WOMEN S VOLLEYBALL 2015 FLORIDA LORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY NIVERSITY PAMELA SORIANO L NO YBALL FAMU 2015 F OLL CHAMPIONSHIP BRONZE MEDALIST MEDALIST

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1 FLORIDA LORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY NIVERSITY PAMELA PAMELA SORIANO SORIANO UNDER UNDER WORLD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPIONSHIP BRONZE BRONZE MEDALIST MEDALIST ** MEAC MEAC PRESEASON PRESEASON PLAYER PLAYER OF OF THE THE YEAR YEAR ** MEAC MEAC ROOKIE ROOKIE OF OF THE THE YEAR YEAR WOMEN S VOLLEYBALL F AMU VOL LE YBAL L NO TEBO OK FAMU OLL YBALL NOT BOOK

2 FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY 2015 RATTLER VOLLEYBALL 2015 SCORECARD * 0-3, 0-0 in MEAC AUGUST Fr-Sa Aug Miami Tournament Fri Aug. 28 Kansas State, L, 0-3 Sat Aug. 29 Miami, L,0-3 Sat Aug 29 Illinois State, L, 0-3 SEPTEMBER Tue Sept University (TBA) Fr-Sa Sept. 4-5 Arizona Tournament Fri Sept 4 Cal State Northridge (3:30 p.m. MT) Sat Sept 5 Arizona (10:00 a.m. MT) Sat Sept 5 South Dakota (5:00 p.m. MT) at AUBURN UNIVERSITY TIGERS Tuesday, September 1, 2015 Auburn, Alabama MATCH TIME: 6:00 p.m. CDT Flor lorida A&M Rattlers (0-3) after r season-opening ening app ppear earance ance in the Miami Tour ourne ney last week. Fr-Su Sept FAMU/FSU Tourney Fri Sept 11 Xavier (Ohio) (7:00 pm) Sat Sept 12 Florida State (11:00 a.m. - FSU) Sun Sept 13 Coastal Carolina (11:30 a.m.) Tue Sept 15 North Florida (6:00 p.m.) Sat Sept 19 Texas A&M (12:00 p.m.) Sun Sept (4:00 p.m.) Fri Sept Carolina State (TBA)* Sun Sept State (TBA)* OCTOBER Fri Oct (TBA)* Fri Oct 9 North Carolina Central (7:00 p.m.)* Sun Oct 11 North Carolina A&T (3:00 p.m.)* Tue Oct University (6:00 p.m. CT) Mon Oct 19 Florida Gulf Coast (6:00 p.m.) Wed Oct University (6:00 p.m.) Fri Oct 23 South Carolina State (7:00 p.m.)* Sun Oct 25 Savannah State (3:00 p.m.) Wed Oct Florida (6:00 p.m.) NOVEMBER Sun Nov 1 Bethune-Cookman (3:00 p.m.)* Fri Nov Carolina Central (TBA)* Sun Nov Carolina A&T (TBA) Fr-Su N20-22 MEAC Volleyball Tournament* Fri Nov 20 Quarterfinals/TBA Sat Nov 21 Semifinals/TBA Sun Nov 22 Championship/TBA Th-Su Dec 3-6 NCAA 1st and 2nd Rounds Fr-Sa D11-12 NCAA Regionals Th,Sa D17-18 NCAA Final Four *-Conference matches; MT-Mountain Time FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY 2015 WOMEN S VOLLEYBALL ROSTER No.Name Pos. Ht. Exp. Hometown (Previous School) 1 Starmichael Tucker M/OH 5-10 R-Jr Moorpark, California (CalState Bakersfield) 2 Valeria Lopez S 5-9 So. Medellin, Colombia (Colegio Compestre el Remonso) 3 Elon Yates DS 5-7 Fr. Atlanta, Georgia 5 Ginna Lopez MB 6-3 Jr. Lima, Peru (San Ignacio De Loyola) 7 Ailin Donati S 5-9 Jr. Rome, Italy 8 Gaia Bellesi DS/L 5-7 Fr Rijeka,Croatia 15 Valentina Carrasco L 5-6 Fr. Lima, Peru 19 Andrea Soriano OH 5-11 Sr. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (UNAPEC) 21 Tamar Fowler OH 5-10 Sr. Woodland Hills, California (UC Bakersfield) 30 Pamela Soriano OH 5-10 So. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (UNAPEC) 42 Deija Martin MB 6-0 Jr. Glenns Ferry, Idaho (Glenns Ferry HS) HEAD COACH: Tanio Tony Trifonov (Bulgarian National Sports Academy, 1990), 18th season ASSISTANT COACH: Mariela Trifonov, 8th season 2015 FAMU VOL OLLEYBAL YBALL L NOTEBO BOOK OK 1

