MEAC Releases Volleyball Preseason Poll

Will 2008 be the Year of the Lady Hawks?

Florida A&M University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore were picked as the preseason favorites in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) southern and northern divisions, as voted on by the leagues head volleyball coaches and sports information directors.

The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers, who were slated to finish first in the Southern Division, completed the 2007 season with an 8-0 MEAC mark and 18-8 overall record en route to their seventh consecutive MEAC volleyball title. They return four starters including 2007 MEAC Rookie of the Year Jovana Blazeski. Blazeski recorded two 20-plus dig outings and seven 20-plus kill performances. She also tallied double-digit kills in 25-of-26 games played.

Florida A&M received 21 first place votes for a total of 261 points to earn the top preseason selection.

North Carolina A&T was predicted to finish second in the Southern Division with 183 points, followed by Bethune-Cookman (177), South Carolina State (154) and Norfolk State (149).

Maryland Eastern Shore Lady Hawks received 17 of the possible 22 first place votes to earn the nod to finish atop the northern divisional standings. The Lady Hawks posted a 10-0 MEAC mark in 2007 and a 24-4 overall record. They return six starters, three of which earned All-MEAC honors including 2007 MEAC Player of the Year Whitney Johnson, Christina Estebane’ and Caylin Woodward. Johnson ranked among the top three in the league in kills, hitting percentage and points.

Morgan State was picked second in the Northern Division with three first place votes and 191 total points, followed by Delaware State (172), Howard (169), Hampton (143) and Coppin State (114).

Conference play begins on October 3 with all MEAC northern and southern teams in action. The 2008 MEAC Volleyball championship is scheduled for November 14-16 in Holland Hall on the campus of Hampton (Va.) University.

2008 MEAC Volleyball Predicted Order of Finish
(As voted on by the leagues head coaches and sports information directors)
(First place votes in parentheses)

MEAC Northern Division
Maryland Eastern Shore (17) - 245 pts.
Morgan State (3) - 191 pts.
Delaware State -172 pts.
Howard (2) - 169 pts.
Hampton - 143 pts.
Coppin State - 114 pts.

MEAC Southern Division
Florida A&M (21) - 261 pts.
North Carolina A&T -183 pts.
Bethune-Cookman (1) - 177 pts.
South Carolina State - 154 pts.
Norfolk State - 149 pts.

Courtesy: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

FAMU volleyball coach eyes 100th straight league win

Excerpt from article:

Five players will return to go with three recruits and Barry State transfer Samara Ferraz. That will give him nine to get through the season in which he will be looking for his 100th consecutive MEAC victory. That’s right — 100 in a row.

With the exception of Ferraz, Trifonov recruited the three other players sight-unseen. Two are from Peru and one from Serbia. Each of the players was evaluated based on their performance as witnessed on video, said Trifonov, who is going into his 11th season. In all those years, he’s made only a handful of recruiting trips.

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WSSU Lady Rams Volleyball sign four to National Letters of Intent

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The 2008 Winston-Salem State University volleyball team will welcome some new faces this fall as WSSU head coach Douglas Hunter announced the signing of four prospective student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The four signees will strengthen the Lady Rams in every area on the court.

A pair of talented players will fill the team's needs at the setter position, which was hampered by injury last season. Setter Asia Carr from St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. will join the Lady Rams at the setter position as well as Alexandria Brown from Harris County High School in Hamilton, Ga.

The Lady Rams will also add to its front line with the addition of middle hitter/blocker Jasmine Frazier from Chancellor High School in Fredericksburg, Va. and outside hitter Kameryn Craig from Apex High School in Apex, N.C.

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FAMU Rattlers fall to Oklahoma 3-1 in NCAA Tournament

GAINESVILLE, FL - The Oklahoma volleyball became the first team in the country to advance to the NCAA Second Round as it beat Florida A&M, 3-1 (30-25, 32-30, 29-31, 30-14), in opening-round action Thursday night in the Gainesville Sub-Regional.

Oklahoma and Florida A&M kicked off the NCAA Tournament as it was the first match played in the 64-team field with the Gainesville Sub-Regional beginning first round action on Thursday and all other sub-regionals opening on Friday.

The win advanced OU to the second round against the winner of the Florida vs. College of Charleston match which was set for Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. (CST). OU's second round match will begin at 6 p.m. (CST) on Friday with the winner advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 next week, which will also be held in Gainesville.

"It is always great to advance to the second round in the NCAA Tournament," head coach Santiago Restrepo said. "I thought it was a very interesting match as far as defense was concerned because we matched up very evenly on that side of the ball. I was also pleased offensively as we had four different players with double-digit kills which means setter Julie Chester did a good job distributing the ball."

