MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner struggled from virtually the first whistle against Brenau in this afternoon's opening round of pool play in the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament here at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex. The eighth-seeded Golden Tigers outpaced the Lady Eagles in every statistical category en route to the 25-22, 25-22, 25-21 shutout.

"Brenau came in with a determination and fire that allowed them to push past everything we threw at them," said head coach Tori Bartels. "Their play kept us out of rhythm and flustered, never really allowing us to gain our composure or get back in the lead. After two sets it became obvious that our players weren't ready for the challenge. I told the girls after the game that, 'this is the conference tournament and no one shows up here to lose. Today Brenau wanted it more.'"

The Golden Tigers wasted little time in taking control of the tempo. A ferocious serve coupled with aggressive swinging on the outside and smart tipping quickly began to take a toll. Faulkner also seemed to find itself out of system more often than not, leaving the offense vulnerable to the block and a scrappy Brenau back line. At the end of the day, nothing worked for the Lady Eagles.

In a match that proved quite soggy in most aspects for Faulkner, Hannah Shanley was on point. The sophomore outside hitter was far and away the most effective weapon for the Lady Eagles with 12 kills, hitting .435. She also added five digs.

Sarah Dubberley led the defense with 12 digs and added five kills.

Alysa Klassen anchored the defense up front with six total blocks and had four kills.

Katie Musser led the setting core with 15 assists and was second defensively with 11 digs. Jordan Jones offered up 12 assists and had a pair of digs.

Libero Cassie Bailie was third defensively with 10 digs.

Faulkner (21-13) will look to rebound tomorrow morning against Loyola at 10 a.m. before battling top-seeded Coastal Georgia at 5 p.m. The top two teams from each four-member pool advance to the semifinals on Saturday.