3 2015 FAMU Women s Volleyball Quick Facts GENERAL INFORMATION Name: Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University Location: Tallahassee, Fla Founded : 1887 Enrollment: 10, 500 Colors : Orange and Green Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Nickname: Rattlers Arena: Al Lawson Center (8,100) President: Dr. Elmira Mangum Athletic Director: Milton Overton Faculty Rep: Dr. Ebenezer Oriaku HISTORY First Year of Volleyball: 1981 All-Time Record: * (.558) Years in NCAA Tourney: 10 (1999*, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) MEAC Championships: 13 (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 1999**, 1996, 1995, 1988) All-Time MEAC Record (1989-Pres.) (.932)*** MEAC Tournament Record: (.758)*** * All victories during the 1999 season were later vacated due to NCAA sanctions, along with the 1999 MEAC Tournament Championship and the NCAA Tournament loss to Long Beach State. Actual on-court record was 23-9 VOLLEYBALL STAFF Head Coach: Tony Trifonov, 18th year (Bulgarian National Sports Academy, 90) Overall: (17, years)+ At FAMU: (17, years)+ FAMU VOLLEYBALL OUTLOOK 2015 The Lady Rattler Volleyball team seeks a return to glory in 2015, as they vie for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship. Cautious optimism is in air around the Florida A&M University Volleyball Program, as they gear up for a run at a 14th Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship. Head coach Tanio Tony Trifonov ( in 17 years overall; in MEAC), hopes to recapture the magic that sparked the Lady Rattlers to nine (9) straight league crowns between 2001 and 2009, and 10 overall during his tenure. Nonetheless, a tad bit of frustration has set in over the program, which has not won a MEAC Tournament since 2009, losing twice in the finals and bowing out in last year s semifinals during that five-year drought. Trifonov, who has been a master of recruiting internationally, is counting on a bumper crop of imports to bolster the returning core of players from last season s squad, which won the MEAC Southern Division title with a sterling 9-1 record. Those newcomers should provide an upgrade in both talent and team depth, and soften the blow of losing two key performers from a year ago: libero/defensive specialist Joanie Del Castillo, a First Team All-MEAC selection, and #2 in MEAC in digs (4.04 per set), who graduated; and outside hitter Yeshia Arcia, an academic casualty, who averaged 3.12 kills per set, 2.98 digs per set, and 0.56 blocks per set. FAMU S LEADING LADIES Heading the cast of returning performers are a pair of 2015 Preseason All-MEAC selectees, sophomore Pamela Soriano and junior Ginna Lopez, both of whom The :2015 Preseason Player of the Year, Soriano, a 5-10, sophomore outside hitter from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was the 2014 MEAC Rookie of the Year, a First Team All-MEAC, ranking 2nd in MEAC and 31st in NCAA in Kills (4.25 per set); and 2nd in MEAC and 39th in NCAA in Points Per Set (4.73), along with 252 digs and a team-high 23 service aces FAMU VOL OLLEYBAL YBALL L NOTEBO BOOK OK

4 @ This summer, she was a member of the Dominican Republic s Under 23 National team, which won the bronze medal in the FIVB World Championships in Turkey earlier this month. Ginna Lopez, a 6-3, senior middle blocker from Lima, Peru, a 2015 Preseason All-MEAC pick, and a two-time First Team All-MEAC selection (2013, 2014), was 4th in MEAC in hitting (.304), and 5th in Blocks (0.40 per set); along with Pamela Soriano, a 5-10, sophomore outside hitter from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who was the 2014 MEAC Rookie of the Year, a First Team All-MEAC, ranking 2nd in MEAC and 31st in NCAA in Kills (4.25 per set); and 2nd in MEAC and 39th in NCAA in Points Per Set (4.73), along with 252 digs and a team-high 23 service Lopez actually had two runs at international play this summer, participating with the Peruvian National team in the Pan American Games in Toronto in July, and competing with the Under 23 Peruvian National team at the FIVB World Championships in Turkey, where she finished ranked in the Top 10 in blocked shots per set in the event. OTHER KEY RETURNEES Also returning is setter Valeria Lopez, a 5-9 sophomore from Medellin, Colombia, who ranked 6th in the MEAC in assists (8.74 per set), 15 service aces, and 89 digs as a freshman in 2014; outside hitter Tamar Fowler, a 5-10 senior from Woodland Hills, California, who had 109 kills and 44 digs in 81 sets, and middle blocker Deija Martin, a 6-0 junior from Glenns Ferry, Idaho, who had 129 kills and 0.71 blocks per set a year ago. Also due back in 2015 is Andrea Soriano, a 5-11 redshirt senior outside hitter from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who sat out 2014 recovering from shoulder surgery. The older sister of Pamela Soriano, Andrea played in 71 sets in 2013, with 86 kills, 85 digs and 0.42 blocks per set. THE TALENTED NEWCOMERS Trifonov teams are known for bringing aboard Assistant Coach: N/A Volleyball Phone: (850) Volleyball Fax: (850) All victories during the 1999 and 2000 season were later vacated due to NCAA sanctions Actual career- record is TEAM INFORMATION 2014 Record : H/A/N: 5-1/ 4-7/ Conference : 9-1/ 1st in Southern Division 2014 National Ranking: None 2014 Postseason Appearance: None Last Postseason Appearance: 2009 : NCAA Tournament First Round Last Postseason Result: 2009 /Lost to Jacksonville (22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 20-25, 13-15) Letterwinners Returning/ Lost: 7/3 Starters Returning / Lost : 4/3 Key Losses: Joanie Del Castillo, L/DS,(Graduated) First Team All-MEAC; #2 in MEAC in digs (4.04 per set) Yeshia Arcia, 5-11, OH, Jr.,San Juan, Puerto Rico (Academics) Averaged 3.12 kills per set, 2.98 digs per set, and 0.56 blocks per set. Top Newcomers: Valentina Carrasco, 5-6. LIB, Fr., Lima,Peru Starmichael Tucker, 5-10, MB?OH, Jr., Moorpark, Calif. Gaia Bellesi, 5-7, DS/L, Fr., Rijeka, Croatia Elon Yates. 5-7, DS, Fr., Atlanta, Ga. Alin Donati, 5-9, S, Jr., Rome, Italy Key Returnees: Ginna Lopez-Chavez, 6-3, MB, Jr., Lima, Peru- First Team All-MEAC (2013, 2014). Was 4th in MEAC in Hitting Percentage (.304); 5th in MEAC in Blocks (0.40 per set) Preseason 2015 All-MEAC Played for Peru in 2015 Pam Am Games and 2015 FAMU VOL OLLEYBAL YBALL L NOTEBO BOOK OK 3

