LEBANON, Tenn. - Faulkner opened the season on the road this afternoon in the annual Volleydawg Classic hosted by Cumberland University. The Lady Eagles fought tooth and nail to escape a relentless Reinhardt crew in game one. The former conference rival pushed the opening set, but Faulkner held on for the 32-30, 25-23, 25-21 victory before setting it's sites on the host team. Cumberland bounced back from a 2-0 deficit to hand the visitors their first loss, but Faulkner pulled out the win 25-19, 25-19, 11-25,25-16.

"Overall I was really pleased with how we played this early in the season, on both sides of the ball," said head coach Tori Bartels. "I'd like to see the girls gain more mental focus form match to match, but I think that will come with time. Today offered good competition and it's a healthy start so far."

Outside hitter Neysa Hernandez spearheaded the Faulkner assault hitting .386 with 23 kills and 20 digs on the day.

Shelby Woods also dominated at the net cranking 16 kills, hitting .336. The sophomore middle also had five total blocks.

Fellow middle Jessica Long boasted 14 kills, hitting .310. The senior had five total blocks of her own.

Freshman Morgan Wilson loaded a significant portion of the ammo offering hitters 38 assists over two events. KK Lo followed with 22.

Abbie Melvin led the team with 23 digs.

Faulkner(2-0) will look to keep the fire burning Saturday morning when it takes on Pikeville at 10 a.m.