The Austin College volleyball team got the season off to a strong start with a pair of 3-0 wins on day one of the 15th Annual Austin College Invitational, topping Rust College and McMurry University.
Austin College cruised past Rust by scores of 25-11, 25-8, 25-9 in the first match of the day, as the 'Roos had just six attacking errors as a team in the match. Rebecca Franklin had an outstanding collegiate debut with eight kills and a .583 hitting percentage, while fellow freshman Rebekah Bowden had five kills in five attacks for a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage.
Lauren Wulz had a match-high 20 assists and added three service aces, as Austin College aced Rust 17 times in the match. Kelsey Lillis had four kills and three aces, and Zoe Garner added three more aces. Tatiana Ferrari had six digs to lead the 'Roos.
In the night cap for the 'Roos, Austin College came out on fire against McMurry with a 25-13 win in game one, and closed out the win by scores of 25-21 and 25-18. Austin College had 11 total blocks as a team and just 10 attacking errors in the match. Presleigh Watson led the 'Roos with eight kills and a .538 hitting percentage, and added six block assists in the victory.
Franklin had another strong performance with seven kills and a .500 hitting percentage, and Reygan Holloman added seven kills and four block assists. Wulz once again led the 'Roos with 20 assists while Chandler Sherman added 12, and Madison Lee had eight digs and three aces to lead the 'Roos in both categories.
Austin College plays three more times tomorrow as they take on Sul Ross State at 10:00 a.m., Dallas Christian College at 2:00 p.m., and Huston-Tillotson University at 4:00 p.m. to close out the tournament.
Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.