5 Under 23 World Championships Pamela Soriano, 5-10, OH, So., Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.- Was 2014 MEAC Rookie of the Year, First Team All-MEAC, 2nd in MEAC/31st in NCAA in Kills (4.25 per set); 2nd in MEAC/39th in NCAA in Points Per Set (4.73). -Was voted 2015 Preseason MEAC POTY -Played on the Dominican Republic Under 23 Bronze Medal winners at the World Championships. Valeria Lopez, 5-9, S, So.,Medellin, Colombia Ranked 6th in MEAC in assists (8.74 per set) as a freshman in MEDIA RELATIONS BRIEF Sports Information Director : Vaughn Wilson Office Phone: (850) Vaughn.Wilson@famu.edu Asst. SID / Volleyball Contact: Alvin Hollins Office Phone: (850) Cell Phone: (850) Fax: (850) alvinhollins833@yahoo.com or Alvin.Hollins@famu.edu Website: famuathletics.com Mailing Address: FAMU Sports Information Gaither Athletic Center, Suite Wahnish Way Tallahassee, Fla fresh talent almost every year, and 2015 will be no different with a quintet of new faces who should bolster FAMU s hopes of a MEAC title run and a return to the NCAA Tournament. Headlining the newcomers for FAMU will be freshman libero Valentina Carrasco, a 5-6 native of Lima, Peru, who played for the Peruvian National club in the FIVB Under 18 World Championships, ranking number five among liberos in the tournament. Also coming in to bolster the Rattler brand will be 5-10 junior middle blocker/outside hitter Starmichael Tucker of Moorpark, California, a transfer from Cal State Bakersfield; 5-9 junior setter Alin Donati from Rome, Italy, along with a pair of 5-7 freshmen defensive specialists, Gaia Bellesi from Rijeka, Croatia and Elon Yates from Atlanta, Georgia. THE 2015 SCHEDULE Florida A&M will play its usual array of challenging non-conference teams in 2015 both in and out of tournaments. FAMU will take part in three early tournaments Miami, August (Kansas State, Miami, Illinois State), Arizona, September 4-5 (Arizona, Cal State Northridge, South Dakota) and the FAMU/FSU Tournament, September (Florida State, Xavier of Ohio, Coastal Carolina). The Rattlers will also tangle with Texas A&M, Auburn, USF, North Florida (2), Troy (Ala.), Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson (Fla.) in single matches. FAMU opens Southern Division play in the MEAC with three straight road matches: at South Carolina State (Sept. 25), at Savannah State (Sept. 27) and at Bethune-Cookman (Oct. 2), before opening their home league schedule against the North Carolina twins: North Carolina Central (Oct. 9) and North Carolina A&T (Oct. 11). The 2015 MEAC Championship Tournament will be held in the Hytche Center on the campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Friday through Sunday, November at Princess Anne, Maryland FAMU VOL OLLEYBAL YBALL L NOTEBO BOOK OK

6 TANIO Tony TRIFONOV Head Volleyball Coach 18th Year at Florida A&M Bulgarian National Sports Academy, 1990 Tanio Tony Trifonov is in his 18th season at the helm of the Florida A&M Volleyball program having turned this perennial contender for Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference into the league s most dominant program, with 10 league titles overall during his tenure. This energetic visionary has fashioned a career mark at FAMU, and a sizzling record in regular season Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference competition. Although the overall league title run has hit pause since 2009, FAMU has still won the league s Southern Division 14 years running ( ). FAMU s Legendary Run ( ) Florida A&M had won nine consecutive MEAC Regular Season and Tournament titles between 2001 and 2009, advancing each season to the NCAA Tournament, ending in the 2010 MEAC quarterfinals in an upset loss to Delaware The Lady Rattlers finished the 2007 campaign by extending the nation s longest conference match win streak in NCAA Division One to 91 straight - dating back to That streak ended in 2008 at 95, but an injury-riddled FAMU club still brought home another conference The 2005 (22) and 2006 (21) clubs extended the program s 20-match season win streak to eight (8) straight After the 2009 regular season, the Lady Rattlers had won 72 of their last 76 regular season conference matches by 3-0 scores, having reeling off 43 straight conference shutouts between 2001 and The Trifonov Vision Despite the disappointments in the MEAC Tournament the past five seasons, which included a pair of five-set losses in the finals (2011, 2013), Trifonov s long-term vision for the program extends beyond merely winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. His ultimate dream has the Rattlers vaulting into the rarified air of the established elite of collegiate volleyball, a feat they accomplished briefly in 2004, as they finally broke into the AVCA Division One Top 25 Poll in 2015 FAMU VOL OLLEYBAL YBALL L NOTEBO BOOK OK 5

