Next Match:
Louisiana
9/10/2026 | 6:00 PM
Sep. 10 (Thu) / 6:00 PM
Louisiana
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville’s Claire Mrukowski stamped 10 kills to help lead the homestanding Dolphins past Florida A&M 3-0 on Sunday afternoon in the final match of the Dolphin Volleyball Classic Presented By Hampton Inn East Regency at Swisher Gymnasium in Jacksonville, Florida. The Dolphins took the match on scores of 25-19, 25-13, 25-15.
Florida A&M (2-4) hung with Jacksonville through the first half of set one, trading the lead five times and tying the score twice before a late 6-3 run put the Dolphins in control. LaDonna Trantham set the tone for the Rattlers all afternoon – and all weekend, for that matter, finishing with a team-high seven kills. Sydney Whitfield chipped in five kills and three digs, while Farah Farooq finished hitting.333 with five kills and three block assists (assisted).
Iyonnie Sanford also reached the 5.5-point mark with four kills and three block assists of her own. And it was Tamia Coleman going 3-for-5 with zero (0) errors and a .600 hitting percentage to lead the Orange and Green in that department, respectfully.
Libero Sydney Humes paced the Rattlers defensively with nine digs, helping FAMU battle back from an early hole more than once.
The difference, ultimately, was serving and hitting consistency.
Jacksonville (3-3) piled up 13 service aces to FAMU’s four, and the Dolphins hit .354 as a team compared to .085 for the Rattlers.
Claire Mrukowski was nearly unstoppable at the net for Jacksonville, hitting .714 with 10 kills and no errors on 14 swings, while Abbie Tuyo added nine kills and six digs. Setter Ana Nastase ran the Dolphins’ offense with 16 assists and served up six aces of her own. Alija Heins added four service aces of her own for the hosts to go along with her three-block performance (two assisted).
FAMU’s best stretch came in the opening set, when the Rattlers used a 5-0 run – capped by kills from Coleman and Jaylyn Tuiasosopo on the Jacksonville side notwithstanding – to trim an early deficit and force two JU timeouts. FAMU trailed just 19-16 in that set before the Dolphins closed it out 25-19.
Sets two and three did not go as smoothly for the Rattlers, who were outscored 50-28 over the final two frames as Jacksonville’s serving continued to disrupt Florida A&M’s passing game.
The Rattlers were held to .217 and (-.111) hitting percentages across the final two frames, respectively, as errors piled up against a Jacksonville block that finished with 12 assisted blocks for the match.
Despite the sweep, FAMU showed flashes of brilliance.
Trantham, Whitfield, Farooq and Sanford combined for all 24 of the Orange and Green’s kills, and the Rattlers’ back row kept several extended rallies alive behind Humes’ defensive effort.
FAMU returns to the court next when hosting the three-day FAMU Tournament at Al Lawson Center taking place September 10-12. The Rattlers first begin the event Thursday, Sept. 10, facing off against Louisiana-Lafayette at 6 p.m.
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