The Sooners offense was the difference in the match as it recorded a .241 hitting percentage compared to FAMU's .096 clip. The other factor in the match was OU's blocking as the Sooners out blocked the Rattlers, 13.5 to five.

Senior outside hitter Mariana Blum led the Oklahoma offense with 21 kills while sophomore Bridget Laplante followed with 15. Blum and Laplante also tallied double-doubles as it marked Blum's 18th of the season and Laplante's 15th. Adding to the OU offense was Anna Stadel with 13 kills and Francie Ekwerekwu with 12 kills.

Senior Hannah Sharp had her best defensive outing of her career as she collected a career-high 31 digs and became the first Sooner to collect 30 digs in a match all season.

Four different Sooners were stellar in the front as Ekwerekwu and Blum recorded five block assists and a solo block each. Stadel also added five block assists and freshman Chrissy Disarro came in and gave a boost to the defense with five block assists. Disarro, a middle blocker, filled in for opposite hitter Sarah Weiland who left the match early in the first game due to an illness.

The Rattlers jumped out to a 4-1 lead to open the first frame, but the Sooners went on a 5-1 run to take the lead at 6-5. The two squads continued to battle it out back and forth as OU took the 15-14 lead prior to the media timeout. The Sooners put together a 4-1 run to take the 19-15 lead after the break and forced the Rattlers to call a timeout. While OU didn't let go of its lead, FAMU threatened as it closed the gap at 24-22. However, the Sooners went on a 3-1 run to take the four-point lead. The Sooners went on to claim the first frame, 30-25.

Blum led OU's offensive effort in the first frame as the Sooners recorded a .220 hitting percentage behind Blum's six kills while Stadel added four kills. Sharp led the back-row defensive effort with eight digs as the Sooners held the Rattlers to a .098 clip. Stadel also added two block assists to lead the OU defense up front.

The Sooners offense came out strong in the second frame as they opened the second game with a 7-3 lead, forcing the Rattlers to call an early time out. Oklahoma stretched its lead to 15-8, but the Rattlers went on a 5-0 run to cut the gap at 15-13. However, the Sooners maintained their composure and held on to the lead as they lead 17-15 and went on a 7-2 run to take the 23-17 lead. The Rattlers wouldn't go away as they tied the match up at 28-28, marking the first tie since 2-2 to open the game. The tie forced the Sooners to call their first timeout of the game and the Rattlers followed that with a kill to take the 29-28 lead.

However, OU battled back as well with an Ekwerekwu kill and Chrissy Disarro and Blum teamed up for a block assist to give OU the 30-29 advantage. FAMU followed that with a setter dump to tie the match up and OU responded with back-to back kills by Blum to give OU the 32-30 win in frame two and the 2-0 advantage in the match.

Blum was once again the offensive leader in the second frame as she notched seven kills on a .312 hitting percentage while Laplante added five kills. Ekwerekwu led the squad to three team blocks with a solo block and a block assist.

Oklahoma opened the third set with a 2-1 lead, but had to play catch up from there as the Rattlers led 15-12 before the media timeout was called. OU used a 5-2 run to even up the score at 17-17 and the two teams continued to trade points and tied it up again at 21-21. After tying it up again at 23-23, OU took the lead at 24-23 and held on to it until the Rattlers tied it up again at 28-28. The Rattlers took the momentum after taking the 29-28 lead with a kill and forcing an OU timeout. Blum came back with a kill to tie the game again, but FAMU responded with a kill to take the lead at 30-29. The Rattlers added another kill to take game three and force a game four.

The Sooners opened the fourth frame with momentum and a large lead as it held the 15-6 advantage before the media timeout was called. However, the Oklahoma offense rolled in the fourth frame as it dominated the match, 30-14, and closed out the frame with a 5-0 run. The Sooner offense was much more steady in the final game as it tallied a .412 hitting percentage.

The winner of Friday night's match will advance to Regionals in Gainesville, Fla., the following weekend (Dec. 7-8) against the four-team pod hosted by Texas in Austin. That four-team field includes No. 4 overall seed Texas, LSU, New Mexico State and Texas State.


Volleyball Box Score
Florida A&M vs #21 Oklahoma (Nov 29, 2007 at Gainesville, Fla.)

