ATHENS, Ga. (Sept. 13) – The Florida A&M Lady Rattler Volleyball team pushed SEC power Georgia to a quite uncomfortable position. The visiting Rattlers made for a difficult non-conference opponent, taking the Bulldogs to four sets before being defeated 3-1 at the Ramsey Center on the campus of the University of Georgia.
Freshman Nicole Abreu, led all scorers with 18 kills. Abreu was very efficient against the lengthy front line of UGA, as she scored at a .312 clip. Maria Garcia carded 13 kills on the evening. The two constitute the Lady Rattlers' dynamic freshman duo, with Abreu starring at just 17 years old.
Senior middle blocker, Gina Lopez-Chavez, rounded out the trio of Lady Rattlers in double-figure kills with 10, at a highly efficient .389 percentage.
Freshman Radka Dimitrova had 16 digs, and sophomore Valentina Carrasco added 14 digs, while junior Valeria Lopez dished out 33 assists.
The Lady Rattlers played tough throughout the match, scoring 19 in the first set. They would rise to the occasion, scoring 22 in set No.2. After the break, FAMU would take the third set 25-23 over UGA, before settling for the 3-1 decision after a25-21 effort in the final contest.
Head coach Tony Trifonov is excited to see the team growing up before his eyes. “I am impressed with how much better this team is getting. We've got more work to do, but they've bought in and are working extremely hard to be good. We have depth that we haven't had in years,” Trifonov said.
Desiree McCray led UGA with 15 kills on the evening. McCray was laser sharp, scoring on 15 of 19 attempts. Maddie Lobenstein added 14 for the duo of Bulldogs in double figure kills.
Trifonov is shooting for momentum heading into the MEAC schedule. Things won't get easier any time soon, as the Lady Rattlers will compete in the Active Ankle Challenge hosted by the University of Florida Gators this weekend. The Lady Rattlers will face the Gators (#7- AVCA) out-the-box on Friday at 12 noon. Friday evening, they will face Marshall Thundering Herd at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Rattlers will close out their competition in the tournament on Saturday at 2 p.m. agains the Jacksonville Dolphins. All games will be at the Lemerand Athletic Center on the campus of the University of Florida. The Friday noon match against the Florida Gators will be webcasted on the SCE Network.
