Box Score MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner's lethargic showing against Brenau in the opening round of the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament yesterday lingered heavily here at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex throughout play today. The Lady Eagles rolled Loyola (La.) in straight sets to start the morning, but later fell in like fashion to top-seeded Coastal Georgia 25-18, 25-21, 25-11. The loss forced a three-way tie between Faulkner, Loyola and Brenau for second place in the pool and after a pair of 25-point, winner-take-all battles, the Lady Eagles emerged victorious, earning the final spot in the semifinals.
Faulkner (22-14) held steady through most of the first set against Coastal Georgia, but allowed the 21st-ranked Mariners to gain some separation late to book the win.
The Lady Eagles then went point-for-point with Coastal until the 17-16 mark of the second set when Coastal ignited on a 7-0 run to set point. Faulkner responded with a 5-0 surge of their own, but the deficit proved too deep to overcome against the potent offense.
Four consecutive service aces by the Mariners in the third set put an early gap in the point spread and the lead only widened as play continued to unfold.
Hannah Shanley was the kill leader for Faulkner against Coastal with nine and had a pair of digs.
Alysa Klassen followed with six kills and Sarah Dubberley added five along with seven digs.
Katie Musser had 17 assists and Jordan Jones had nine.
Libero Cassie Bailie anchored the back line with 10 digs.
After the loss, the Lady Eagles faced a new set of challenges; volleyball's post-season version of advancing on penalty kicks. The three-way tie for second place ushered in the first tiebreaker against Loyola. Brenau lie in wait in the on-deck circle having secured a bye after tallying the best recored in head-to-head play between the three teams.
With the season hanging in the balance the Lady Eagle took flight in what turned into an all out brawl against a well-rested Loyola squad. The Wolfpack was resilient in its quest for redemption and no team lead by more than three points. Faulkner sparked the longest point-run of the set with four to inch into a narrow lead late in the bout, but the contest swung back in Loyola's favor at set-point.
The Lady Eagles never faltered, however, and instead delivered a brutal Klassen kill, Marchant solo block and followed a long Wolfpack shot out of play to advance 26-24 into a rematch with the team that put them on the wild path in the first place.
Another back and forth grudge match ensued against Brenau with neither team backing off on the assault. Faulkner finally solidified the momentum in the late stages following a Golden Tiger timeout at 21-21 when Shanley backed a 4-0 run with a solid serve.
"I'm in awe of the heart that this team displayed in both single-set battles," said head coach Tori Bartels after the emotional conclusion to a long day. "They were victorious in more ways than the scoreboard reflected. The team understands now, more than ever, the value of a single set. Those are two crucial wins that have no stats and technically don't count. But in the hearts and minds of this team, their the biggest triumphs for us this season. We're going to savor this moment tonight and come ready for Mobile in the morning."
Faulkner will take the court against the top team from the alternate pool and the second overall seed in Mobile. The Rams swept the Lady Eagles in both regular season matchups. The semifinal contest is lated for 10 a.m. tomorrow. The winner of that match will advance to the finals at 2 p.m. to take on the winner of the Coastal Georgia-Dalton State showdown.
