by Ryan Bartels

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner (15-11) did something only one other Southern States Athletic Conference team has managed to do this season; take a set from league titan Mobile (34-3). The lone upset wasn't enough to derail the overall outcome, however, as the regular-season champs went on to clinch the match 20-25, 25-14, 25-17, 25-17 in the opening round of pool play here in the conference tournament at Cramton Bowl Multiplex this afternoon.

The fifth-seeded Lady Eagles stunned the top-rated Rams in the opening bout thanks to aggressive offense coupled with a very unconventional defensive strategy.

By the second set, however, Lady Eagle errors, both statistical and mental, prevented their occasional staggeringly strong plays from collecting into the essential clusters of points. The Rams, meanwhile, ran away in the scoring department, evening the playing field behind a lopsided win.

Faulkner tossed logs back into the fire during the beak and ignited a blaze in the early third of the ensuing showdown.

The Lady Eagles forced a Mobile timeout with a 9-4 advantage, but Ram head coach Jon Campbell got the desired affect as his team countered with a 10-3 run to inch into control of the scoreboard.

By the fourth set, the Lady Eagles seemed out of steam and sloppy play was the end result. The Rams stayed true to form and hammered their way into victory lane.

Mobile was without standout middle Alex Karcher, but still harnessed two of the best hitters in the league in Hannah Wentland and Mirella Gatterdam, and it showed late in the contest as Faulkner struggle to match the powerhouse point for point. The pair hit north of .300 while compiling 21 and 14 kills, respectively.

In addition, Samantha Nichols and Carley Hameric both also had double-digit kills while hitting .300 plus.

While Mobile dominated on the offensive side of the ball, it was Faulkner that proved most impressive on defense.

The Lady Eagles out-blocked the top seed 11 to five and edged out the dig totals 63 to 62.

Krystalynn Leomiti secured another double-double of the year with 16 kills, while hitting .233, and had 10 digs.

Middles Kortney Barnes and Tori Marchant were equally impressive up front, anchoring the Lady Eagles' block. The duo tallied six and five total stops, respectively, while securing six kills each.

Kirsten Carter offered up nine kills and had a block assist.

Katie Musser moved her season double-double total to 11 with 35 assists and 11 digs.

Libero Julianne Wilkes had a court-high 24 digs.

Faulkner will next battle rival Bethel in pool play tomorrow at 10 a.m. The matchup will likely prove the determining factor in whether or not the Lady Eagles make their fourth consecutive semifinal appearance Saturday.