Florida A&M

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – LaDonna Trantham had a career-best 26 kills and Farah Farooq added 14 kills to help Florida A&M Volleyball to a 3-2 win over Hampton on Saturday morning in the Florida A&M Volleyball Tournament at Al Lawson Center in Tallahassee, Florida. The Rattlers took the match on scores of 25-14, 25-19, 23-25, 20-25, 15-10.
 
LaDonna Trantham, a sophomore from Homewood, Illinois, was nearly unstoppable at the net, hitting .356 for the match and coming up with six kills in a decisive fifth set that saw Florida A&M pull away from a 10-10 tie behind a string of late putaways.
 
Farah Farooq, a 6-foot-1, middle blocker from Houston, Texas, added 14 kills and served up three aces, while Sydney Whitfield chipped in 12 kills as part of a balanced Rattlers attack that outhit Hampton .348 to .289 for the match.
 
Senior setter Bengisu Kazazlar helped orchestrate the offense with a team-high 26 assists, and libero Sydney Humes anchored the back row with nine digs, helping FAMU (4-5) convert at a high rate on serve receive throughout the night.
 
The Rattlers raced out to control the match early, cruising through the first two sets behind a combined 21 kills from Trantham and Farooq and taking advantage of 11 Hampton attacking errors over that stretch.
 
The Rattlers appeared in firm command before Hampton (2-7) fought its way back into the match.
 
The visiting Pirates, buoyed by Racquel Frazier's all-around effort – allowing her to be named to the all-tournament team, found its footing in sets three and four, hitting .267 and .654, respectively, to force a decisive fifth set. Frazier finished with 13 kills, and Nikola Jaroszewicz was efficient at the net with 12 kills on just 22 swings for a .455 hitting percentage.
 
Katerina Pappa also reached double figures with 10 kills for the Pirates.
 
But The Orange and Green steadied itself when it mattered most.
 
After HU twice rallied within a point in the fifth set, the Rattlers closed it out on the strength of Trantham's hitting and a clutch service run from Iyonnie Sanford and Makenzie Taylor that helped separate the two sides down the stretch.
 
However, the Rattlers committed 16 service errors as a self-inflicted wound on the day.
 
The Pirates also received a steady contribution from setter Belen Ferrufino (31 assists). Lillian Camobell supplied four assisted blocks.
 
Aside from Trantham and Farooq, FAMU also got a solid performance from Whitfield's 12 kills, two assists, two service aces and six digs.
 
The match featured 26 tie scores and 12 lead changes, reflecting its back-and-forth nature before FAMU pulled away in the final frame.
 
The Rattlers return to the court Tuesday, Sept. 15, when traveling to Mercer for a midweek affair beginning at 6 p.m.
 
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FAMU Volleyball Tournament All-Tournament Team
Lana Sesar (FIU)
Marta Lazzarin (FIU)
LaDonna Trantham (FAMU)
Farah Farooq (FAMU)
Sara Schnell (Louisiana)
Racquel Frazier (Hampton)