MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Lady Eagles traded heavy blows with Southeastern, but ultimately came out victorious 21-25, 25-11, 15-25, 25-18, 15-13 in the opening match of Day 2 in the Faulkner Invitational here at Tine Davis Gymnasium. The home team came up short against Freed-Hardeman, however, in another full-sets bout 25-20, 18-25, 25-20, 25-16, 15-11 to close the tournament 3-1.

Southeastern opened strong against Faulkner and took a narrow decision in the opener before they were blindsided by a 14-point Lady Eagle assault in the ensuing match.

Not to be outdone, Southeastern retaliated with a 10-point win before the match settled back into a more even pace. It was Faulkner's exceptional passing in the do-or-die fifth set, however, that steadied the offense's effecitveness and helped anchor the final outcome.

Faulkner faced a different tempo when it stepped on the court against Freed-Hardeman in the final match of the weekend. The Lady Lions' scrappy defense made great strides in offsetting the Lady Eagle assault, while smart tipping peppered with aggressive shots kept the usually dominant Faulkner block from being overly assertive.

The home team wasn't without its share of explosive plays and point runs, but ultimately Freed's persistence and consistency won the day.

Sarah Dubberley was once again indispensable for Faulkner in every aspect of play. The senior outside hitter rarely stepped of the court and offered up some of the best all around numbers for the team so far this season. Dubberley led the Lady Eagles in kills with 26 (.360), digs with 33 and total blocks with six. She was also named to the all-tournament team.

Junior middle Alysa Klassen followed with 19 kills and also had six total stops at the net.

Krystalynn Leomiti tallied 14 kills on the day which included 10 in the second match alone while hitting .529. The freshman middle also had four total blocks and three service aces on the day.

Bailey Mount was another standout freshman for Faulkner with 14 kills hitting .479 over two matches.

Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Shanley had 13 kills and eight digs.

Feeding the front line were setters Jordan Jones and Katie Musser with 43 and 37 assists, respectively. Sarah Ford weaved her way into the assist mix with 17, but also dominated offensively against Southeastern with a team-high 12 kills.

Libero Cassie Bailie had 32 digs.

Faulkner moved to 7-4 on the season and will have a week of rest before entering Southern States Athletic Conference action at Mobile on Friday.