MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner rebounded from an early deficit against Southern States Athletic Conference foe Breanu to take the match 21-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-15 here at Tine Davis Gymnasium. 

Despite producing a few strong runs, the Lady Eagles looked flat in the opening set. It was mostly a back and forth battle, but the Golden Tigers managed to hang six unanswered points mid-way through the set and Faulkner never regained control.

The teams traded points for the bulk of sets two and three, but it was the home team that ultimately pulled away late in both scenarios.

A sour turn of events ultimately ended up ushering new life into Faulkner early in the final bout. Setter Morgan Wilson left the game with an injury after taking a hard shot off the scorer's table while trying to salvage a play. 

The Lady Eagles then catapulted into the lead with a 4-0 run and never lost control of the set. Lindsey Ortner iced the defense on nine consecutive serves and capped the match with three straight aces.

"Our team is really incredible to watch when they play hard," said head coach Tori Bartels. "We just get in these mental dips and than have to work hard to level out. When we relax, we play to the level that we expect. We were flat, then we caught fire and I'm glad it was in that order. We're going to see elevated competition this weekend and we need to bring this energy from the first point."

Middle blocker Brittnay Renfroe led the offense with nine kills hitting an impressive .412. The senior also had a pair of blocks.

Right side hitter Sarah Ford and outside Kelsey Bell each had eight kills on the night. Ford had another outstanding game for Faulkner hitting .316 and added three total blocks, while Bell tallied 14 digs.

Alysa Klassen was also stellar in the middle with seven kills, hitting .375, and six total blocks.

KK Lo finished the match with 21 assists, while Wilson exited the game with 16.

Ortner matched Bell with 14 digs and posted four service aces.

Faulkner improved to 8-9 overall and 4-4 in the league. The Lady Eagles will travel to Denver, Colo., on Oct. 11 where they will enter the Johnson and Wales tournament. Faulkner opens play with the host team at 2 p.m.