CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Faulkner opened the second Southern States Athletic Conference cross-divisional tournament of the year on Friday with a showdown against Shorter. The Hawks struggled little with the Lady Eagles and secured the match in straight sets 25-13, 25-9, 25-20.

Faulkner's offense struggled on the attack with many of its primary attackers all posting sub .200 hitting percentages.

Neysa Hernandez led the team with eight kills and had eight digs.

Kelsey Bell followed with seven kills and matched Hernandez's eight digs.

Jessica Long and Shelby Woods each had four kills. 

Morgan Wilson had 13 assists.

Faulkner continues to stumble in a conference that's seen tremendous improvement across both divisions. The Lady Eagles will have to recalibrate before day two of the event on Saturday where it will face Brewton-Parker followed by No. 5 Lee.

The Lady Eagles (12-8/1-5) will tangle with Brewton-Parker at 11 a.m. The match with Lee is set for 4 p.m.