Rattlers volleyball season ends with straight-set loss
Photo courtesy FAMU athletics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — FAMU’s path to repeating as champions of the SWAC wasn’t easy, mostly because of Alabama State.
Both teams had split their regular-season meetings and it took a win in their rubber match for the Rattlers to capture their second straight conference title.
The Florida Gators have been just as pesky when it comes to the postseason, and facing them for the second consecutive time was again another challenge for FAMU. The Rattlers, however, fell short in their match last Friday.
That ended the FAMU’s season, the second consecutive one in which coach Gokhan Yilmaz took the team to a 20-win season.
In the match against UF, FAMU went down 3-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Rattlers were making their 13th tournament appearance, exiting after falling 25-15, 25-15, 25-9.
The opening set featured quite a few errors; six straight kept the score tight in the early goings. However, despite the miscues, UF maintained an advantage. Dominique Washington’s service ace pulled the Rattlers within one, 7-6, and a Gator attacking error later tied the match at 7-all, but the score never fell in the visitor’s favor.
FAMU seemed to settle into a groove at the start of the next set, going point-for-point with the No. 3 seed until a 7-1 run separated the two. Florida managed an 11-5 lead at the end of the stretch and remained ahead the rest of the match.
Brooke Lynn Watts guided FAMU’s offensive production with seven kills and a service ace. Washington added four kills, three digs, and an assisted block, while Irem Ucar added 15 assists.
The Rattlers had plenty of success this season, including SWAC regular season and tournament titles, 21 wins (highlighted by a 15-1 mark in league play), and several postseason awards – SWAC Player of the Year (Washington), Setter of the Year (Ucar), Newcomer of the Year (Brooke Lynn Watts), and Libero of the Year (Brooke Hudson).
