MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner bookended tonight's five-set bout against Southern States Athletic Conference foe Martin Methodist with a pair of dominating performances to gain the victory 25-16, 22-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-9.

After a sizable win in the opener Faulkner started to struggle as the RedHawks began to heat up. The home team lead only once in the second set and by just a single point .

The teams then traded wins through subsequent games with neither team gaining sure footing or owning the momentum.

All of that came to a halt in the final set, however, when Faulkner consistently connected points despite the occasional Martin Methodist interruption. 

"That was a good team we defeated tonight," said head coach Tori Bartels. "They're not flashy or excitable but they execute when they need to. We still need to recognize early that most teams are going to get better as the night goes on and when we have the lead we have to keep our foot on the gas."

Elissa Cargile was the kill leader for Faulkner with 10. The junior outside hitter also had a pair of block assists.

Sarah Ford and Sarah Dubberley each added nine. Ford led the floor with a .444 hitting percentage and the two players tallied three and two total blocks respectively. 

Alysa Klassen was a force at the net for Faulkner with six total blocks and she added as many kills to boot.

Kiki Coombs finished the evening with five kills and four total blocks.

Morgan Wilson and Jordan Jones logged 18 and 15 assists and 10 and seven digs respectively.

Lindsey Ortner anchored the back row with 23 digs followed by Cassie Bailie with 12.

Faulkner improved to 15-8 overall and 5-5 in the league. The Lady Eagles host Bethel in SSAC action tomorrow at 3 p.m. The Wildcats blanked Faulkner in their previous showdown.