TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Faulkner snapped a five-match losing skid Saturday afternoon with a straight sets sweep of SSAC foe Stillman, 25-16, 25-14 and 25-23. The Lady Eagles' 25th point in the first set inside Birthright Alumni Hall ended a stretch in which the team had dropped nine consecutive games across the span of eight days.
Saturday produced much better outcomes for
Tori Renda's team as the veteran combination of
Julia Rice and
Haven Owings topped the team in kills. Owings put away six balls on 16 total attacks. Rice was little shy of dominant as her 14 attacks produced eight kills and just one error.
Victoria Wheeler also swung well Saturday, registering nine attacks with five kills against just one error.
Kolbi Bates aced the Tigers four times on the afternoon while the 6-2 setter combination of
Mandi Hart and
Ellie Cyr combined for 30 assists. Hart also finished second on the team with seven digs.
Ashton McCullar topped that category with 10 digs.
The final set of the afternoon saw Faulkner have to play from underneath as they trailed 15-11, 18-15, and 21-18. The Lady Eagles embarked on a 7-2 run to take the set and the match, beginning with a
Charlee Jordan kill that just it to 21-19. An attack error by Stillman and an ace by Bates evened the game. Bates' next ace gave Faulkner the lead before a ball handling error moved it to 23-21. Rice and
Hannah Bryan combined on a block for the 24th point, forcing a Stillman timeout. After the Tigers scored the ensuing two points to draw it to 24-23, Rice registered the kill to walk off the win.
Faulkner (4-14, 3-7 SSAC) hits the road Tuesday for a match against NCAA Division II Tuskegee.
