For the first time in long time in a long time Florida A&M won't be the prohibitive favorite when play begins Friday, November 19 at the Coppin State Physical Education Complex in Baltimore. The Lady Rattlers, who have won 10 of the last 11 tournament championships-including the last nine in a row - are again the No.1 seed in the South Division, and Maryland Eastern Shore, the tournament runner-up the last three years, is the top seed in the North.

   But those perennial powers proved that they are vulnerable during the regular season. Florida A&M lost a conference match for the second time in 10 years, and Maryland Eastern Shore lost twice in conference play for the first time in four years. That has led coaches to proclaim that the tournament championship is wide open.

    "It's been very exciting this season,'' says South Carolina State coach Millicent Sylvan, whose team knocked of Florida A&M and is the No.2 seed in the South and opens tournament play against Howard, the No.3 South in the North. "I don't think we have ever had this much competition across the board. Every match will be a tough matchup. There is no favorite.''

  The Lady Bulldogs beat Florida A&M 3-2 in Orangeburg, S.C., last month. They finished the match with 59 kills in 126 total attacks with 17 errors for a .333 hitting percentage. Florida A&M had 53 kills in 133 total attacks with 16 errors for a .278 hitting percentage. But the encouraging statistic for teams in the tournament field that even though the Lady Rattlers' had the best record in the conference with a 7-1 mark, all of their opponents except North Carolina A&T - which didn't qualify for the championship - won at least one set against the Lady Rattlers.

  In previous years, Florida A&M usually swept its conference opponents.

   "To me that's a sign they can be beaten by anyone,'' Sylvan says.

   Maryland Eastern Shore and Delaware State shared the best record in the North Division with 8-2 marks. Maryland-Eastern Shore earned the top seed based on conference tie-breaker procedures. The Lady Hawks' conference losses were to Delaware State and Howard, a pair of teams that Maryland Eastern Shore coach Don Metil says will be dangerous in the tournament.

   "A key for them is the confidence they get from continuing to beat teams like us,'' Metil says.

  Delaware State plays Norfolk State, the No. 3 seed in the South.

    Bethune-Cookman coach Vanessa Cogswell was a defensive specialist and setter for the Lady Wildcats from 1999-2001. She says the conference has become increasingly competitive in the six seasons that she has coached Bethune-Cookman.

    "Just seeing how the records have been shows that it's anybody's game,'' Cogswell says. "It's about who is most consistent, who plays solid volleyball. Everyone is pretty aware of everybody's game. It really has become so much more competitive. The last five years. The growth has tremendous. It has been amazing to how the level of competition has increased. That makes it so much better.''

   Statistically, Maryland-Eastern Shore was the top team in the conference. The Lady Hawks were No. 1 hitting percentage, assists, kills and service aces. They will play Bethune-Cookman, the No. 4 seed in the South in the first round.  The teams didn't play each other during regular season, which Metil says probably favors the Lady Hawks because they have several different types of serves.

  "You never see the same serve twice,'' he says. "That keeps you on your toes.''

  The Lady Hawks have three of the top four conference leaders in service aces. Junior Zoe Bowen is No.1; freshman Maline Vaitai is No.3, and Kaveigna Lea'Aetoa, also a freshman, is No.3.

  Florida A&M, with basically a freshman and sophomore squad, dropped its first 11 matches while playing a nonconference schedule that included New Mexico State, Illinois, Long Beach State, Georgia Tech and Clemson.

  "You have to consider the opponents,'' Florida A&M coach Tony Trifonov says of the Lady Rattlers' early losses. You hope that (kind of schedule) prepares you for your conference season.''

Florida A&M ended the season by winning 11 of their final 13 matches.

   "The kids have improved,'' Trifonov says. "I like the way we're playing. When you have a young team, you expect to be inconsistent. We've made significant strides throughout the course of the season.''

      Trifonov, who agrees that there is more parity in the conference than in previous years, says his team doesn't feel pressure to continue its streak of consecutive championships.

     "We're not worried about how many times we've won in the past,'' he says. "This is a different year. Pressure is always there going into the playoffs. You know if you don't play well, it could be your last game. The girls are aware of the streak, but it's not something we talk about. Most of the kids don't have one (championship). They're trying to get one.

  The Lady Rattlers first match is against Morgan State, the No.4 seed in the North.

"We have to play well in each set and not worry about anything else,'' Trifonov says. "We have to take each set like it's the last one. We can't overlook any opponent and worry about the final.''