Rattlers Head to Texas for Final Road Test at Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M

11/5/2026 9:09:00 AM

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida A&M volleyball (16-9, 11-1 SWAC) closes out its regular-season road schedule this weekend with a two-match swing through Texas, visiting Texas Southern on Friday and Prairie View A&M on Sunday. The Rattlers, the two-time defending SWAC Tournament champions, arrive on a 10-match conference winning streak and having swept their last four opponents without dropping a set.

Match Details

•Friday, Nov. 6: FAMU at Texas Southern, 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT), Houston, Texas
•Sunday, Nov. 8: FAMU at Prairie View A&M, 1 p.m. ET (noon CT), Prairie View, Texas

The trip is the last road swing of the regular season. FAMU returns home to host Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 13 and Jackson State on Nov. 15 before the SWAC Tournament, set for Nov. 20-22 in Montgomery, Alabama.

FAMU Arrives Rolling

The Rattlers have not lost a conference match since a five-set setback to Alabama A&M on Sept. 27. Since then, they have won 10 straight in league play, and the most recent stretch has been the most dominant of the season. FAMU swept Alcorn (25-10, 25-14, 25-17), Southern (25-18, 25-16, 25-22), Alabama State on the road (25-16, 25-17, 25-21) and Alabama A&M on the road (25-23, 25-17, 25-13). In those 12 sets, opponents averaged just 17.0 points per set.

The numbers behind the run explain why. FAMU is hitting .237 as a team, compared to .197 for its opponents, and the Rattlers have committed 63 fewer attack errors than they have forced (447 to 510). At the net, FAMU averages 2.15 blocks per set to opponents' 1.79, and has been called for just 10 block errors all year against 23 for the other side.

The Rattlers to Watch

LaDonna Trantham powers the attack. She leads the team with 320 kills (3.60 per set) and 365.5 points (4.11 per set), and she is also second on the team with 177 digs and adds 32 blocks, a true all-around presence.
Sydney Whitfield is right beside her with 294 kills (3.16 per set), 333 points and 168 digs, giving FAMU two hitters who produce at the net and in the back row.
Farah Farooq is the efficiency leader. She is hitting a team-best .358 with 162 kills, and she paces the block with 84 total blocks (1.00 per set). Tamia Coleman is right behind with 93 total blocks, including a team-high 22 solo stops, and 84 kills. Iyonnie Sanford adds 151 kills at .268 and 51 blocks, so opponents see a tall, active front line on every rotation.
Makenzie Taylor runs the offense with 536 assists (5.83 per set), supported by Bengisu Kazazlar, who has 290 assists and a team-leading 33 service aces. FAMU's serving has been a quiet weapon all season: 184 aces to 177 for opponents, with Kazazlar, Trantham (28), Whitfield (25) and Farooq (20) all capable of breaking a rally open from the line.
In the back row, libero Victoria Santana leads the team with 200 digs and a .951 reception percentage, with Sydney Humes adding 135 digs (2.50 per set).

Game One: Texas Southern (8-16, 7-5 SWAC)

Texas Southern is 7-5 in conference play and comes off a 3-0 sweep of Alcorn on Nov. 1. The Tigers are led by Lauren Battle (209 kills, 2.61 per set), with Ava Houston adding 135 kills and Morgynne McQueen contributing 115 kills at a .305 clip, plus 49 blocks. Setter Kadence Davison averages 4.86 assists per set, and libero Keagan St. Junious leads a defense that digs 15.18 balls per set.

The challenge for Texas Southern is putting the ball away. The Tigers are hitting .149 as a team and have 494 attack errors on 2,829 swings, while their opponents are hitting .197. FAMU's balanced attack and 2.15 blocks per set should test that margin for error. Texas Southern did show it can pull an upset, handing Prairie View a 3-0 loss on Oct. 23, so the Rattlers will want a sharp start on Friday.

Game Two: Prairie View A&M (9-16, 9-3 SWAC)

Prairie View A&M brings a 9-3 league record into Sunday's "Black Out Match," built on a challenging nonconference slate that included Texas Tech. The Lady Panthers are the reigning SWAC regular-season champions and have the weapons to make this the toughest test of the weekend.

Iyonna Sherwood leads the team with 210 kills and a .302 hitting percentage, while Valencia Wilder is hitting an eye-catching .369 with 159 kills and a team-high 75 blocks. D'Mya Hill adds 168 kills, and setters Tayler Ruffin (346 assists) and Kenedy Massie (320 assists) share the distribution duties. Camille Middleton anchors the back row with 270 digs.

The matchup numbers lean toward the Rattlers. Prairie View is hitting .192 as a team and has committed 178 reception errors, an average of 2.1 per set, while FAMU's servers have averaged 1.94 aces per set. Prairie View has also been aced 2.1 times per set by its opponents, a spot where Kazazlar, Trantham and company can apply pressure. Add FAMU's edge in hitting efficiency (.237 to .192), and the Rattlers have the stronger statistical profile heading to Prairie View.

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