Florida A&M ATTACK SET SERVE SRVDEF BLOCK GEN
## Name GP K E TA PCT A SA SE REDIGBS BA BEBHEPOINTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 CORZO,Cinthya....... 4 0 2 8 -.250 1 0 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0.0
9 GOMEZ,Maria......... 4 6 3 22 .136 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 6.5
10 MANZO,Zaira......... 4 3 3 12 .000 55 1 2 0 13 0 1 0 2 4.5
12 UCKELMANN,Hannah.... 4 9 1 25 .320 0 0 0 0 7 0 2 0 0 10.0
15 BLAZESKI,Jovana..... 4 18 15 58 .052 2 0 1 0 13 1 1 0 1 19.5
16 LAKIC,Iva........... 4 27 18 92 .098 0 0 0 0 14 1 1 0 1 28.5
6 PENNICK,Chelsa...... 2 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
7 EGOAVIL,Susan....... 4 0 0 1 .000 3 0 2 1 27 0 0 0 0 0.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............. 4 63 42 218 .096 61 1 5 1 94 2 6 0 4 69.0

TEAM ATTACK PER GAME TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 5.0
Game K E TA Pct
1 14 9 51 .098 GAME SCORES 1 2 3 4 TEAM RECORDS
2 15 9 57 .105 Florida A&M......... (1) 25 30 31 14 18-8
3 24 13 64 .172 Oklahoma............ (3) 30 32 29 30 22-9
4 10 11 46 -.022

Oklahoma ATTACK SET SERVE SRVDEF BLOCK GEN
## Name GP K E TA PCT A SA SE REDIGBS BA BEBHEPOINTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Chester, Julie...... 4 2 0 6 .333 62 0 3 0 11 0 1 0 1 2.5
3 Stadel, Anna........ 4 13 6 29 .241 0 1 1 0 2 0 5 0 0 16.5
6 Weiland, Sarah...... 2 3 1 9 .222 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.0
9 Laplante, Bridget... 4 15 1 52 .269 0 0 1 0 17 1 0 0 0 16.0
11 Ekwerekwu, Francie.. 4 12 4 38 .211 0 0 0 0 1 1 5 1 0 15.5
13 Blum, Mariana....... 4 21 6 53 .283 3 0 6 0 19 1 5 0 0 24.5
5 Barnes, Lacy........ 4 0 0 0 .000 0 0 1 0 7 0 0 0 0 0.0
12 Disarro, Chrissy.... 3 3 3 12 .000 1 0 0 0 1 0 5 1 1 5.5
14 Sharp, Hannah....... 4 0 0 0 .000 0 0 1 1 31 0 0 0 0 0.0
15 Harbster, Taylor.... 1 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............. 4 69 21 199 .241 67 1 13 1 89 3 21 2 2 83.5

TEAM ATTACK PER GAME TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 13.5
Game K E TA Pct
1 17 6 50 .220 Site: Gainesville, Fla. (O'Connell Center)
2 21 7 60 .233 Date: Nov 29, 2007 Attend: Time: 2:10
3 15 6 55 .164 Referees: Mike Carter, Kim Wisham
4 16 2 34 .412 NCAA Gainesville Sub-Regional Match 1

1 2 3 4 Total
Tie scores 8 5 12 2 27
Lead changes 5 3 4 1 13


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Blogger's Comments:

It appears that FAMU is expecting a miracle from Coach Tanio Trifonov to get the Lady Rattlers past Round One of the NCAA Tournament. Clearly, the Rattlers are undermanned with eight players, whereas, all the non-MEAC teams are stocked with 14-15 scholarship players. The Rattlers are MEAC champions and well respected by the major volleyball programs, but the lack of depth is the Rattlers significant weakness. FAMU and coach Tony has the potential of winning a national championship in volleyball, if only the number of scholarships are increased from 7-8 to a realistic number like 12-15.

Although FAMU has won 99 consecutive matches in the conference, seven straight MEAC championships and eight championships in the last nine years, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore is closing ground on the Rattlers with a 24-4 record in '07. The Hawks lost the '07 MEAC championship to FAMU by a score of 3-1 and have a roster of 12 American players (only one senior) and an associate head coach.

Jovana Blazeski deserves the iron lady award as she has played with a twisted knee (in MEAC championship games) and a torn ACL in her left knee. Not only is the Rattlers squad stocked with the MEAC Coach of the year, Tony Trifonov, MEAC Rookie of the Year, Jovana Blazeski and the MEAC outstanding tournament player, Iva Lakic, but All MEAC tournament players Lakic and sophomore setter Ziara Monzo. Only Hannah Uckelmann and Iva Lakic are seniors, which makes the accomplishments of the volleyball team amazing considering its youth and numbers.

Volleyball could become a self-supporting sport with a visionary athletic director that will aggressively promote the sport. FAMU has an international market available in TLH and cross-over fans at the other school that has shown an interest in the sport. But, Coach Tony needs help in the form of more scholarship players if FAMU expects to advance beyond round one. This team should be built to defeat the UF Gators, if our expectations are for a national championship. Otherwise, without some minor upgrades, we will be battling for the #2 position in the MEAC and will be sitting at home like UMES come NCAA Tournament time next season.

