CLEVELAND, Ga. - Faulkner found a way in a tightly contested match with St. Andrews to take a 3-1 win before falling to the hosts Truett-McConnell in straight sets Tuesday afternoon in a trimatch.
FAULKNER 3, ST. ANDREWS 1 (27-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17)
As the scoreline would suggest, this match was about as even as it could be through the first three sets with Faulkner holding a slim 74-73 lead in total points.
The match started with the teams neck-and-neck with each team accumulating a lead of three at one point but never more than that as the score tied 15 times in the set. Lady Eagles staved off a set point in the first set with a Knight service error before taking advantage of the sideout with a SAU attack error and then a
Victoria Wheeler kill to take the match lead.
After a 6-1 deficit opened the second set, Faulkner found a 6-0 run to take a 16-13 lead after trailing by three. However, the Knights countered with a three point swing to tie. Then Faulkner jumped back out to a three point lead 20-17 but St. Andrews rallied back again to tie at 23.
Haven Owings laced a kill to produce set point before a Knight attack error paid it off.
The third set seemed to be fully in favor of the Lady Eagles as they jumped to a 9-2 lead. However, the cushion slowly evaporated with SAU eventually piecing together a 4-0 run to take a 18-16 lead. Faulkner clawed back on top to take a 22-21 lead but the Knights took the next four to force a fourth.
In the fourth, Faulkner led 14-13 before sprinting away with eight straight points all via block or kill with Wheeler being involved in three blocks and three kills to ice it away.
Hannah Bryan, No. 16, turned in one of her best single-game performances statistically with her highest kill total since 2021 with 16 kills which tied her career high and completed her double-double with 16 digs which set a season high.
Victoria Wheeler tallied 12 kills and six blocks.
Julia Rice had five kills and five blocks.
Ellie Cyr and
Mandi Hart combined for 40 assists with Cyr leading with 21. She also had thee blocks and three kills. Hart's 19 assists was added to eight digs.
Ashton McCullar had 13 digs and
Charlee Jordan 10 to go with seven kills.
Rhi Keck added nine more digs.
TRUETT MCCONNELL 3, FAULKNER 0 (25-16, 25-12, 26-24)
Faulkner struggled to slow down the hosting Bears who hit .446 over the first two sets.
The Bears held a slim advantage before a 9-3 run turned a one point first set into a 22-14 advantage to jump to the first set lead. TMU leaped ahead early in the second before icing it with a 9-2 closeout run to get ahead 2-0.
The third set felt more like the SAU match as the Lady Eagles traded punches with the Bears and it was the visitors who saw themselves up 23-21. However, the Bears took the next three to set up set point. Wheeler and Cyr blocked to tie at 24, but TMU took the next two sets to complete the sweep.
Jordan led the team with 10 kills. Wheeler added nine. McCullar's 11 digs was best on the Lady Eagles. Hart and Cyr combined for 26 assists with Hart leading with 14.
The Lady Eagles return to SSAC play this weekend with a first stop in West Point, Ga. to take on the Skyhawks Friday evening.
