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PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland - For the third season in a row, Maryland Eastern Shore's dreams for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship were stymied by the Florida A&M Rattlers, who eliminated the Hawks in straight sets (19-25, 14-25, 18-25) at the Hytche Center on Saturday (Nov. 18).

Junior Lucia Babic (Sisak, Croatia) tied a match high with 13 kills and led the Hawks' attack with a .281 hitting percentage. Babic also earned a double-double, tallying 10 digs. Sophomore Iva Vujosevic (Bar, Montenegro) finished with a team high 12 digs, and graduate student Mere Serea (Suva, Fiji) contributed three blocks, including a solo.

Florida A&M received 13 kills from Maria Yvette Garcia and 16 digs from Valentina Carrasco.

Maryland Eastern Shore battled early, knotting the first set at 11-all after a kill from Babic, and a service ace from junior Rachel Kayongo (Northridge, California) helped keep the pace at 14-14. But the Rattlers finished the set with an 11-5 run, typifying what would become the theme of the match.

A Vujosevic kill in the second set cut A&M's early lead down to 13-9, but Lady Rattlers blasted 12 of the last 17 points to take the frame, 25-14, and head into the break with a 2-0 lead. A 10-2 onslaught in set three destroyed any hopes of a Hawks comeback.

The Shore drops to 27-8, while Florida A&M improves to 15-11 and will rematch Howard for the 2017 MEAC Championship. The Bison defeated the Rattlers last season in the title bout.