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FAMU volleyball claims the SWAC title, heads to NCAA tournament

Florida A&M volleyball claimed the SWAC’s regular season and tournament championships. Sunday, Nov., 24, 2024 (Credit: FAMU Athletics)
FAMU Volleyball via Twitter
Florida A&M volleyball claimed the SWAC’s regular season and tournament championships. Sunday, Nov., 24, 2024 (Credit: FAMU Athletics)

The Rattlers finished the 2024 season unbeaten in SWAC play.

Florida A&M volleyball took home the 2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament title on Sunday at Grambling State’s Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

FAMU beat the defending SWAC champions Jackson State, 3-1, to capture the trophy.

The Rattlers won the first (25-23), second (25-23), and fourth sets (25-15) to secure their third SWAC title in four years (2024, 2022, 2021).

Florida A&M's head coach Gokhan Yilmaz led the Rattlers to a 27-6 overall record—his third 20-win season since taking over the program in 2018. The 27 victories mark the most in a single season during Yilmaz's tenure, surpassing the team's 25-7 record in 2021 and 21-13 record in 2022.

FAMU also went undefeated (19-0) against SWAC opponents.

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Brooke Lynn Watts (13) and Jada Rhodes (12) both finished Sunday with double-digit kills. Watts was named tournament MVP and All-Tournament.

Isis Williams and Makenzie Taylor both earned All-Tournament honors.

The Rattlers will now represent the SWAC in the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament. The official bracket is set to be revealed on Sunday, Dec. 1.

Adrian Andrews is a multimedia journalist with WFSU Public Media. He is a Gadsden County native and a first-generation college graduate from Florida A&M University. Adrian is also a military veteran, ending his career as a Florida Army National Guard Non-Comissioned Officer.

Adrian has experience in print writing, digital content creation, documentary, and film production. He has spent the last four years on the staff of several award-winning publications such as The Famuan, Gadsden County News Corp, and Cumulus Media before joining the WFSU news team.