Oct. 14, 2011

Box Score

By Dan Ryan
B-CUAthletics.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A moment of opportunity was there for Bethune-Cookman to finally beat Florida A&M Friday night, but the Rattlers' response left Head Coach Isaac Raphael paraphrasing Yogi Berra.

“It's not over till it's over,” Raphael said after the Lady Wildcats' three-match losing streak was snapped as the Rattlers defeated Bethune-Cookman 3-1 (25-17,19-25,25-18,25-16) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division match in historic Moore Gymnasium.

B-CU (9-11 overall, 3-2 MEAC South) had a solid victory in the second set and was up 12-6 in the third before the Rattlers (5-11,4-1) regrouped and pretty much controlled the rest of the match.

“You could sense it,” Raphael said. “But if it's 12-6 or 24-6, you have to finish. We lost focus and momentum and these games are about momentum. We had FAMU down, but we didn't have them out.”

Maria Ceccarelli's 13 kills led three Florida A&M players in double figures. Katherine Huanec added 12 kills and Lorrin Rucker 11 as the Rattlers (5-11 overall, 4-1 MEAC) won their fifth straight and continued their dominance over the Lady Wildcats.

“Mentally, we have to get stronger,” Raphael said. “As we play against higher level teams, we have to learn to fight against the adversity and not take breaks. We took breaks tonight.”

Krysta Gardner led B-CU with 18 kills, while Janeen Davis double-doubled with 15 kills and 15 digs.

Senior Linda Nwabuko had a strong at the night, finishing with six kills and four blocks, complimented by freshman Aubrianna Curtis' four blocks. Frances Rodriguez delivered 35 assists and Jennifer Jimenez 13 digs for B-CU.

In the second set, B-CU saw an early 10-6 lead fade into a 14-13 deficit, but a five-point Gardner service run put the Lady Wildcats back in the lead.

B-CU hosts South Carolina-Upstate Sunday at noon.