Volleyball MEAC Media Relations

Florida A&M Falls to Oklahoma, 3-1

Florida A&M dropped a 3-1 decision to Oklahoma in the Gainesville sub-regional of the 2007 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship at the Stephen O’Connell Center on the campus of the University of Florida.

In the game one, the Lady Rattlers fell to the Sooners 30-25. FAMU began game one with a 3-0 lead, scoring on kills by Jovana Blazeski and Iva Lakic and an error committed by OU’s Francie Ekwerekwu.

The Sooners’ would then tie the score 5-5 capping a 4-1 run on a pair of kills by Mariana Blum and Anna Stadel, along with a Zaira Manzo ball handing error.

FAMU and OU would tie four more times in the game, 10-10 on Ekwerekwu kill, 11-11 on a Blazeski service error, 13-13 on a Blum attack error and 14 all on a Blum kill.

The Sooners, then would take the lead 15-14, on a Stadel kill and would not relinquish the advantage, going on to win game one.

In game two, the Lady Rattlers would outscore the Sooners 9-3 late to take a 29-28 lead. OU tied the game at 29 all on an Ekwerekwu kill. A Manzo kill tied the game at 30 all, but Blum would then record two more kills for an OU 32-30 win.

FAMU would take game three, 31-29, with Lakic leading the way with 13 kills in game. The Lady Rattlers took the lead, 29-28 on a Lakic kill. OU tied the game at 29 all on a kill by Blum. Lakic would then record the next two kills for the 31-29 win.

The Lady Rattler offense would then falter in game four as they fell to the Sooners, 30-14.

FAMU (18-8) was led by the senior Lakic who had a season high 27 kills and set a 2007 season record for most total attacks in a game with 92. Freshman Jovana Blazeski was the only other Lady Rattler to record double-digit kills with 18.

The Lady Rattlers had five players to record double-digit digs, led by freshman Susan Egoavil with 27 digs. Sophomore Cinthya Corzo finished 16, followed by Lakic with 14 while both Zaira Manzo and Blazeski with had 13 digs each. Manzo, FAMU’s sophomore setter, led the team in assists with 55.

OU (22-9) was paced by Blum with 21 kills. Bridget Laplante finished with 15 kills, follwed by Stadel with 13 and Ekwerekwu added 12 kills. Hannah Sharp finished with a game high 31 digs. Blum finished with 19 digs, followed by LaPlante with 17 and Julie Chester 11. Chester finished a game high 61 assists.

FAMU VOLLEYBALL NOTES: The Game Three win was just FAMU’s fifth game won in their nine previous NCAA matches... In 2003, FAMU swept Winthrop (S.C.), 3-0 in the first round of the Georgia Tech sub-regional.... In 2005, FAMU won Game One in a 3-1 loss to Kansas State in the first round in Gainesville.... Of the eight players on the 2007 FAMU roster, just two ? hitter Iva Lakic and middle blocker Hannah Ucklemann ? are seniors.... FAMU returns All-MEAC setter Zaira Manzo, who will be a junior next year, along with MEAC Rookie of the Year Jovana Blazeski and All-MEAC libero Susan Egoavil, who both started as freshmen this year..... Blazeski played courageously through the entire season, wearing a brace on her left knee, which has a torn ACL.... She is expected to have surgery in the next few weeks.... FAMU coach Tony Trifonov led the Lady Rattlers their ninth straight winning season in 2007, and their 10th in his 11 years.