How about an early season volleyball tournament next year with Alabama A&M University (SWAC), Tennessee State University (OVC) and University of Maryland Eastern Shore? AAMU and TSU won their respective conferences this season and may provide a higher level of competition and fan interest in TLH than Mercer or North Florida.

Tonight, fatigue won first and Oklahoma was able to capitalize on our lack of bench strength.

The Lady Rattlers end with 18-8 for 2007.

Great job Coach Tony and Lady Rattlers. Thanks a million!!!

FAMU Volleyball falls to Texas 3-0

The Florida A&M University Volleyball Team got an early introduction to what they can expect in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament as they faced NCAA #3 ranked Texas Longhorns in Austin on November 2, 2007. The Rattlers were competitive but were soundly beaten by a superior team with quality depth, before 1457 Texas fans. The Rattlers were led by Hannah UCKELMANN, Jovana BLAZESKI and Iva LAKIC, in defeat.

Texas has won 14 consecutive contests since their opening Big 12 loss on September 12, 2007, at #1 ranked Nebraska.

The experience should benefit the Lady Rattlers as they sharpen their play for the upcoming Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and NCAA volleyball tournaments. FAMU will be competing for their 7th consecutive MEAC title and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA volleyball tournament. Rattlers coach Tanio "Tony" Trifonov will be seeking the 10th overall MEAC title for FAMU and his 8th title as the FAMU head coach. He's done an incredible job and is very,very impressive as a coach and recruiter, and runs the FAMU program the right way. Trifonov should be named NCAA volleyball coach of the decade, if such a list exists.

The Texas loss ends the Lady Rattlers string of 12 consecutive victories, who were last defeated by Tulane on September 15, 2007, in Tempe, Arizona at Crowne Plaza Phoenix Airport Classic.

The FAMU Lady Rattlers are scheduled to return to non-conference action on November 6, 2007, against the University of North Florida at 6:00 p.m. in Gaither Gymnasium, Tallahassee, Florida. The Rattlers final conference match for the regular season is scheduled for November 10, 2007, at 5:00 p.m., at South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, S.C.

FAMU Volleyball is in great hands with Rattlers coach Tanio "Tony" Trifonov. Iva Lakic, #16 is a senior MB from Valjevo, Serbia, Valjevo High School.

Looking ahead, the Lady Rattlers will be defending their conference championships and 96+ consecutive winning matches in the MEAC, at the MEAC Volleyball Tournament on November 16-17, at Holland Hall (Hampton University) Hampton, Virginia and will closeout the regular season with a non-conference match at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida on November 21, at 12:00 p.m.

-beepbeep
------------
by University of Texas Media Relations

AUSTIN, Texas -- The No. 3 Texas Volleyball team used three double-digit kill performances, including a 14-kill effort by sophomore opposite hitter Ashley Engle to edge Florida A&M, 3-0 Friday night at Gregory Gymnasium.

The Longhorns 30-21, 30-20, 30-20 victory moved UT to 18-3 on the year and 13-1 in Big 12 play, while FAMU fell to 12-6 on the season. Texas out-hit Florida A&M .366-to.132 on the night and out-blocked the Rattlers 13-to-3.

Engle led the Texas attack, notching 14 kills on .462 hitting and adding eight digs, five total blocks and a service ace. Sophomore outside hitter Destinee Hooker posted a team-high 17 kills on .361 hitting, while junior middle blocker Lauren Paolini totaled 13 kills and recorded just one attack error.

In game one, Hooker paced the Texas charge, posting eight kills on 14 swings and leading a 7-0 UT run that gave the Horns an early 9-3 advantage. The Longhorns did not lead by more than six until late in the game when Paolini and Hooker led Texas on a 4-0 run that moved the margin to 29-20. Hooker recorded two kills during the rally and Paolini recorded one kill before teaming with Hooker on a block that setup game-point. Paolini's fourth kill of the game closed out the first frame and gave UT a 30-21 win.

Engle came on strong for Texas in the second stanza, highlighting a 5-0 run that blew open the game and gave the Longhorns a 16-7 edge. The Rattlers battled back to close the lead to five points, however, four kills by Engle down the stretch allowed Texas to stretch the lead back to eight at the 26-18 mark. Florida A&M added two more points, but the Horns closed out the second game at the 30-20 mark on a block by Paolini and senior setter Michelle Moriarty.

