MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner (7-9, 2-2 SSAC) got up off the mat after a three-match skid and surrendering the first set to claim a crucial 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-14) victory over a resurgent Brewton-Parker Christian (10-4, 2-1 SSAC) squad at Tine Davis Gymnasium on Friday night. After finishing in last place with no conference wins in the SSAC last season, the Barons came to town as only the second BPCU squad with 10 wins since 2012. However, the result saw the same team come out on top as 61 of the programs' other 66 all-time meetings in a series Faulkner has dominated.
The Barons took an early 1-0 match lead as they won the hitting battle in the set .158 to .103 and had 12 kills to Faulkner's six. They flipped a 19-17 deficit with a 7-0 run, including four aces by Alya Atamer, to get to set point. The Lady Eagles took consecutive timeouts on both ends of a rally, subbing out their setter out of the second stoppage to go back to a 6-2 offensive system before the run ended with three straight aces. The changeup would go on to pay dividends, as Faulkner would take the last three frames to hand the Barons their first SSAC loss.
The kill count wasn't much different in the second and third sets, as the visitors scored double-digit kills and held to Faulkner to six or seven in each. It was errors that made the difference in this one, as Faulkner never had more than three in a set. The fewest the Barons had in a set was six, and the miscues got into the double digits in the third and fourth frames. While BPCU led in kills 45-28, aces 14-6 and assists 42-27, they committed 36 total errors to just 10 for Faulkner, and the hosts in turn dominated the blocking game by a 10-3 margin. Neither team had a run of more than four points in the second and third frames, but the Lady Eagles used sustained runs and timely offense and defense to outhit the Barons .235 to .138 and .103 to .022, respectively.
The trend for close margins came to a head in the final set as Faulkner was determined to pull away. The Lady Eagles got off to a 4-1 start with a kill, BPCU errors of the ball handling and service variety and a block split by Jakaya Smith and Riley Deem. After a Baron kill, the Lady Eagles began to truly dominate and capitalize off errors with a 10-1 run, as a service error scored the only point for the guests in the span and BPCU was forced to use both of its timeouts. The Barons committed five hitting errors as Smith scored two kills, Caroline Sticker and Kynsi Hazzard each had one and Chasity Broadhead served up an ace. After trading runs, Faulkner went on a 6-1 kill to make the score 22-8 off a Hazzard kill and five errors, two off blocks shared by Madison Martin and Aubrie Hinson. It was the Barons' turn to make a push then with two kills and back-to-back aces before a service error, and after each of their last points with Atamer kills, Smith responded with kills for match point and final score.
Only one hitter on each team scored double-digit kills, but no Baron hit over .250 while only one Eagle hitter was below .200. The kill leader for Faulkner was Smith with 12, a total to which she added seven digs and three total blocks. Sticker led the defensive effort with 20 digs while coming in second on the offensive side with five kills. At the net, Hazzard added four kills and Deem and Martin each scored three. Martin assisted five blocks and Deem and Hinson each put up four. Olivia Kelly scored 12 assists, four digs and two aces. Broadhead followed with 10, seven and two. Jaylyn Strength and Jo Lundy each dug six attacks, and Strength added five assists. The two of them, as well as Sticker and Maddie Harden, each added an ace.
Faulkner welcomes new SSAC member Wesleyan to Tine Davis tomorrow for a 1 pm first serve. It is the Lady Eagles' fourth all-time meeting with the former NCAA DIII side, but the programs' first meeting since 2012 and the first not at a neutral site. In their first season at the NAIA level, the Wolves have won just three sets thus far in 13 matches.
