MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner rallied out of a 1-0 deficit to even the score against No. 23 Coastal Georgia in this afternoon's Southern State Athletic Conference semifinal showdown, but the Mariner offense proved too much to overcome in the long haul. Coastal advanced to the championship match with the 25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 25-14 victory.

The Lady Eagles punished themselves with mental blunders while playing opposite a calculated Coastal offense in the opener.

Faulkner blow the doors off the hinges in the second set, however, when it opened up with an 8-0 run to put the Mariner's on their heals. Coastal did finally gain some traction, but it wasn't enough to impact the outcome.

Faulkner went toe-to-toe with the Mariner's in the third bout, but began losing ground near the midway mark allowing Coastal to slip back into the driver's seat.

The birds then clung too long to their eighth point in the final round while the Mariners strung eight unanswered and Faulkner never regained momentum.

Coastal entered the match at 32-1 overall and had dropped just 11 sets the entire season. Faulkner's the only team to shave a set off the top seed so far in the tournament.

The Lady Eagles once again out-blocked the opposition, this time 15 to eight.

Brittnay Renfroe closed her career with a strong performance this afternoon. The senior middle set atop the statistical categories on both sides of the ball with eight kills and eight total blocks in the match. Renfroe was a vital component for the team though the tournament averaging 11 kills and nearly seven total blocks per outing. She led the tournament with 27 blocks and ranked second in blocks per match with 1.6. Renfroe ranks third in the event with a .337 hitting percantage. 

Alysa Klassen matched the eight kill mark and was second defensively with six total blocks. She also tallied a service ace. The sophomore middle was also stellar in the tournament averaging 7.5 kills and six blocks per match. She was second in the event behind Renfroe with 24 total blocks and was third in blocks per match with 1.4. Klassen is one of the best defensive weapons in the nation and ranks fourth in the NAIA with 163 total blocks and fifth in blocks per game with 1.27.

Sarah Dubberley also contributed eight kills and had a pair of blocks against Coastal.

Hannah Shanley added seven kills and a block assist.

Morgan Wilson and Jordan Jones fed the front row and logged 19 and 14 assists respectively and Jones had six digs.

Senior libero Lindsey Ortner also had an ousting finale for the Lady Eagles with 20 digs and a pair of service aces. She averaged 17 digs per match in the tournament.

Cassie Bailie followed with 11 digs in today's showdown.

"I'm very, very proud of you," head coach Tori Bartels told her team after the loss. "You played your hearts out. You did everything you could and there's nothing to hang your head about. These four seniors have carried us the farthest of any team since I've been with the program and we have a new height to aim for next season. You guys played outstanding volleyball in this tournament, despite the setbacks. Take away only the best ladies, you owe yourselves and each other that much."

Faulkner closed the season at 24-12. The .667 winning percentage is the highest in Bartels' 10-year career at the helm and it's the program's first conference semifinal appearance in that span.