The Longhorns took advantage of a series of early kills by Paolini in the third frame, claiming a 14-6 lead on her fourth kill of the game. Senior outside hitter Jen Christian came on late in the game, connecting for three kills to help Texas push its lead to as many as 10, but the Rattlers narrowed the lead to seven at the 27-20 mark, but three straight UT blocks, including junior outside hitter/defensive specialist Kiley Hall's first career block closed out the third game, 30-20.

Moriarty steadied the Texas attack on the night with 53 assists and 12 digs, marking her seventh assist/dig double-double of the season. Paolini led the Longhorns offense with a .545 attack mark and paced the defense with a career-best 10 total blocks. Senior libero Alyson Jennings headlined Texas with 13 digs in the victory and freshman outside hitter Juliann Faucette added 11 digs of her own.

-------------------
POSTGAME QUOTES

Volleyball head coach Jerritt Elliott, University of Texas

General Comment: It was good to play a non-conference match against someone who is probably going to win their conference. We were definitely not firing on all cylinders tonight, and I don't know if it was that we weren't inspired or not motivated or what exactly was effecting us. The thing that I look at as a coach is the habits and the mentality that we come into the match with. I felt like we could have played at a higher level and that we could have been smoother, but again, the bottom line is that we were able to find a "W". Our blocking numbers were solid and I felt like we did a better job in game three after we had talked things over at the break, and there is a positive to that.

On adjusting to Florida A&M: They played a really deep perimeter and they left open the tips. Our players decided to continue to hit until game three when we started tipping and scoring which made things pretty easy. There are defenses for each system and you have to be able to adjust and make those adjustments.

On playing Florida A&M: We didn't know what we would get from Florida A&M. We just know that they usually dominate their opponents and they have a lot of foreigners. In the past, they have been a really strong NCAA team, so we felt that this team was going to win their conference and give us an opportunity to do work on some things and stay fresh.

On what they expected from Florida A&M and how they lived up to those expectations: Well we really didn't have any film on Florida A&M, so we didn't really know what they were going to come out with. We knew that they set to the outside a lot, but that's all we had to go on. Serving wise we knew not to serve to the libero, because she was passing really well. Offensively we just tried to find the holes and place the ball to score. I think we were surprised on both sides. I think we were surprised at how we were playing, and also how they were handling themselves. We could have played better, and they were stepping up their game for us.
--------------

Volleyball Box Score
2007 Longhorn Volleyball
Florida A&M vs #3 Texas (Nov 02, 2007 at Austin, Texas)

Florida A&M ATTACK SET SERVE SRVDEF BLOCK GEN
## Name GP K E TA PCT A SA SE REDIGBS BA BEBHEPOINTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 CORZO,Cinthya....... 3 2 0 11 .182 1 0 0 2 8 0 0 0 0 2.0
9 GOMEZ,Maria......... 3 2 3 8 -.125 0 0 1 0 2 1 1 1 0 3.5
10 MANZO,Zaira......... 3 2 0 6 .333 28 1 1 0 10 0 0 1 0 3.0
12 UCKELMANN,Hannah.... 3 6 0 11 .545 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 6.5
15 BLAZESKI,Jovana..... 3 12 8 42 .095 0 1 1 0 14 0 1 2 0 13.5
16 LAKIC,Iva........... 3 10 7 43 .070 1 0 0 2 5 0 1 0 0 10.5
7 EGOAVIL,Susan....... 3 0 0 0 .000 1 0 1 2 10 0 0 0 0 0.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............. 3 34 18 121 .132 33 2 4 6 50 1 4 5 0 39.0

TEAM ATTACK PER GAME TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 3.0
Game K E TA Pct Sideout Pct
1 11 7 47 .085 15-29 51% GAME SCORES 1 2 3 TEAM RECORDS
2 11 3 33 .242 16-30 53% Florida A&M......... (0) 21 20 20 12-6, 6-0 MEAC
3 12 8 41 .098 15-29 51% Texas............... (3) 30 30 30 18-3, 13-1 Big 12

Texas ATTACK SET SERVE SRVDEF BLOCK GEN
## Name GP K E TA PCT A SA SE REDIGBS BA BEBHEPOINTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Faucette, Juliann... 2 7 3 21 .190 1 0 2 1 11 0 1 0 0 7.5
3 Paolini, Lauren..... 3 13 1 22 .545 1 2 1 0 5 2 8 0 0 21.0
4 Moriarty, Michelle.. 3 1 0 3 .333 53 0 0 0 12 0 2 0 2 2.0
8 Doris, Jennifer..... 3 6 2 11 .364 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 6.0
10 Engle, Ashley....... 3 14 2 26 .462 1 1 2 0 8 1 4 0 0 18.0
21 Hooker, Destinee.... 3 17 4 36 .361 0 1 2 0 3 0 1 4 0 18.5
9 Klein, Chelsey...... 2 0 0 0 .000 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.0
11 Hall, Kiley......... 2 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 2.0
12 Lewis, Alexandra.... 1 0 0 0 .000 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
13 Christian, Jen...... 2 4 2 12 .167 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 5.0
16 Jennings, Alyson.... 3 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 13 0 0 0 0 1.0
Team................ 1 0.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............. 3 62 14 131 .366 56 6 9 2 56 5 16 5 2 81.0

