MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner fought hard in a five-set thriller in its return to Tine Davis Gymnasium for the first time in nearly four weeks, but could not overcome the visiting receiving votes Loyola Wolf Pack, who sit in a tie for first place in the Southern States Athletic Conference. The visitors from New Orleans, in Montgomery for the second time this season after Faulkner opened its campus to the program in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ida, led in almost every team statistic to pull away from a tough Lady Eagle squad desperate for its first win in three weeks. As it is, Faulkner lost its fifth straight, falling to 9-12 on the year, but won two sets in a match for the first time since its last win on September 24 at Talladega. The Wolf Pack moves to 13-7 overall in a very challenging year for their program.
The Lady Eagles came out swinging, beginning on a 6-2 run off two Loyola attack errors, a service ace by
Alyssa Stagner and three kills from
Alexis McInroy and
Alysa Vinson. When the visitors narrowed the margin to 9-6, Faulkner responded with a 7-3 run. The sequence began with a
Julia Rice kill and an ace by
Jordan Stewart, who got the start at libero. After another Wolf Pack error, Faulkner got its next three points via
Hannah Bryan kills and another by Vinson. Each of the kills in this run were assisted by Stagner, who had another stellar setting performance. Loyola would ride four points in a row to narrow the score to 17-14, with a Faulkner attack error, two Simone Tyson kills and an Emily Sheperis ace. The Lady Eagles in turn provided four of their own with kills by Stagner and Rice and two errors on Loyola's Emma Fahy, and would win their first set in just under two weeks and first this season against the Wolf Pack with a closing 4-1 run.
After rallying to tie Faulkner twice in the second set after brief deficits, the Wolf Pack, trailing 12-10, went on a 10-5 run to take a 20-17 lead before the home team tied it back up. All of Faulkner's offensive points in the set were by Bryan,
Haven Owings, Rice and McInroy. Loyola won the final five points of the set to tie up the match, via three Eagle errors and kills by Gabriela Martinez and Jordan Bernard.
The first half of the third set was largely back-and-forth. Behind 16-13, a Vinson kill and a Bernard error pulled Faulkner to within one. However, the Wolf Pack recomposed themselves and closed the set with a 9-2 tear, comprised of kills by Sheperis, Kailyn O'Neal and Tyson, an Owings error and four combined aces from Gracie Bailey and Brittany Cooper.
Faulkner did not give in, getting an 8-2 run to take a 16-10 lead, which included six errors. When Loyola pulled to within 22-21, the Lady Eagles scored the final three points from an error and kills by Vinson and Owings to force the final set.
Tied at 4 in the fifth, the Wolf Pack kept their eyes on the prize, erupting with an 11-3 run to seal the deal. The tear was helped with six errors, along with a kill by Tyson and two each from O'Neal and Preslie Boswell.
Stagner's mark of 44 assists was just one shy of her record this season against Warner, placing her tied in both the fourth and fifth place spots in the category in the conference. Combined with her 21 digs, she recorded her ninth double-double of the season; she also scored three aces. Bryan tied her personal career mark of 16 kills that was previously recorded at Point, along with 17 points. Owings scored 12 kills and 13.5 points. Vinson got 15 digs, and Stewart and McInroy each scooped 13. Rice tallied seven kills, five block assists and 9.5 points.
Tyson led her team's effort, tying Mobile's Abby Andrews's mark of 20 kills. She added nine digs, with 21.5 total points. Simone Moreau got 25 digs of her own. Bailey had 21 assists and three aces for Loyola, and Cooper had 12 digs and four aces. O'Neal netted a double-double of 12 digs and 25 assists. Boswell and Sheperis each registered nine kills, and the latter added six block assists, four digs and had 14 total points.
The Lady Eagles will again attempt to get back in the win column against William Carey tomorrow afternoon.
