PRINCESS ANNE, Md. — Florida A&M held off a late charge Maryland Eastern Shore in the fifth set to defeat the Hawks, 3-2, and advance to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championship semifinals on Friday morning at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center.

The Lady Rattlers (8-20) advance to meet Howard on Saturday at Noon. Maryland Eastern Shore concludes the season with a 22-7 record.

“I think today’s matchup was about a lot of nerves, especially on our part,” Florida A&M head coach Tanio Trifinov said. “We started with a little bit of a different lineup and a bit timid. We made a lot of unforced errors. We did what we needed to do and it’s tough when it is a five-set match, but we will recharge our batteries and get ready for tomorrow.”

Florida A&M dropped the opening set, 26-24, but bounced back to 25-21, 25-21 wins, grabbing a 2-1 advantage over the host school. Maryland Eastern Shore took the fourth set, 25-20, but Florida A&M raced out to a big lead in the fifth set and held off a late rally for the 15-12 win.

Pamela Soriano paced the Lady Rattlers with 14 digs and 13 kills, while Starmichael Tucker added 16 dis and 12 kills. Dei’ja Martin recorded 10 kills and Valeria Lopez registered a match-high 47 assists. Defensively, valentina Carrasco chipped in with 24 digs.

Freshmen Lucia Babic and Zuzana Ondruskova were the leaders on offense, with Babic providing 20 kills and Ondruskova supplying 18. Babic also added 14 digs for a double-double.

“They have a lot to be proud of in terms of turning the corner.” Coach Toby Rens remarked. “This group largely wasn’t here last year, so it’s great they came together as a group and had a lot of trust with each other. They should be able to look back with pride on their success in creating this special season for us.”