by Ryan Bartels

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Fifth-seeded Faulkner (17-11) rallied out of a sloppy start to knock out eighth-seeded Brewton-Parker (6-26) 25-22, 25-13, 25-14 in the pool play finale of the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament here at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex this afternoon. The Lady Eagles now await the outcome of the Mobile-Bethel match this evening. A Mobile victory sends Faulkner to the semifinals for the fourth straight season, while an upset would force a three-way tie and and playoff scenario.

Faulkner struggled immensely with energy and play discipline throughout the opening win, but by the second set, the cobwebs had been eradicated and the team that had appeared in the previous tournament games stepped onto the court to dominate.

The last two sets of the day were virtually identical as the Lady Eagles cruised into a pair lopsided wins.

Kirsten Carter led the way offensively with a court-high 10 kills while hitting an impressive .600. The freshman right side also had a pair of block assists.

Junior middle Tori Marchant hit a beastly .750 with nine kills and added six digs while also boasting a pair of blocks.

Freshman middle Kortney Barnes offered up seven kills and booked four total stops at the net.

Katie Musser dished out 31 assists for the second straight outing and had five digs.

Cassie Bailie wore the opposite jersey for Faulkner and had a court-high 11 digs.

Should top-seeded Mobile complete the sweep with a win over Bethel at 5 p.m., the Lady Eagles will face seventh-seeded, and currently unbeaten, Loyola tomorrow morning at 10.