Florida A&M’s volleyball team went head-to-head Friday against West Florida University in their home exhibition match at the Lawson Center, falling three sets to one.
The Rattlers started with an 11-1 lead in the first set against the Argonauts but that did not last very long. Struggling after giving up a 10-point lead, West Florida closed the gap making the game an intense match to fight for the win.
Fortunately for the Rattlers, they continued to play their game with a kill by Jada Rhodes to end the first set 25-22.
After an intense round of volleys and kills, the Argonauts won the second set of the best-of-five match. West Florida’s Delaney Hanowell and Emily Breazeale led their team in hits and kills to prove their competitiveness against the Rattlers, ending the set 25-23.
With an unexpected turn of events, the Argonauts came back and defeated the Rattlers winning three of the foursets, 25-19 and 25-23.
“We like playing West Florida,” coach Gokhan Yilmaz said. “They are very competitive, they are top 25 in Division II, we started very well but we couldn’t sustain it, so we have to work on consistency.”
Despite the defeat, there were standout performances for the Rattlers, particularly from Brooke Lynn Watts, who led the team with 14 kills. As a pre–season All-SWAC First Team selection, Watts demonstrated her skill and determination, though remaining focused on the work ahead.
“I think we just need to get back and work a little harder, and we’ll be ready for next week,” Watts said.
Watts’ teammate Jada Rhodes, the pre–season SWACPlayer of the Year, believes that some behavioral improvements need to be made.
“I think as a team we could do better when we are not doing as good as we want to, not reflecting it in our attitude,” said Rhodes.
The Rattlers ended their 2023 season falling short of a SWAC championship, and they were picked to finish second behind Jackson State in the SWAC West Division.
The Rattlers’ next match is in the Georgia State Tournament on Aug. 30 in Atlanta.