7 @ In 2003, FAMU extended nationallyranked Stanford and Colorado State to five sets before bowing In 2002, FAMU s 23-7 mark featured stunning road win at LSU and against nationallyranked Louisville in the Georgia Tech Tournament, helping the Lady Rattlers to the cusp of national recognition. COACH TRIFONOV October, soaring to #22 after winning the MEAC Tournament in late November of that In 2004, he guided Florida A&M to a #1 ranking in the NCAA East Region in His clubs were rated in the Top 10 in the region in seven of the last 11 years and their 27-4 mark in 2003, included the school s first-ever opening round NCAA Division One Tournament win for an Olympic sports (3-0 vs. Winthrop University at Georgia In 2004, FAMU set a new school-record with a 27-match wins streak, which surpassed the 25 straight FAMU won during the 2003 In 2004, FAMU began its 27-match win roll with a 3-1 victory over the second-rank Nebraska the Huskers last nonconference home loss-continuing their ever improving records against quality foes. Tony Trifonov Before FAMU Trifonov has been involved with volleyball for the greater part of his life. He honed his playing skills in his hometown of Sofia, Bulgaria. As early as 1979, Trifonov was playing on the national level participating on the CSKA-Sofia Junior Clubb tema that won three national championships and the Bulgarian Junior National team. He continued to develop as a player and moved onto the professional ranks playing with Minyor-Pernik and CSKA-Sofia professional teams. He crossed over into the coaching ranks at age of 21 and led the Minyor -Pernik Junior team to a national title, and was also an assistant coach for the Academic-Sofia women s professional team that finished in third place at the Bulgarian pro league championship. Trifonov continued his playing career on the Bulgarian National team that finished sixth in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. In 1990, he joined the AVP two-man beach volleyball tour. Shortly after, he returned to the coaching ranks with a brief stint at the University of South Florida FAMU VOL OLLEYBAL YBALL L NOTEBO BOOK OK

8 FAMU s Pamela Soriano (2nd from Left) was a member of the bronze medal winning Dominican Republic National team at the FIVB Under 23 World Championships in Turkey in August FAMU Volleyball Team Features Summer International Flavor Three Rattler women fresh from world championship play should be ready to provide experience, leadership during challenging FAMU schedule AUGUST 21 - With the 2015 regular season opener just a week away, the Florida A&M University Women s Volleyball program is excited about this year s prospects thanks to a trio of players who gained some valuable international playing experience this summer. Two members of the trio are returning veterans: 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Pamela Soriano, a 5-10 sophomore outside hitter from the Dominican Republic, and 6-3 senior middle blocker Ginna Lopez, from Lima, Peru, who was a preseason All-MEAC pick, and a two-time first team All- MEAC selection (2013, 2014), while the third is incoming freshman libero Valentina Carrasco from Lima, Peru FAMU head coach Tanio Tony Trifonov was excited for his players and more excited for their potential impact on the 2015 Rattler Volleyball team. This has been a great experience for our players, and hopefully they will provide the leadership that will help us elevate our play this year through the MEAC Tournament and potentially into the NCAA Tournament as well, Trifonov said FAMU VOL OLLEYBAL YBALL L NOTEBO BOOK OK 7

9 FAMU s Ginna Lopez (Left) was on two Peruvian National teams this summer, one in the Pan American Games, and one in the FIVB Under 23 World Championships in Turkey in August. World Under 23 Championships duo The returning FAMU duo of Soriano and Lopez- Chavez played in the FIVB (International Federation for Volleyball) Under 23 World Volleyball Championships in Turkey, which concluded this week, with Soriano, as a member of the bronze medal-winning Dominican Republic National team, and Lopez-Chavez a member of the Peruvian National Soriano s Dominican team dropped a five-set heartbreaker in the semifinals to eventual world champion Brazil, but rallied literally and figuratively in the third place match, coming from two sets down to overtake Japan, 3-2 (21-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-16, 15-11) for the Lopez-Chavez s Peruvian team finished tied for ninth (9th), but individually, she had an outstanding tournament, finishing #10 overall in blocks among all players, averaging 0.56 blocks per set. The Under 23 World Championships was the second summer event for Lopez-Chavez, who played for Peru in the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto in July, along with a FAMU Volleyball alum, libero Susan Egoavil. FAMU freshman in Under 18 Championships Speaking of the libero position, FAMU s third international summer competitor was incoming freshman Valentina Carrasco, another in the long line of Lima, Peru natives to wear the Orange and Green. Carrasco played in the FIVB Under 18 World Championships for Peru, finishing the event ranked as the #5 libero overall in the event. All three players will be on campus by Sunday, just in time for the start of the 2015 Fall Semester on Monday, August 24, and they ll have a few days of practice to gear up for next Friday s season opener in the University of Miami Tournament against Kansas State at 5:00 p.m. They will face host Miami (12:30 p.m.) and Illinois State (5:30 p.m.) on Saturday, August FAMU VOL OLLEYBAL YBALL L NOTEBO BOOK OK

