WEST POINT, Ga. - Faulkner (8-11, 3-4 SSAC) once again fell behind early, and after tying the match, didn't have enough to overcome the momentum of Point (7-13, 3-3 SSAC) in a 3-1 loss (25-20, 19-25, 25-22, 25-19) at West Point Gymnasium on Saturday. In the first installment of volleyball's portion of the Battle of I-85 rivalry, the Skyhawks took every major category except for aces and digs while outhitting Faulkner in each of the three winning sets and for the total match .250 to .128.
Point went on an 8-1 run in the first set with four Faulkner errors and three kills from Tianna Kynard to go up 11-4. The next six points went to the Lady Eagles to get within one, thanks to a kill by Emmagin Spencer and two from Caroline Sticker assisted by Chasity Broadhead and an ace by Jo Lundy. The next seven were scored by the hosts, however, helped by three attack errors and two aces by Point setter Chloe Painter as the Skyhawks took control.
Point took a 6-2 lead in the second set with a Kynard kill and consecutive aces from Karin Camacho Diaz. Faulkner got within one and, after an exchange of points, tied it at 10 with a Riley Deem kill and took the lead with a kill by Emma Hayes. After going back and forth once again, the Lady Eagles took control with kills from Jakaya Smith and Madison Martin, a Kynard error and a Jaylyn Strength ace for a 22-17 lead before taking the set on a Smith kill and another miscue by Kynard.
The first surge by Point in the third set came on poor serve-receive by Faulkner, and a 5-0 run and 16-9 lead formed with two Kynard kills, a Marley Manning ace, a bad set and a block by Kynard and Painter. Faulkner wasn't going away that easily, as a Manning service error put it back in the guests' hands. After attack errors by Manning and Kynard, kills by Martin and Deem and bookending aces by Sticker, the Lady Eagles had tied the set, but a kill by Kynard and an ace by Megan Crocker gave Point a lead they would hold for the rest of the contest.
Faulkner spotted Point a 5-0 lead to start the fourth frame with three errors, one via block, a Manning kill and a Jasmyn Ceasar ace. The Skyhawks answered as the Lady Eagles got closer, but the latter drew within two for a third time in the set as Sticker and Hayes tallied kills off assists by Olivia Kelly and split a block. After Point pushed ahead 18-13, Kelly earned a kill on a setter dump before Lundy fired back-to-back aces to get within two again, and after another trade of points, Faulkner pulled within one on kills by Sticker and Hayes. However, an attack error put Point back in the driver's seat as they scored three kills and finished off the match on another error.
Kynard led Point with a whopping 23 kills, 15 more than the next closest Skyhawk, on 30 attacks for an insane .633 day. Painter dished out 42 assists in a 5-1 system while serving two aces and scooping six balls. Crocker dug 14 attacks and Manning had eight with her six kills.
Sticker led her team with 12 kills as well as nine digs, three assists and three aces. Deem had the best percentage on the team with .538 and nine kills. Smith scored seven kills, Martin and Hayes each had five and Kynsi Hazzard had four. Kelly put up 25 assists, 11 digs and three aces. Broadhead assisted eight kills. Strength put up a team-leading 19 digs and scored two aces, and Lundy had six digs while firing four aces.
The Lady Eagles travel to New Orleans for their next two SSAC games at Xavier and Loyola.
