MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Mobile (30-7) capitalized on rudimentary Faulkner (20-15) errors while offering up a scrappy defense to secure the 25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 25-16 victory in the pool play finale tonight in the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament here at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex downtown.

The Rams dominated in efficiency and momentum through the bulk of the opening bout to take the early win.

A back and forth battle in the second set saw Faulkner overcoming a three-point deficit and inching into the lead at 21-19 thanks in part to stellar blocking my Tori Marchant at both pins. 

The high didn't last long, however, as a handful of Faulkner blunders scattered around a relentless Mobile defensive effort quickly worked in tandem to anchor a 7-point Ram run while Faulkner stalled out at 21.

Set three featured the exact opposite ending. Mobile led by as many as five points and controlled the pace until the 22-22 mark where the Lady Eagles finally slingshotted into the lead. Faulkner capped the game with a 8-1 run to send the contest into a fourth set.

By the final battle, there was little Faulkner could do to keep pace. The Lady Eagles kept things tight until the teens began to eliminate the scoreboard and the wind ultimately left the Faulkner sail.

The Rams were spearheaded by SSAC Freshman of the Year in Mirella Gatterdam who registered an impressive 26 kills while hitting .412. 

Faulkner was led by Marchant who had a career night. The sophomore middle delivered 11 kills, tying her previous best set earlier this season, but hit a staggering .667, annihilating the hitting percentage associated with her last 11-kill outing. She was also second for the Lady Eagles and third on the floor with five total blocks.

Daijah Washington had 11 digs and eight kills while Cassie Bailie led the back row with 20 digs and added 7 kills. 

Alysa Klassen led the floor with seven total blocks and had four kills.

Libero Julianne Wilkes had 18 digs.

Katie Musser spring-loaded the weaponry with 21 assists and had 12 digs while fellow setter Krystalynn Leomiti had nine assists and a pair of blocks.

Faulkner advances to the semifinals tomorrow morning where it will try to knock out second-seeded Bethel at 10 a.m.