10 2015 FAMU VOLLEYBALL TV RADIO CHART TONY TRIFONOV Head Coach YATES 3 5-7,ELON FR, DS, Atlanta, GA MARIELA TRIFONOV Assistant Coach LOPEZ 5 GINNA 6-3, JR, MB, Lima, Peru STARMICHAEL TUCKER VALERIA LOPEZ 15-10, JR, MB-OH, Moorpark, CA 2 5-9, SO, S, Medellin, Colombia 7 AILIN DONATI 5-9, JR, S, Rome, Italy BELLESI 8 5-7,GAIA FR, DS/LIB, Rijeka, Croatia CARRASCO PAMELA SORIANO ANDREA SORIANO 21 TAMAR FOWLER 15 VALENTINA , 5-6, FR, LIB, Lima, Peru 5-10, SR, OH, Woodland Hills, CA 5-10, SO, OH, Santo Domingo, D.R. SR, OH, Santo Domingo, D.R. FAMU PRONOUNCIATION GUIDE MARTIN 426-0,DEIJA JR, MB, Glenns Ferry, ID 1-Starmichael Tucker * STAR-MICHAEL 2-Valeria Lopez * VA-LEARIA 3-Elon Yates * EE-LON 5-Ginna Lopez* GEE-NAH 7-Ailin Donati * EYE-LIN DO-NAH-TEE 8-Gaia Bellesi * GAY-AH BEL-LEE-SEE 15-Valentina Carrasco * CAH-RASS-COE 19-Andrea Soriano * SOAR-RE-ANO 21 Tamar Fowler TA-MARR 30 Pamela Soriano SOAR-RE-ANO 42 Deija Martin DAY-JAH COACH: TonyTrifonov TRIF-FAHN-OFF 2015 F AMU VOL LE YBAL L NO TEBO OK FAMU OLL YBALL NOT BOOK 9

11 Rattler News And Notes Volleyball The Rattlers (0-3) are coming off a seasonopening tournament appearance in the University of Miami Invitational last Last week s event was the first time the group had played together, as five newcomers (Vaentina Carrasco, Ailin Donati, Gaia Bellesi, Starmichael Tucker and Elon Yates) along with two returning veterans (Pamela Soriano, Ginna Lopez) were not in school this Three FAMU players experienced international play this summer, junior middle Ginna Lopez, who played for Peru in the Pam Am Games in Toronto and in the Under 23 World Championships in Turkey; sophomore hitter Pamela Soriano, the 2015 MEAC Preseason Player of the Year and the 2014 MEAC Rookie of the Year, was a member of the Dominican Republic s Bronze medal winning team in the Under 23 Championships, while incoming freshman Velentina Carrasco was a member of the Under 18 Peruvian National Lopez was ranked in the Top 10 among middle blockers (0.68 per set) in the Under 23 Championships, while Carrasco was rated 5th among liberos in the Under 18 The team put on its best showing of the tourney on Day Two against Miami, exchanging leads with the Canes in the first two sets and rallying to keep the score close in the FAMU clearly ran out of gas in Saturday s second match against Illinois State, but the coaching staff is optimistic from the Miami effort that a serious run at the MEAC title is in the cards for the 2015 Preseason All-MEAC selections Pamela Soriano and Ginna Lopez picked up right where they left off last season based on their play last weekend Soriano (21) and Lopez (13) are 1-2 in kills through three matches, with junior Deija Martin tied with Lopez for 2nd (13), followed by senior Tamar Fowler Soriano s older sister, Andrea, has nine (9) kills and is second (0.67) in blocks per set behind Lopez (0.78), followed by Martin (0.33). She is tied for fourth in digs Three of the newcomers are making immediate contributions : Valentina Carrasco tops the club in digs (29), with Gaia Bellesi (14) and Ailin Donati (12) are in the top four in digs Miami Tourney Recaps K-STATE 3, FAMU O CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Fri., Aug. 28) The Florida A&M Volleyball team spent the first two sets of their 2015 season opener against Kansas State in the University of Miami Invitational getting acquainted with each other, but by the third set the Rattler bite was nearly back in Friday s 3-0 (8-25, 11-25, 19-25) setback. Coach Tony Trifonov s crew, which not only FAMU VOL OLLEYBAL YBALL L NOTEBO BOOK OK

12 features five new players, and a trio of players who performed in international championships this summer, had very little practice time together this week, but by Friday s third set against the Wildcats, it was clear the chemistry was developing. After the first two sets saw both teams duel tightly for a time before K-State pulled away to 25-8 and wins, in the third frame, FAMU scored 19 points off 14 kills three more than they had in the first two frames. In fact, the third set saw six tied scores, the last at on a kill by junior Ginna Lopez off an assist from sophomore Pamela Soriano. FAMU did not go quietly in that final set, as junior Deija Martin recorded two of her co-match high seven kills in the waning moments, along with one from Ginna Lopez. Ginna Lopez and Martin each had seven kills to lead FAMU, followed by the Soriano sisters, Pamela and Andrea with four and three respectively. Newcomer Valentina Carrasco had seven digs to six for Pamela Soriano, while sophomore Valeria Lopez dished out nine assists, with eight coming from newcomer Ailin Donati. MIAMI 3, FAMU 0 CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Sat., Aug. 29) The FAMU Womens Volleyball team pushed their hosts from the University of Miami to the brink in their afternoon match at the Knight Center, dropping a hard-fought 3-0 (22-25, 21-25, 19-25) decision here Saturday. Florida A&M (0-2) led early on in each of the first two sets, and never allowed the Canes (2-0) much breathing run even in the third frame, as they played together with greater confidence than they did in Friday s opener against K-State. In the opening frame, FAMU jumped ahead, 4-1, 7-6 and, 10-9 and 12-10, thanks to their play at the net, before the Canes rallied to take an lead. FAMU bounced back to within two points at on a kill by Tamar Fowler, but UM closed out the set with a 5-4 rally. In the second set, Miami took an early 4-1 lead, but the Rattlers rallied to tie the score at 4-4, before holding the lead at 6-5, 7-6, 8-7, 10-8 before surging to a advantage. UM had to rally again, staging an 8-2 surge to turn a FAMU lead into a second set win. Miami led the third set wire-to-wire, but never had a lead larger than six points. In fact, FAMU had closed to a single point at 18-17, before the Canes eased away with a 7-2 finishing run. Sophomore Pamela Soriano and senior Tamar Fowler each had eight kills, followed by juniors Deija Martin and Ailin Donati with four kills each. Donati led with 13 assists, adding eight digs, while freshman Valentina Carrasco had a team-high 13 digs. FAMU s play at the net was crucial to their performance against Miami, as Martin, Donati, junior Ginna Lopez and senior Andrea Soriano combined for 11 of the 12 FAMU block assists. ILLINOIS STATE 3, FAMU 0 CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Sat., Aug. 29) The FAMU Volleyball team dropped its final match in the University of Miami Tournament, falling 3-0 (13-25, 19-25, 10-25) to Illinois State Saturday evening at the Knight Center. Sophomore Pamela Soriano led FAMU (0-3) with nine kills, followed by older sister Andrea Soriano with four kills, while Ginna Lopez and Valeria Lopez each added three kills FAMU VOL OLLEYBAL YBALL L NOTEBO BOOK OK 11