TEAM ATTACK PER GAME TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 13.0
Game K E TA Pct Sideout Pct
1 20 6 46 .304 16-22 72% Site: Austin, Texas (Gregory Gymnasium)
2 22 5 42 .405 16-20 80% Date: Nov 02, 2007 Attend: 1457 Time: 1:26
3 20 3 43 .395 16-21 76% Referees: Richard Bleau, Debbie Stanford

1 2 3 Total
Tie scores 3 3 1 7
Lead changes 3 1 0 4

Florida A&M Volleyball knocks off Mercer Bears

Macon, Georgia - The FAMU Lady Rattlers Volleyball team improved to 12-5 on the season as they defeated the Mercer University Bears of the Atlantic Sun Conference 3-2 (30-22, 32-34, 28-30, 30-22 and 15-9)this afternoon. The Bears put up a gallant battle and were led by sophomore Jen Darty who had a career-high 11 blocks and 11 kills for her first double-double of the season. Her efforts however, was not enough to overcome the strength of the Lady Rattlers as the Bears fell to 8-17 on the season.

For the Lady Rattlers, Jovana Blazeski and Iva Lakic led the way, tallying 27 and 26 kills, respectively. Five players recorded double-digit digs, led by Susan Egoavil with 28 and Zaira Manzo with 21. Manzo also dished out a match-high 65 assists to notch a double-double for FAMU. The Bears did have a good night at the net out-blocking the Lady Rattlers 18-6.

The Bears dominated early on in the first game of the match, taking a 10-3 lead over the Lady Rattlers, who were able to close within three to trail 14-11. Mercer then scored four consecutive points and extended it to a 10 point lead. FAMU freshman Jovana Blazeski took over when the score reached 27-17 and the Lady Rattlers went on a four point run. Several kills by Mercer's Drennan Dexheimer and an error by Blazeski provided the gift Mercer needed to win the first match 30-22.

The Lady Rattlers quickly re-focused and battled Mercer in game two with 24 ties, 10 lead changes and did enough to win the match 34-32.

FAMU jumped all over the Bears in game three taking a 15-5 lead, but let up on Mercer who climbed back into the contest with a 4-0 run, and 8-1 run to narrow the Lady Rattlers score to 29-28. A kill was converted by Lakic to take the win for FAMU 30-28 in the third set.

The Lady Rattlers played poorly in the fourth set, allowing Mercer to take a 12-9 lead, and after two runs by the Bears of 8-1 and 8-2, FAMU fell 22-30.

The Lady Rattlers took an early 6-2 lead in the final game and three straight kills by FAMU the lead. FAMU cruised to a 15-9 win giving the Lady Ratters the 3-2 victory for the contest.

“It wasn’t for lack of effort because we out-blocked and out-aced our opponent, but we were not disciplined enough to finished games every opportunity we had,” said Mercer Volleyball head coach Noelle Hughes. “It was a close, hard-fought match and we proved to ourselves once again that we can play with the best of them.”

The Lady Rattlers stars were: Cinthya Corzo, Maria Gomez,Zaira Manzo, Hannah Huckelmann,Jovana Blazeski, Iva Lakic, Susan Egoavil and Coach "Tony" Tanio Trifonov.

Photo: The Lady Rattlers celebrate their 96 match winning streak in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference over SCSU on Oct 19th.

FAMU next match is on the road at Austin, Texas facing the University of Texas at 6:00 p.m. ET. The Lady Rattlers next home contest is November 6, 2007, 6:00 p.m. in Tallahassee Gaither Gymnasium against the University of North Florida.


Volleyball Box Score

Florida A&M vs Mercer (Oct 30, 2007 at Macon, Ga.)


