by Ryan Bartels

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - After competing in its first contest in nearly 20 days this morning, Faulkner (7-3, 1-0 SSAC) wasted little time in making up ground when it went toe-to-toe with William Carey (7-4, 0-2 SSAC) in tonight's back-and-forth Southern States Athletic Conference opener here at Tine Davis Gym. The Lady Eagles fell behind 2-1 before rallying into a five-set victory 26-28, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 15-13.

Despite aggressive offensive work right out of the starting block, Faulkner squandered four consecutive serves giving the Crusaders time to gain their bearings and eventually drift into a marginal lead.

Ironically, it was aggressive serving through the later two-thirds of the opening set that ultimately helped keep the Lady Eagles in contention.

The home team flatlined three times while holding set-point, however, before William Carey managed to slingshot into the extended-point win.

After a rather even-keeled second set where Faulkner tied the match, the Lady Eagles cruised to a 14-5 lead in Set 3. Just when it looked like Faulkner could do little wrong, however, the Crusaders mounted an equally impressive run of their own gaining a 19-16 advantage on a 14-2 surge that ushered in a complete shift in court atmosphere. The home team never led again.

Then, when it mattered most, Faulkner rediscovered the grit that had reared its head against Pensacola Christian earlier this afternoon. The Lady Eagles battled through two must-have sets and trailed just once for a single point in the remaining span to secure the emotional victory.

"I said it this morning, and I meant every word of it - we're going to have to possess fierceness and tenacity from here on out if we expect to win," head coach Tori Bartels reiterated. "I saw more heart and sheer determination from this team than I've seen in a long time. This as been a very difficult week for our team both physically and emotionally. Tonight, I think we finally crossed a major milestone. After the game I heard our players talking about finally becoming a 'real team' and a 'genuine family.' That kind of understanding only comes when you fight next to one another with everything you have. William Carey is an incredibly talented team and this win took everything we had in the tank."

Tori Marchant was stellar for the Lady Eagles anchoring the front row with 13 kills, while hitting .367, and thwarted an incredible seven total blocks, all of which were team-high figures. The junior middle also had four digs.

Pin players Krystalynn Leomiti and Madelyn Cheatham both hit north of .200 and logged 11 kills each. Leomiti added eight digs while Cheatham contributed three block assists and a pair of digs.

Katie Musser spearheaded the kill relay with 32 assists and had nine digs. Ariana Vannoy added 11 assists and eight digs.

Libero Julianne Wilkes led the back end defense with 22 digs and Ashley Ingwersen and Cassie Bailie offered up 13 and 10 more, respectively.

Faulkner will next host league foe Loyola tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. before traveling across town to take on Huntington College at 7.