13 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M Combined Team Statistics (as of Aug 29, 2015) All matches RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL ALL GAMES CONFERENCE NON-CONFERENCE Attack Set Serve Dig Blocking ## Player sp k k/s e ta pct a a/s sa se sa/s re dig dig/s bs ba total blk/s be bhe points 2 LOPEZ,Valeria MARTIN,Deija CARRASCO,Valentina DONATI,Ailin LOPEZ,Ginna SORIANO,Pamela BELLESI,Gaia FOWLER,Tamar SORIANO,Andrea TEAM FLORIDA A&M Opponents Team Statistics FAMU OPP ATTACK K ills Errors Total Attacks Attack Pct K ills / S e t SET A s s is t s A s s is t s / S e t SERVE A c e s Errors Aces/Set SERVE RECEPTIONS Errors Errors/Set DEFENSE Digs Digs/Set BLOCKING Block Solo 1 3 Block Assist Total Blocks B lo c k s / S e t Block Errors 0 0 Ball handling errors 7 3 ATTENDANCE T o t a l Dates/Avg Per Date 0/0 1/388 Neutral site #/Avg 2/122 Current win streak 0 - Home win streak 0 - Date Opponent Score Score by set Att. Aug 28 vs Kansas State L ,11-25, Aug 29 at Miami L ,21-25, Aug 29 vs Illinois State L ,19-25, Record in 3-set matches: 0-3 Record in 4-set matches: 0-0 Record in 5-set matches: 0-0

14 Volleyball Box Score 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M vs Kansas State (Aug 28, 2015 at Coral Gables, Fla.) Attack Serve Block # Florida A&M S K E TA Pct Ast SA SE RE Dig BS BA BE BH Pts 5 LOPEZ,Ginna DONATI,Ailin SORIANO,Andrea FOWLER,Tamar SORIANO,Pamela MARTIN,Deija LOPEZ,Valeria BELLESI,Gaia CARRASCO,Valentina Team 2 Totals Team Attack By Set Set K E TA Pct SET SCORES Florida A&M (0) Kansas State (3) TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 4.0 Team Records: Attack Serve Block # Kansas State S K E TA Pct Ast SA SE RE Dig BS BA BE BH Pts 6 Brand, Katie Zumach, Kylee Reininger, Katie Sassin, Brooke Vogel, Bryna Holcomb, Makenzie Kober, Kersten Schultejans, Alyssa Batchelder, Mattie Gyimes, Zsofia Fairfield, Devan Team 1 Totals Team Attack By Set Set K E TA Pct TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 7.0 Site: Coral Gables, Fla. (Knight Complex) Date: Aug 28, 2015 Attend: Time: 1:10 Referees: David Skove, DJ Wiles Clark

15 Volleyball Box Score 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M vs Miami (Aug 29, 2015 at Coral Gables, Fla.) Attack Serve Block # Florida A&M S K E TA Pct Ast SA SE RE Dig BS BA BE BH Pts 5 LOPEZ,Ginna DONATI,Ailin BELLESI,Gaia SORIANO,Andrea SORIANO,Pamela MARTIN,Deija LOPEZ,Valeria CARRASCO,Valentina FOWLER,Tamar Totals Team Attack By Set Set K E TA Pct SET SCORES Florida A&M (0) Miami (3) TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 6.0 Team Records: Attack Serve Block # Miami S K E TA Pct Ast SA SE RE Dig BS BA BE BH Pts 4 Alexis Mourning Haley Templeton Olga Strantzali Kolby Bird Sakile Simmons Taylor Scott Michele Marenus Anna Haak Kelsie Groot Kalysta White Lucia Pampana Caitilin Donahoe Codi Lee Team 3 Totals Team Attack By Set Set K E TA Pct TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 9.0 Site: Coral Gables, Fla. (Knight Complex) Date: Aug 29, 2015 Attend: 388 Time: 1:32 Referees: Dave Greenlee, Steve Dalton

