West Point, Ga. - The Lady Eagles traveled to Point University to start their last regular season weekend road series. The Skyhawks picked up the win over the Lady Eagles 3-1 despite Faulkner fighting to the very end.
Point 3, Faulkner 1 (25-17, 17-25, 25-19, 25-17)
In set one, the Lady Eagles started the match with a kill from Victoria Wheeler. Point then tied it up on the next serve. Faulkner took a two-point lead with the next two serves after a service error from the Skyhawks and a kill from Hannah Bryan.
Point then put up three points in a row to take their first lead at 4-3. Faulkner took the lead back with two more points, but Point took the lead back with four straight points to lead 8-5. Faulkner drew within two on the next serve with a kill from Bryan. Point went back up three on the next serve. On the next two serves, Faulkner scored, and then Point answered right back.
Riley Deem earned a kill on the next play with an error from Point to follow to pull within one. Point extended their lead again with two more points, but Faulkner scored two more points to draw within one. Point went on a 3-0 run on the next three serves to go up 15-11.
Faulkner ended the run on the next serve, but Point continued to score five straight to push their lead to eight. Faulkner scored another single point, followed by a Skyhawk point. The Lady Eagles then scored three in a row to bring the score to 23-17 in favor of the Skyhawks.
Point ended the set with two points in a row to win 25-17 and head to the second set.
In set two the Lady Eagles scored the first point again with a Victoria Wheeler kill. Point then proceeded to score four in a row. The two teams traded points on the next two serve before Faulkner took a 3-0 run to tie the set at five all. Point then took another lead on the next serve.
Faulkner jumped out to a commanding lead with a 6-0 run. Point scored another point before Faulkner scored, with another Point kill to follow. The Lady Eagles put up two in a row to extend their lead to 14-8. Then Point scored on two of the next three serves. Faulkner put up two more points to continue to pour into their lead. Point scored one more point before Faulkner took a 4-0 run to lead 21-11.
The Skyhawks took a 4-0 run of their own to cut the lead to six. On the next two serves, Faulkner jumped back to a lead by eight. The Skyhawks cut the lead back to six, but Faulkner took the set on the next two serves to win 25-17.
In the third set, Point jumped out to an early four-point lead with four in a row out of the gate. Faulkner answered with two kills by Rhiannon Keck, but Point put up three more points. Faulkner scored on two of the next three serves before the Skyhawks answered with two more of their own.
Faulkner scored one more point, but the Skyhawks answered with another two to lead 12-5. Riley Deem scored a kill on the next serve, followed by a kill from the Skyhawks. Faulkner scored another two in a row, followed by two from Point. Alysse Rudolph put down a kill before the Skyhawks put up three more points to lead the Lady Eagles 18-9.
On the next two serves Faulkner scored two before Point scored a single point to hold on to a seven-point lead. The Lady Eagles then scored three in a row to pull within four. Each team scored one on the next two plays. Then Point scored two in a row before the two teams traded back and forth on the next four serves. On the final serve, Point picked up the win 25-19.
In the fourth set, the Lady Eagles fought hard, but Point strung several series of runs to pick up the fourth set 25-17 and the match 3-1.
Rhiannon Keck led the Lady Eagles in kills with nine. Mandi Hart and Ellie Cyr both reached double figures in assists. Hart had 21, while Cyr had 15. The Lady Eagles also had two players see double digits in digs. Kolbi Bates had 12. Macy Kemper had 11 of her own.
The Lady Eagles return to action on Saturday afternoon for their final regular season road match. They travel to Life University for a 1:00 p.m. first serve.