Florida A&M ATTACK SET SERVE SRVDEF BLOCK GEN
## Name GP K E TA PCT A SA SE REDIGBS BA BEBHE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 CORZO,Cinthya....... 5 4 0 13 .308 3 2 0 1 11 0 1 0 0
9 GOMEZ,Maria......... 5 11 6 22 .227 1 0 2 0 4 1 1 0 0
10 MANZO,Zaira......... 5 4 2 8 .250 65 0 1 0 21 0 4 0 4
12 UCKELMANN,Hannah.... 5 8 4 22 .182 0 0 0 0 4 0 4 0 0
15 BLAZESKI,Jovana..... 5 27 20 82 .085 1 1 1 0 20 0 0 1 0
16 LAKIC,Iva........... 5 26 12 72 .194 3 1 0 2 11 0 0 0 0
7 EGOAVIL,Susan....... 5 1 0 1 1.000 1 2 0 4 28 0 0 0 0
TEAM................ 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............. 5 81 44 220 .168 74 6 4 8 99 1 10 1 4

TEAM ATTACK PER GAME TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 6.0
Game K E TA Pct
1 16 11 50 .100 GAME SCORES 1 2 3 4 5 TEAM RECORDS
2 22 9 59 .220 Florida A&M......... (3) 22 34 30 22 15 12-5
3 19 9 45 .222 Mercer.............. (2) 30 32 28 30 9 8-17
4 14 13 47 .021
5 10 2 19 .421

Mercer ATTACK SET SERVE SRVDEF BLOCK GEN
## Name GP K E TA PCT A SA SE REDIGBS BA BEBHE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 HANSCH, Libby....... 2 0 1 11 -.091 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0
4 DARTY, Julie........ 5 16 6 41 .244 2 1 0 0 1 0 6 0 2
5 DORRIS, Karen....... 5 23 4 62 .306 3 1 1 2 8 0 3 1 0
8 JANSEN, Kelly....... 5 4 1 8 .375 55 1 1 0 11 0 6 0 7
11 DARTY, Jen.......... 5 11 2 29 .310 0 2 1 0 5 2 9 1 0
12 DEXHEIMER, Drennan.. 5 9 2 32 .219 1 1 1 0 10 0 0 0 0
3 VRVILO, Erica....... 2 1 2 8 -.125 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
7 TUCKER, Claire...... 5 0 1 1-1.000 1 0 1 1 25 0 0 0 0
9 GEBBEN, Chelsea..... 5 0 0 1 .000 2 1 2 2 8 0 0 0 0
14 DAVIS, Allison...... 5 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 1 8 0 0 0 0
16 HURLEY, Krista...... 3 3 0 6 .500 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
17 THOMAS, Autumn...... 1 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............. 5 67 19 199 .241 64 8 7 6 77 2 32 2 9

TEAM ATTACK PER GAME TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 18.0
Game K E TA Pct
1 15 1 44 .318 Site: Macon, Ga. (University Center)
2 20 6 57 .246 Date: Oct 30, 2007 Attend: 68 Time: 2:12
3 12 7 41 .122 Referees: Tim Meyers, Mark Prater
4 15 4 36 .306 Game 5-Yellow Card to FAMU Coach
5 5 1 21 .190

Lady Rattlers takes easy win over Norfolk State

Photo: Coach Tony Trifonov provides instructions to volleyball team at last week game.

by FAMU Sports Information

FAMU goes to 2-0 in MEAC in win over Norfolk State

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida A&M Volleyball team picked up their second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win of the season in a 3-0 romp of Norfolk State, Thursday evening at the Gaither Athletic Center in Tallahassee.

FAMU (4-5, 2-0 MEAC) made easy work of the Spartans winning game one, 30-12, and putting them away in games two and three winning 30-19.

Iva Lakic finished with a game high 13 kills, to lead the Lady Rattlers, while Jovana Blazeski added 10. Zaira Manzo led FAMU in assists with 34 and Blazeski finished with 14 digs.

NSU (4-12, 1-1 MEAC) was paced by Chantel Cherry with eight kills and 12 digs, followed by Heather Quinn with six. Solange Honore led the team in assist with 18.

The Lady Rattlers extended their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win streak to 93 matches.

The Lady Rattlers will travel to the Triad region this weekend, visiting Greensboro, N.C. on Saturday, Oct 6 taking North Carolina A&T and then will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. on Sunday, Oct 7 taking on Winston-Salem State.

FAMU Volleyball Gallery

FAMU Lady Volleyball MEAC record wins -- 93 consecutive matches and growing...

Florida A&M University Incomparable Marching 100

FAMU good enough for victory

By Heath A. Smith, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

When it comes to conference play Florida A&M women's volleyball coach Tony Trifonov is not just looking for his team to win. With 91 consecutive MEAC victories heading into Wednesday's game against rival Bethune-Cookman, winning is not always good enough.

The Rattlers cruised to a 30-24, 30-14, 30-18 victory in their conference-opener, improving to 3-5 on the season. The game was aired on ESPNU in front of a crowd of almost 600 people at Gaither Gymnasium.

