MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner rallied out of a two-set deficit against Bethel to clinch the win 18-25, 24-26, 25-20, 28-26, 15-13 in today's opening match of pool play here in the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex.

Faulkner fell behind in the opener and never quite recovered, but it was the commanding lead blown deep in the second set that really put the Lady Eagles on a steep up-hill climb.

Faulkner put a stopper in the Wildcat sweep bid with a clean win in the third set, however, and fought through a toe-to-toe, extended-point showdown in the fourth to force the decisive round.

The Lady Eagles trailed by a point at the switch, but rebounded quickly gaining a two-point advantage and a lead they refused to forfeit.

Brittnay Renfroe was nothing short of incredible for Faulkner. The senior middle hit .438 with 16 kills and brutalized the Bethel attack with a career-high nine total blocks.

Alysa Klassen was the other side to that defensive coin. The sophomore middle also tallied nine stops and had six kills.

Elissa Cargile was second for the Lady Eagles with nine kills followed closely by Sarah Dubberley with eight and Sarah Ford with seven.

Bethel's strategy was simple, "if it ain't broke don't fix it." Eloisa Sales and Rachel Woody combined for 66 percent of the Wildcat offense on 58 percent of the total attacks.

Defense proved the deciding factor in the matchup with Faulkner out-blocking Bethel 20 to five.

KK Lo and Morgan Wilson split setting duties for the Lady Eagles logging 23 and 21 assists respectively. Each player also had seven digs.

SSAC Libero of the Year Lindsey Ortner led the back row with 26 digs and Cassie Bailie added 11.

"We dug a hole early," said head coach Tori Bartels. "We knew they'd come ready to play and we didn't help the situation in that second set. Our seniors really stepped up and led this team today. The girls did everything they could to work back for the win and I'm very proud of their heart and effort."

Faulkner (24-11) will take on Mobile in the final round of pool play this evening at 5. The Rams swept the Lady Eagles 2-0 in regular season matchups.