Florida A&M

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – LaDonna Trantham hammered down a match-high 17 kills and teammate Farah Farooq added 12 of her own Friday evening in helping Florida A&M to a 3-2 win over Connecticut in nonconference volleyball action in Swisher Gymnasium as part of the Dolphin Volleyball Classic Presented By Hampton Inn East Regency hosted by Jacksonville University. The Rattlers took the match on scores of 10-25, 25-21, 26-24, 24-26, 16-14.
 
Florida A&M (2-2) needed every bit of the two hours and 39 minutes they spent on the floor to get past Connecticut – who built an 81 percent side-out rate and cruised through the first set before FAMU found its footing. The Rattlers hit .464 in the third set and .450 in the fifth, closing out the match on an attack error by UConn's Sydney Borowy that capped a back-and-forth final frame that featured six lead changes and 12 ties.
 
UConn (1-4) wasted little time asserting itself early, riding four kills apiece from Sydney Borowy and Courtney Grayson to a 25-10 victory in the opening frame that included a 9-1 run and extending to a 16-6 edge midway through.
 
Isabella Sohl set the pace all night for the Huskies, finishing with 55 assists, and libero Hazuna Akishige chipped in three service aces – two of those coming in the first set alone, respectfully.
 
But FAMU steadied itself behind setter Makenzie Taylor, who piled up 38 assists to go with 12 digs to complete her double-double performance, and libero Kelly Kelsick, who sparked a decisive run in the second set. With the set knotted at 12-12, Kelsick served six consecutive points, including a pair of service aces, to push the Orange and Green to an 18-12 cushion they would not relinquish, evening the match at a set apiece.
 
The third and fourth sets were two of the tightest of the night.
 
During the third, FAMU and the Huskies went back and forth, as the Rattlers used kills from Sydney Whitfield and Tamia Coleman to force extra points before Iyonnie Sanford's block partner Whitfield ended it with a kill for a 26-24 win that put the Rattlers ahead 2-1.
 
Sanford would finish the night with 11 kills for her side.
 
UConn answered when it needed to most, using a 5-0 run keyed by Helena Einarsdottir and Grayson to erase an early deficit and eventually close out the fourth set 26-24 on an Einarsdottir kill off a Grayson assist, sending the match to a fifth and deciding set.
 
The finale had little separation from start to finish.
 
The Rattlers led 6-4 following a kill from Whitfield off the set of Kelsick. But the Huskies quickly responded with Akishige's service ace and a FAMU service error to capture an 8-7 advantage of their own. In the end, Farah Farooq's third kill of the set put Florida A&M up 15-14, and after a UConn timeout, Borowy's attack sailed out to end it at 16-14.
 
UConn's offense was balanced but ultimately not quite enough.
 
Grayson finished with 14 kills on a match-best .440 hitting percentage, Borowy added a team-best 16 kills of her own, and Einarsdottir posted 13 to go with 13 digs and two service aces. Sohl's 55 assists led all performers in that category, respectfully. Akishige added 14 digs to lead her side defensively.
 
LaDonna Trantham led all hitters with her 17 kills on a .300 clip, while Farooq (12 kills, .429) and Sanford (11 kills) gave the Rattlers a three-headed attack with all three tallying double-figures for kills. Taylor setup 38 assists throughout with her 12 digs – her first double-double of the season. Sydney Humes provided a team-high 13 digs from her libero position on the court, the senior's first double-digit digs outing of the campaign for the Orange and Green. Meanwhile, Tamia Coleman stuffed five blocks (assisted) topping all players in blocks on the night.
 
FAMU returns to action Saturday, continuing play at the Dolphin Volleyball Classic Presented By Hampton Inn East Regency when the Rattlers face off against Coastal Carolina back at Swisher Gymnasium in a match schedule for 5 p.m.
 
Follow Florida A&M Athletics on Twitter (@FAMUathletics) for all the latest news and updates. Follow us on Instagram (@FAMUathletics) and Facebook (FAMUath) for even further behind-the-scenes action across all Rattlers Athletics.