“We didn't play as well as I wanted them to play, but not many of my teams have played up to my expectations,” Trifonov said. “We played good enough to win. The kids were probably a little bit nervous about being on TV.”

The Rattlers just had too much offensive firepower for the Bethune-Cookman (2-6, 0-1). The duo of freshman Jovana Blazeski and senior Iva Lakic, both from Serbia, combined for 32 total kills.

Bethune-Cookman had 34 total kills. FAMU had 50 total kills and just 14 errors compared to 22 for Bethune-Cookman.

“We committed a lot of unforced errors,” Trifonov said. “We'll work on that and get better. We need to be a little bit more aggressive offensively. We don't have that killer instinct. We're not hitting the ball as hard.”

FAMU, behind four kills from Lakic, won the first game 30-24 but never really pulled away from the Wildcats.

Photo: FAMU's Jovana Blazeski earns one of her 15 kills in the Rattlers' sweep over Bethune-Cookman.

FAMU won the second game in more convincing fashion 30-14. Blazeski, who is playing with a torn ACL in her left knee, dominated that game with eight kills and just one error. Blazeski isn't expected to have surgery to repair the ACL until December.

“Her mobility is not all there,” Trifonov said. “She is playing with a lot of guts.” As if playing with a blown knee wasn't tough enough, Blazeski also took ball to the face in the second game.

“Volleyball can be physical, especially when someone hits you in the head,” said Lakic, interpreting for Blazeski. “She got hit in the head, but she is powerful and can survive” Lakic topped the freshman in the third and final games with nine kills, leading FAMU to 30-18 win.

“I didn't think that I played very good in this game,” Lakic said. “I saw that I had 17 kills and that was good. Coach wants us to get our percentages better individually and as a team."

Mercer Volleyball Falls at FAMU

Photo: FAMU's Zaira Manzo, Sophomore, 5-10, S., Santa Maria of Fatima High School, Lima, Peru

The Mercer volleyball squad dropped a 3-1 decision to Florida A&M Wednesday evening at the Gaither Center.

After taking the first game of the match, 31-29, the Bears fell in the final three games, 30-19, 30-27 and 30-22.

Florida A&M improves to 2-5 on the season, while Mercer falls to 2-11.

The Bears fell behind early in the first game as the Lady Rattlers took the first four points of the set.

Mercer battled to get within two at the 10-8 mark when FAMU went on a 9-2 run to take a firm lead.

A kill by Julie Darty sparked a 5-1 run for the Bears, narrowing the Lady Rattler lead to four points.

FAMU answered with a 7-1 run to take their largest lead of the game, 25-16.

Drennan Dexheimer notched a kill as the Bears scored seven of the next nine points to put the game at 27-23.

Florida A&M head coach Tony Trifonov called a timeout to regroup his team and the Lady Rattlers came out of the break to score the next two points and put FAMU at game point, 29-23.

The Bears did not give up, reeling off the next eight points to take the come-back win, 31-29.

In the second game, Mercer took the first point on a kill by Julie Darty, but Florida A&M scored the next nine points to jump out to an early 9-1 lead.

The Bears battled back, getting within four points of the Lady Rattlers at the 13-9 mark but back-to-back kills and errors by Mercer once again put FAMU up by eight, 17-9.

Mercer fought to the end but was unable to catch up to the early deficit, falling 20-19 in the game.

Florida A&M took an 11-5 lead in the third game and held on to its lead to the 28-23 mark.

After a timeout called by Mercer head coach Noelle Hughes, the Bears scored four consecutive points to get within one of the Lady Rattlers, 28-27.

FAMU grabbed the final two points to take a 30-27 win in the set.

Mercer fell behind 14-7 in the final game of the match when freshman Erica Vrvilo notched four kills to lead the Bears on a 6-2 run and narrow the Lady Rattlers' lead to three points, 16-13.

The teams battled evenly to 20-17 when Florida A&M scored three straight points to widen its lead once again.

The Lady Rattlers maintained their lead, taking the game, 30-22.

"After being in such a huge deficit in the first game, we fought back to take a great win, but we didn’t control the game on our side for the remainder of the match and committed too many unforced errors, making it easy for FAMU to win," said Hughes.

The Lady Rattlers (2-5) were senior led by Iva Lakic with 27 kills, followed by freshman Jovana Blazeski with 16. Sophomore Zaira Manzo led the team in assists and digs with 52 and 10.

The Lady Rattlers are scheduled to face the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL on September 25 at 6:00 p.m. ET and Bethune Cookman University on September 26 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Gaither Gym in Tallahassee, FL.

-Contributed by Mercer Media Relations and FAMU Sports Information