by Ryan Bartels

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner (9-5, 2-2 SSAC) desperately needed a turnaround this afternoon against Southern States Athletic Conference foe Martin Methodist (10-4, 3-1 SSAC) after last night's lackluster performance against league rival Bethel. Faulkner was solid early and never trailed the opening set, but increased energy and smart ball placement in the final two games lifted the visitors to the five-set win 22-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23, 15-10.

Faulkner surrendered a few points late in the opening showdown, but nothing that flipped the overall tempo in the win.

Sets 2 and 3 were back and forth battles throughout with neither side leading by any significant margin.

A hard run by the RedHawks early in the fourth conflict set the tone for the eventual outcome despite an aggressive push by Faulkner late.

For the third time in four SSAC matchups, the contest drifted into a five-set ordeal. The Lady Eagles were 2-0 entering full-game scenarios, but smart tipping by Martin Methodist and unclosed Faulkner blocks proved catastrophic down the stretch.

The numbers across the board were fairly even between the squads with the most noticeable difference coming on the blocking front where the home team out-stopped the visitors 11-4.

Faulkner was led by Krystalynn Leomiti who delivered a double-double performance with 17 kills, while hitting .318, and 10 digs. The junior utility player also recorded seven set assists and four block assists.

Kirsten Carter was good for 13 kills and hit .370 while helping shut down four attacks defensively.

Jade Brown contributed 12 kills, four digs and a pair of stops up front, while Tori Marchant hit .385 with 10 kills in addition to producing six block assists and four digs.

Libero Julianne Wilkes registered 26 digs on the day with Ashley Ingwersen and Cassie Bailie scooping 15 and 10, respectively.

Katie Musser fed the bulk of the offense with her 37 assists and secured her second consecutive double-double performance with 15 digs.

Faulkner will look to regain momentum in league play when it takes on Middle Georgia State on Friday. The contest is set for 5 p.m. central in Macon, Georgia.