Box Score The SSAC Game of the Week lived up to the hype from the first serve to the final kill as the Lady Eagles swept Mobile 25-18, 25-15, 25-21 in front of a raucous crowd of Faulkner fanatics Thursday night in Tine Davis Gymnasium to take first place in the Southern States Athletic Conference.
"It's just surreal right now," Tori Bartels said. "The girls have been wanting to show their dominance, and now I think their confidence has really solidified in what they're doing. When they put their minds to it they can accomplish anything."
The intense environment and new setter for the Rams rattled the guests from the get-go as Faulkner jumped to a 6-0 lead on four Mobile errors in the first set. The hosts fed off the energy and emphatically took the first set.
The two sides battled back and forth for the first 14 points of the second set to a 7-7 tie. Six Lady Eagle kills in the next eight points pushed the birds ahead for good in the second.
The Rams were not going down without a fight in the third set as they held a 16-12 advantage for their largest lead of the match. Faulkner was determined to end the match in three sets and sparked a 13-5 run to shut out Mobile for the first time since Oct. 14, 2005 at home. This was the first win over the Rams since 2007.
Kortney Barnes led the team with nine kills and an outrageous .467 attack percentage but turned the credit to her teammates. "The sets were always there. Our setters did a great job tonight... We have great chemistry and it's so fun to be a part of. We're doing it for coach, our team and most importantly for God."
Daijah Washington hit for .400 with six kills.
Alyssa Stagner led the team in assists tonight with 16. "This win means everything," the freshman setter said. "Our team is solid and I think we proved it tonight."
Katie Musser added 15 assists.
The Lady Eagle defense held the Rams to a .068 hitting percentage as 58 digs were picked up along with six total blocks stifling a Mobile attack featuring Mirella Gatterdam who is entered the contest second in the NAIA in kills; she had a .091 percentage in the match. Tori Marchant had two solo blocks and three assists while Julianne Wilkes picked up 20 digs to lead the floor.
Faulkner's first top-of-the-standings defense will be Tuesday afternoon against SSAC foe William Carey in the Faulkner Tri-Match at 4 p.m. The Lady Crusaders were the last team to defeat the Lady Eagles in a 3-1 result on Sept. 25 in Hattiesburg. Local foe Huntingdon will also participate in the round robin event. The non-conference match with the Hawks is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.