HATTIESBURG, Miss. – For the second game in a row, WCU prevailed in a five-set thriller, defeating Faulkner University Friday night at the Ben Waddle Complex.
"Hard fought battle against a very scrappy and determined Faulkner team," said Head Coach
Ronda Shirley. "I am very proud of how my team responded when their backs were against the wall. I am also proud of how our players are stepping into roles when needed and adapting to line-up changes."
The Lady Crusaders opened the match by taking seven of the first nine points only to see Faulkner answer with a 6-1 run to tie the set. After trading points, Carey slowly regained control of the set building an 18-13 advantage.
Just like before, Faulkner answered, this time with an 8-2 run to retake the lead at 21-20. Back-to-back errors by the Eagles put WCU back in front but Kendall Rice tied the set for the Eagles with a kill on the next play.
Katarina Vulic and
Maurin Reyes put WCU back in front for good with a block with an attack error sealing the win.
Set two started with Carey again taking an early lead at 8-3 before stretching that lead to 14-7. Faulkner managed to cut the deficit to four, but WCU answered with a 4-1 run to pull away for good, taking the set 25-18.
Set three started like the first set, but it was Faulkner that took the early 5-1 lead with the Lady Crusaders rallying to take the lead at 7-6. That was the last time WCU held the lead, as the Eagles answered with a 6-1 run and never looked back taking the set 25-15 to avoid the sweep.
Carey quickly shook off the third set loss opening the fourth on a 7-2 run. Just like in the first set, the Eagles had the answer, rallying with a 6-0 run to take the lead before making it a 15-10 advantage. The Lady Crusaders stayed focused and with the help of four kills, an ace, and an attack error tied the set at 16 all. From there both teams took turns with the lead with WCU eventually taking the lead at 22-20. However, the Eagles recorded the next five points to force the deciding fifth set.
It was a back-and-forth battle to start the final set with Carey slowly building an 8-5 advantage. The Eagles closed the gap with a 3-0 run and the back-and-forth continued from there. With the set tied at twelve all, the Lady Crusaders picked up a kill by Vulic and an attack error to move within one point of victory. After dropping their first attempt at set point with an attack error Vulic came through again on the next play with another kill to seal the victory.
The Lady Crusaders are back in action tomorrow, as they take on Mobile in a key SSAC match-up. Play is set to begin at 1:00 pm at the Ben Waddle Complex.
