Florida A&M

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – LaDonna Trantham had a career-best 23 kills Thursday evening as Florida A&M Volleyball upended Louisiana 3-2 in the opening match of the FAMU Volleyball Tournament inside Al Lawson center in Tallahassee, Florida. The Rattlers grabbed the win on scores of 18-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-18, 15-13.
 
LaDonna Trantham, a sophomore from Homewood, Illinois, led all players with 23 kills and finished with 12 digs for the Rattlers (3-4), who received timely production up and down the lineup. Sydney Whitfield added 10 kills and two blocks (assisted), while Tamia Coleman and Farah Farooq chipped in eight kills apiece.
 
Setter Makenzie Taylor dished out 45 assists to go with four kills and 11 digs – completing her second double-double of the year, and libero Sydney Humes anchored the back row with 23 digs.
 
For Trantham, it was her second double-double of the year as well, respectively.
 
Florida A&M trailed 2-1 in the match after dropping a tight third set but took control in the fourth, cruising to a 25-18 win to force the decider.
 
The fifth set was tied seven times before the Rattlers pulled away from a 10-10 deadlock, closing it out on a Makenzie Taylor service ace that capped a 15-13 finish.
 
Louisiana (2-5) got a strong effort from Lolo Lambert, who paced the Ragin' Cajuns with 14 kills and a team-high 15.0 points to go with nine digs. Sarah Schnell added 10 kills, and setter Rhyan Miciotto orchestrated the offense with 28 assists.
 
Libero Kennedy Gustafson was a workhorse in the back row, finishing with 36 digs and a team-best .947 reception percentage.
 
Louisiana built an early cushion in the first set, riding hot hitting from Schnell and Lambert to take the opener 25-18. The Ragin' Cajuns also captured the third set 25-19 to move within a set of victory, but Florida A&M's attack — paced by Trantham and Whitfield — found its rhythm in sets two and four to even the match.
 
FAMU out-hit Louisiana .192 to .145 for the match and won the block battle as well, with the Rattlers piling up key stuffs down the stretch in the fifth set to deny the Ragin' Cajuns any late momentum.
 
Louisiana held a razor-thin edge in overall points, but Florida A&M made the plays that mattered in the extra points of the deciding set.
 
The Rattlers continue the FAMU Volleyball Tournament on Friday as they take on FOIU at 7 p.m., back inside the Al Lawson Center.
 
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