Great serving led Faulkner (25-10) to a 25-11, 25-18, 25-21 victory over nine-seed Brewton-Parker (3-28) Thursday morning at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl as they opened pool play of the SSAC Volleyball Championship, presented by Golden Corral. 

Down 4-3 in the opening set, Ashley Ingwersen (JR/Huntsville, Ala.) stepped behind the line to serve and when she was through, the match was blown open at 13-5 in favor of the Lady Eagles. "We really hadn't gotten control of the rhythm of the game at that point," Ingwersen said. "(that stretch) helped us get control of the our serve and the match. We were comfortable playing our game again." 

Katie Musser (SR/Prattville, Ala.) led the team in both aces and assists with five and 13 respectively. Ashley Ingwersen added three aces, Alyssa Stagner (FR/Sneads, Fla.) two and Daijah Washington (JR/Tallahassee, Fla.) one. Washington hit an outrageous .857 with six kills on seven attacks. Alysa Vinson (FR/Pike Road, Ala.) hit .636 with seven kills on 11 swings. Tori Marchant (SR/Huntsville, Ala.) led the way at the net with a solo block and four assisted. Kortney Barnes (SO/Mobile, Ala.), Madison Sides (JR/Piedmont, Ala.) and Mallory Black (FR/Murfreesboro, Tenn.) were each in on three block assists. 

Faulkner's relatively mistake-free play helped it own the rest of the match, even when the Barons started finding their attack in the third set. The Lady Eagles committed just 13 errors in the contest, eight from swings. 

Faulkner decided to rest one of its top players, Krystalynn Leomiti (SR/Long Beach, Calif.), who is resting a wear-and-tear knock. "We came in knowing we would sit KL I had no doubt we had the versatility and the depth to step in and take care of it," head coach Tori Bartels said. "These girls do not care about who gets the glory, it's about the team."

Having claimed one win of four needed to win the tournament, Bartels has her squad ready to push for the second, which would give them a bye to the semifinals Saturday. "We're expecting the Florida College to swing aggressively. They scouted us very well the last time they played us. We've made some adjustments to some of the errors we gave them last time so we can hone in and do our job."

That match will take place Friday at 10 a.m. at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl. With the Falcons 12:30 p.m. sweep of Brewton-Parker, the Barons are eliminated from the tournament; Faulkner and Florida College will advance to the knockouts regardless of the result tomorrow. If the Lady Eagles win, they will move on to the semifinals Saturday morning at 10; a loss sees them play at 5 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals.