NEW ORLEANS – Florida A&M Volleyball looks to get back on track this weekend when the Rattlers visit LSU New Orleans for the Pelican Invitational taking place September 17-19, inside the Human Performance Center on the LSU New Orleans campus in New Orleans, Louisiana.
 
MATCH #11: Florida A&M vs. Cal State Fullerton
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 18, at 11 a.m. EDT
WHERE: Human Performance Center (New Orleans, La.)
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
MATCH #12: Florida A&M vs. Idaho
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 18, at 3:30 p.m. EDT
WHERE: Human Performance Center (New Orleans, La.)
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
MATCH #13: Florida A&M at LSU New Orleans
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 19, at 2 p.m. EDT
WHERE: Human Performance Center (New Orleans, La.)
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
IN THE RANKINGS
• Florida A&M is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
• Cal State Fullerton is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
• Idaho is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
• LSU New Orleans is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything FAMU Volleyball this year by following the Rattlers on all their social media platforms. You can follow @FAMUVB on Instagram and @FAMU_VB on Twitter.
 
NEWS & NOTES
• Florida A&M (4-6) closes out a brutal three-tournaments-in-three-weeks slate this weekend in New Orleans, facing Cal State Fullerton, Idaho and host New Orleans – the last tune-up before SWAC play opens Sept. 25 against Alabama State.
• LaDonna Trantham was named SWAC Offensive Player of the Week for the period of September 15-21.
• Trantham, an outside hitter for the Orange and Green, paces the offense with a team-high 116 kills (3.41 per set) and also leads FAMU with 13 service aces.
• Sydney Whitfield adds a second big swing option at 98 kills (2.51 per set), giving FAMU two attackers north of 2.5 kills a set.
• Middle blocker Farah Farooq has been the most efficient hitter in the lineup, putting down 54 kills on a .368 hitting percentage.
• Libero Sydney Humes anchors the back row with a team-high 100 digs (2.56 per set), while middle Tamia Coleman leads the Rattlers at the net with 33 total blocks.
 
FAMU VS. CAL STATE FULLERTON SERIES
• Despite a history of success from both programs on their respective sides of the country, FAMU and Cal State Fullerton have never met in volleyball.
 
SCOUTING THE TITANS
• The Titans of Cal State Fullerton are 4-6 on the season, taking a win from Tulane on Thursday to open the Pelican Invitational.
• The squad is hitting at a .150 clip, while opponents are hitting .221 against them, respectfully.
• Bella Risling is the team leader in kills with 113, averaging 3.14 per set on the campaign.
• Italia Bernal leads the Big West and is 34th in the nation in service aces per set at 0.50, having accumulated 17 through the first 10 matches.
• Marisa Nakata leads the Titans in points per set with 3.60.
 
FAMU VS. IDAHO SERIES
• Oddly enough, Idaho represents the second team on the weekend that FAMU has never faced off against in the sport of women's volleyball.
 
SCOUTING THE VANDALS
• Idaho enters the Pelican Invitational after going 2-1 at last weekend's CBU Challenge.
• The Vandals were picked to finish ninth in the 11-team Big Sky in the preseason, respectfully.
• The Vandals are 17th in the nation in total blocks and individually, Koen Makaula is 74^th in the country in blocks per set at 1.27.
• Kiana Greer leads the offensive attack with a team-high 110 kills, followed by Allie Ferrin with 76.
 
FAMU VS. LSU NEW ORLEANS SERIES
• FAMU owns an unblemished 3-0 record all-time against LSU New Orleans dating back to 2001.
• The Rattlers took the first match in the series by a 3-2 decision in New Orleans, back on September 7, 2001.
• The last time these two teams met up was a 3-0 sweep for the Orange and Green in New Orleans in 2024.
• FAMU laid claim to a 3-0 win from the Privateers in the only meeting to take place in Tallahassee back on September 6, 2024 – the first of two meetings between the teams that same season.
 
SCOUTING THE PRIVATEERS
• LSU New Orleans is coming off a weekend where they went 0-3 at the UWG Volleyball Classic.
• Armie Hall continues to rank among the top hitters in the Southland. Hall won all-tournament honors after going for 33 kills and 10 total blocks in three matches.
• As a team, the Privateers have allowed the second fewest blocks among anyone in the Southland at 1.4 blocks per set.
• Mia Lopez has bolstered her digs per set average to 4.37 after averaging over 5.5 digs per set last weekend in West Georgia. Lopez has 140 total digs and ranks sixth in the conference in that category.
 
A QUICK LOOK AT THE RATTLERS
2026 Record – 4-6 (.400) // 2026 SWAC Record – 0-0 (.000) // Last 5 Matches – 2-3 (.400) // Last 10 Matches – 4-6 (.400) // Last 15 Matches – 8-7 (.533) // Head Coach Gokhan Yilmaz has 147 career wins as a collegiate head coach entering the weekend's Pelican Invitational.
 
UP NEXT
The Rattlers begin Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play at home in the friendly confines of the Al Lawson Center as Alabama State (Sept. 25) and Alabama A&M (Sept. 27) descend upon Tallahassee for a pair of weekend matchups.
 
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