16 Volleyball Box Score 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M vs Illinois State (Aug 29, 2015 at Coral Gables, Fla.) Attack Serve Block # Florida A&M S K E TA Pct Ast SA SE RE Dig BS BA BE BH Pts 5 LOPEZ,Ginna DONATI,Ailin BELLESI,Gaia SORIANO,Andrea SORIANO,Pamela MARTIN,Deija LOPEZ,Valeria CARRASCO,Valentina FOWLER,Tamar Team 2 Totals Team Attack By Set Set K E TA Pct SET SCORES Florida A&M (0) Illinois State (3) TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 1.0 Team Records: Attack Serve Block # Illinois State S K E TA Pct Ast SA SE RE Dig BS BA BE BH Pts 2 Keene, Jaelyn Montgomery, Annchara Twing, Jacqueline Dawson, Aly Rosch, Ashley Varga, Lexi Line, Ali Pence, Courtney Garbes, Ratasha Mammosser, Morgan Greenhaw, Shalyn Weatherless, Jordan Wallen, Lexi Hunt, Kaitlyn Totals Team Attack By Set Set K E TA Pct TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 7.0 Site: Coral Gables, Fla. (Knight Complex) Date: Aug 29, 2015 Attend: 245 Time: 1:13 Referees: David Skove, Jeffrey Herrick

17 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M Overall Team Statistics (as of Sep 01, 2015) All matches Overall record: 0-3 Conf: 0-0 Home: 0-0 Away: 0-1 Neutral: 0-2 Team Statistics FAMU OPP ATTACK K ills Errors Total Attacks Attack Pct K ills / S e t SET Assists A s s is t s / S e t SERVE Aces Errors Aces/Set SERVE RECEPTIONS Errors Errors/Set DEFENSE D ig s D ig s / S e t BLOCKING Block Solo 1 3 Block Assist Total Blocks Blocks/Set Block Errors 0 0 Ball handling errors 7 3 ATTENDANCE T o t a l Dates/Avg Per Date 0/0 1/388 Neutral site #/Avg 2/122 Current win streak 0 - Home win streak 0 - Match wins by #sets 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total Florida A&M Opponents Sets won by set 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total Florida A&M Opponents Points by set 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total Florida A&M Opponents

18 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M Overall Individual Statistics (as of Sep 01, 2015) All matches Overall record: 0-3 Conf: 0-0 Home: 0-0 Away: 0-1 Neutral: 0-2 Attack Set Serve ## Player sp mp-ms k k/s e ta pct a a/s sa sa/s se 2 LOPEZ,Valeria MARTIN,Deija CARRASCO,Valentina DONATI,Ailin LOPEZ,Ginna SORIANO,Pamela BELLESI,Gaia FOWLER,Tamar SORIANO,Andrea FLORIDA A&M Opponents Dig Blocking ## Player sp re dig dig/s bs ba total blk/s be bhe 2 LOPEZ,Valeria MARTIN,Deija CARRASCO,Valentina DONATI,Ailin LOPEZ,Ginna SORIANO,Pamela BELLESI,Gaia FOWLER,Tamar SORIANO,Andrea TEAM FLORIDA A&M Opponents

19 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M Match-by-Match KILLS-ACES-DIGS-BLOCKS (as of Sep 01, 2015) All matches Opponent Date Score LOPEZ,Valeria LOPEZ,Ginna DONATI,Ailin BELLESI,Gaia CARRASCO,V SORIANO,And FOWLER,Tam SORIANO,Pam MARTIN,Deija vs KSU Aug L at UM Aug L vs ILS Aug L

20 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M Individual Match-by-Match (as of Sep 01, 2015) All matches # 2 LOPEZ,Valeria attack set serve recept blocking team Date Opponent sp k e ta pct a ta pct sa se ta pct re ta pct dig bs ba be total bhe points hit% score Aug 28, 2015 vs Kansas State Aug 29, 2015 at Miami Aug 29, 2015 vs Illinois State Totals Sets played: 8 Kills per set: 0.50 Assists per set: 3.38 Service aces per set: 0.12 Digs per set: 0.62 Blocks per set: 0.12 # 5 LOPEZ,Ginna attack set serve recept blocking team Date Opponent sp k e ta pct a ta pct sa se ta pct re ta pct dig bs ba be total bhe points hit% score Aug 28, 2015 vs Kansas State * Aug 29, 2015 at Miami * Aug 29, 2015 vs Illinois State * Totals Sets played: 9 Kills per set: 1.44 Assists per set: 0.11 Service aces per set: 0.33 Digs per set: 0.56 Blocks per set: 0.78 # 7 DONATI,Ailin attack set serve recept blocking team Date Opponent sp k e ta pct a ta pct sa se ta pct re ta pct dig bs ba be total bhe points hit% score Aug 28, 2015 vs Kansas State * Aug 29, 2015 at Miami * Aug 29, 2015 vs Illinois State * Totals Sets played: 8 Kills per set: 0.50 Assists per set: 3.38 Digs per set: 1.50 Blocks per set: 0.25

21 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M Individual Match-by-Match (as of Sep 01, 2015) All matches # 8 BELLESI,Gaia attack set serve recept blocking team Date Opponent sp k e ta pct a ta pct sa se ta pct re ta pct dig bs ba be total bhe points hit% score Aug 28, 2015 vs Kansas State Aug 29, 2015 at Miami * Aug 29, 2015 vs Illinois State * Totals Sets played: 9 Assists per set: 0.44 Digs per set: 1.56 Blocks per set: 0.00 #15 CARRASCO,Valentina attack set serve recept blocking team Date Opponent sp k e ta pct a ta pct sa se ta pct re ta pct dig bs ba be total bhe points hit% score Aug 28, 2015 vs Kansas State Aug 29, 2015 at Miami Aug 29, 2015 vs Illinois State Totals Sets played: 9 Kills per set: 0.11 Assists per set: 0.56 Service aces per set: 0.22 Digs per set: 3.22 #19 SORIANO,Andrea attack set serve recept blocking team Date Opponent sp k e ta pct a ta pct sa se ta pct re ta pct dig bs ba be total bhe points hit% score Aug 28, 2015 vs Kansas State * Aug 29, 2015 at Miami * Aug 29, 2015 vs Illinois State * Totals Sets played: 9 Kills per set: 1.00 Assists per set: 0.11 Service aces per set: 0.44 Digs per set: 1.33 Blocks per set: 0.67

