TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Wildcats will look to recover from their heartbreaking loss to Alabama State as they take on Florida A&M in their second matchup of the season. The game will take place on the road at the Al Lawson Center and will begin at 6:00 p.m.



Friday, November 7
Opponent: Florida A&M (8-16, 6-7)
Time: 6pm EST
Location: Tallahassee, Fla. | Al Lawson Center
Watch Live: https://tv.swac.org/
Live Stats: https://famuathletics.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary


Bethune-Cookman and Alabama State traded blows in the first set, with Ariel Simmons kickstarting a B-CU run that put the Cats up 9-6. 
 
Three straight kills from Amya Jennings and a Bama State service error maintained the Wildcats lead at 14-12 before the Hornets tied things at 15-15.

Jennings continued her strong set with three more kills for the Cats as they held on for a 25-22 set one win. 

In set two, the Wildcats found themselves trailing 19-15 before rallying back to within 20-18 on a swing from Tiyanna Preston. Simmons and Preston added another kill each, but the Cats could not complete the comeback as the Hornets tied things with a 25-20 set win. 

The Cats grabbed the first five points of the third set, but Alabama State raced back to take the lead at 8-7. The Hornets led as late as 24-20, but the Wildcats produced a furious rally behind the serve of Kaleigh Williams, forcing four attack errors - including a big block from Preston Sierra Herndon - and and a service ace to take the lead at 25-24. 

Again Alabama State forced a match point with a kill and an ace, but a Simmons kill returned the serve to the Cats, with Herndon setting up match point an a Hornet attack error giving B-CU the lead again at 2-1. 

The Cats found themselves in a similar spot in set four, trailing 23-20. For the second straight set, B-CU rallied back, setting up match point at 24-23 and another at 25-24. After a lengthy review on a Tiyanna Preston kill was not overturned, Alabama State capitalized on a Williams service error to win the set, 27-25. 

Alabama State commanded much of the final set, leading 8-5 before back-to-back Herndon blocks tied things at 8-8. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Alabama State took the reigns from there, going in front 13-9 and holding on for the 15-12 set and match win. 
 


Since their last meeting, the Rattlers have gone 5-3, including a 3-game winning streak. They are coming off a home loss to Alabama A&M and are currently eighth in the SWAC.

LaDonna Trantham continues to lead the charge for the Rattlers. She tallied 11 digs and 11 kills in their previous game and currently ranks eighth in the SWAC in points. Makenzie Taylor ranks third in assists after a 41-assist performance against the Bulldogs.

The Rattlers rank second in the league in blocks, trailing only the Wildcats in the category. Farah Farooq and Tamia Coleman rank third and fourth in blocks respectively.




Friday's matchup marks the 73rd matchup between the two bitter rivals. Florida A&M has historically dominated the series, winning 65 of the 72 contests. The Wildcats were victorious in their previous meeting, ending a 10-game winning streak for the Rattlers. B-CU will look to win back-to-back games against Florida A&M for the first time since 2015.

 
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