TROY, Ala. ­ Going into Thursday night’s match against Florida A&M, Troy State head coach Ginger S. Lowe knew that if her team was to win it was going to have to stop the strong Rattler offense. FAMU dominated TSU in a convincing 3-0 victory before a season-high 420 fans at Trojan Arena.

With the score tied 3-3 in the first game, the Rattlers went on a 7-3 run en route to taking the game, 30-22. FAMU hit .472 on 20 kills and just three attack errors.

In the second game, the Rattlers led from the outset and won, 30-22. They were led by Fioalia Aita Junek who recorded eight of her match-high 17 kills.

The Trojans led 6-3 in game three before the Rattlers had an 11-1 run behind four aces by Junek. TSU rallied to cut the FAMU advantage to 29-25, but the rally fell short in the 30-25 loss.

TSU was led by Erika VanHootegem’s 11 kills and seven digs. Haven Triboulet and Rachel Hassen added eight and nine kills, respectively.

FAMU’s .350 hitting percentage was the highest allowed by the Trojans all season.

TSU falls to 3-5 on the season, while FAMU stays unbeaten at 5-0. The Trojans return to action when they travel to Normal, to face Alabama A&M on Tuesday at 7 p.m.