MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner took a 2-1 lead against Coastal Georgia in tonight's Southern States Athletic Conference quarterfinal match, but a resilient Mariner crew battled back from the deficit to clinch the five set victory 26-24, 22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-12 here at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex.

Coastal found momentum early in set one, but back-to-back blocks on the right side sparked Faulkner into a 4-0 run. The Lady Eagles maintained close control of the game until an error at 24-24 gave the Mariners a foothold that resulted in the extended-point win.

Faulkner caught fire in the second set and dominated virtually the entire game. That momentum continued into the third set, but Coastal refused to give in. The Mariners cut a six point Faulkner lead to just one near the halfway marker, but the Lady Eagles managed to push their cushion back to four and never lost control.

Faulkner hit a few snags in the fourth set, but it was a 5-0 run stemming from the 20 point mark that pulled the match back within reach for Coastal.

The Mariners road the surge from the preceding victory well into the fifth set and after an 8-8 tie, never lost the lead.

The match marked the the third showdown between the two teams and was the first time Faulkner had ever won a set against the high-octane offense.

Middle hitter Brittnay Renfroe was dominant for the Lady Eagles and led the offense with 16 kills while hitting .333.

Outside Sarah Stout logged 14 kills, hitting .220, and was third defensively with with 11 digs.

Fellow outside Kelsey Bell also hit .333 and tallied 12 kills while adding six digs and three total blocks.

Alysa Klassen offered up six kills and was the defensive leader at the net with four total blocks.

Morgan Wilson and Sarah Ford occupied the setting roles for the Lady Eagles and had 30 and 19 assist respectively. Ford was second on the team in digs with 13.

The back row was once again anchored by libero Lindsey Ortner who had a tournament-high 28 digs. 

Kaite Martin had 10 digs on the night.

"In my nine years at Faulkner, I've never seen a team as a whole fight that hard," said head coach Tori Bartels. "I've had the wonderful opportunity to coach a lot of exceptionally talented girls in that time, but as a team, nothing comes close to how they played in this tournament. As a coach, there's simply nothing else you can say. Win or lose you want your kids to fight tooth and nail for every point and never settle for less than their best. They did that, and I'm incredibly proud."

Faulkner, 16-16, closed the year with its best finish since 2008.