12 digs per set. Moriah Johnson is hitting .266, which ranks among the SWAC's top 10. B-CU also allows only 1.86 aces per set, third lowest in the league, so this one is a test for FAMU's serving.

Scouting Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Golden Lions have struggled to score, hitting .082 as a team and averaging 9.04 kills per set. Ashanti Butler (40 blocks) leads their front line, Kinsley Hooper has 150 digs (2.83 per set) and Karli Glover has 12 aces in 38 sets. UAPB has also given up 2.31 aces per set to opponents, a good matchup for the SWAC's best serving team.

Scouting Grambling State
The Tigers lead the SWAC in digs at 15.82 per set. Asialin Powell is the league leader individually at 4.79 per set (230 total). Lyric Jordan is the primary scoring option, averaging 3.06 kills per set and hitting .286. Grambling hits .165 as a team and is fourth in the conference in aces per set (1.42) and fifth in kills (11.04 per set).

Keys to the Week
Wednesday sets up as a battle of strengths. FAMU's blocks and serving face the league's stingiest defense, and the Rattlers will need to keep their error count down against a Wildcat team that holds opponents to .174. Friday is a chance to put the serving game to work against a UAPB group that has had trouble with receive. Sunday brings a different challenge: Grambling will dig nearly everything, so FAMU will have to stay patient in long rallies and let Trantham, Whitfield and Farooq finish them.