22 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M Individual Match-by-Match (as of Sep 01, 2015) All matches #21 FOWLER,Tamar attack set serve recept blocking team Date Opponent sp k e ta pct a ta pct sa se ta pct re ta pct dig bs ba be total bhe points hit% score Aug 28, 2015 vs Kansas State * Aug 29, 2015 at Miami Aug 29, 2015 vs Illinois State Totals Sets played: 9 Kills per set: 1.33 Digs per set: 0.33 Blocks per set: 0.11 #30 SORIANO,Pamela attack set serve recept blocking team Date Opponent sp k e ta pct a ta pct sa se ta pct re ta pct dig bs ba be total bhe points hit% score Aug 28, 2015 vs Kansas State * Aug 29, 2015 at Miami * Aug 29, 2015 vs Illinois State * Totals Sets played: 9 Kills per set: 2.33 Assists per set: 0.44 Service aces per set: 0.11 Digs per set: 1.78 Blocks per set: 0.11 #42 MARTIN,Deija attack set serve recept blocking team Date Opponent sp k e ta pct a ta pct sa se ta pct re ta pct dig bs ba be total bhe points hit% score Aug 28, 2015 vs Kansas State * Aug 29, 2015 at Miami * Aug 29, 2015 vs Illinois State * Totals Sets played: 9 Kills per set: 1.44 Assists per set: 0.11 Digs per set: 0.11 Blocks per set: 0.33

23 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M Individual Match-by-Match (as of Sep 01, 2015) All matches #TM TEAM attack set serve recept blocking team Date Opponent sp k e ta pct a ta pct sa se ta pct re ta pct dig bs ba be total bhe points hit% score Aug 28, 2015 vs Kansas State Aug 29, 2015 vs Illinois State Totals Sets played: 4

24 2015 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M Category Leaders (as of Sep 01, 2015) All matches # ATTACK (by K) S K K/S E TA Pct 30 SORIANO,Pamela MARTIN,Deija LOPEZ,Ginna FOWLER,Tamar SORIANO,Andrea DONATI,Ailin LOPEZ,Valeria CARRASCO,Valentina # SET (by A) S A A/S TA Pct 2 LOPEZ,Valeria DONATI,Ailin CARRASCO,Valentina BELLESI,Gaia SORIANO,Pamela SORIANO,Andrea MARTIN,Deija LOPEZ,Ginna FOWLER,Tamar # BLOCK (by Total) S BS BA Total Blk/S 5 LOPEZ,Ginna SORIANO,Andrea MARTIN,Deija DONATI,Ailin SORIANO,Pamela FOWLER,Tamar LOPEZ,Valeria BELLESI,Gaia # KILL (by K) S K K/S 30 SORIANO,Pamela LOPEZ,Ginna MARTIN,Deija FOWLER,Tamar SORIANO,Andrea DONATI,Ailin LOPEZ,Valeria CARRASCO,Valentina # SERVE (by SA) S SA SE SA/S TA Pct 19 SORIANO,Andrea LOPEZ,Ginna CARRASCO,Valentina LOPEZ,Valeria SORIANO,Pamela BELLESI,Gaia MARTIN,Deija DONATI,Ailin # DEFENSE (by Dig) S Dig Dig/S BHE 15 CARRASCO,Valentina SORIANO,Pamela BELLESI,Gaia DONATI,Ailin SORIANO,Andrea LOPEZ,Valeria LOPEZ,Ginna FOWLER,Tamar MARTIN,Deija # RECEPT (by TA) S RE RE/S TA Pct 30 SORIANO,Pamela CARRASCO,Valentina BELLESI,Gaia SORIANO,Andrea TM TEAM LOPEZ,Ginna FOWLER,Tamar

25 Volleyball Box Score 2014 Florida A&M Volleyball Florida A&M vs Auburn (Sep 19, 2014 at Auburn, Ala.) Attack Serve Block # Florida A&M S K E TA Pct Ast SA SE RE Dig BS BA BE BH Pts 2 LOPEZ,Valeria LOPEZ-CHAVEZ,Ginna ETHEREDGE,Sydni ARCIA,Yeshia SORIANO,Pamela MARTIN,Deija WRIGHT,Jordyn DEL CASTILLO,Joanie FOWLER,Tamar Totals Team Attack By Set Set K E TA Pct SET SCORES Florida A&M (0) Auburn (3) TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 6.0 Team Records: Attack Serve Block # Auburn S K E TA Pct Ast SA SE RE Dig BS BA BE BH Pts 4 Arrington, Mary Hann Klitzke, Emily Crable, Courtney Barksdale, Breanna Filley, Alexa Campbell, Stephanie Schill, Taylor Stewart, Kelly Moor, Kristel Ivey, Alyssa Reece, Macy Totals Team Attack By Set Set K E TA Pct TOTAL TEAM BLOCKS: 7.0 Site: Auburn, Ala. (Auburn Arena) Date: Sep 19, 2014 Attend: 576 Time: 1:32 Referees: Kevin O'Brien, Michael Hertz War Eagle Invitational - Match 2