SHERMAN, Texas - After notching 20 wins a year ago, the Austin College volleyball team will be looking to build on that success to climb even further up the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference ladder behind a strong returning nucleus for head coach Ed Garza in 2022.
Garza's team returns a number of players with starting experience this season, including All-SCAC selection Victoria Smith. Last season, Smith averaged 2.39 kills and totaled 67 blocks in 31 matches. Joining Smith is another multi-year starter in Riley Abernethy, with the junior outside hitter coming off a season in which she paced Austin College with 2.64 kills and added 2.99 digs-per-set. Olivia Linton also returns after a strong sophomore campaign in which she finished with an average of 2.18 kills-per-set, good for third on the team.
TJ Folse, Brianna Barch, and Mattie Duncan each saw plenty of action in their first season in Sherman in 2021. All three played in at least 24 matches, with Barch averaging 1.43 kills and nearly a block-per-set while Folse chipped in 1.24 kills-per-set. Duncan added 1.25 kills-per-set, and fellow sophomore Cheyenne Dantonio led the 'Roos with a .267 hitting percentage while averaging 1.55 kills-per-set in 19 matches played.
The 'Roos will have to replace a pair of starters lost to graduation in setter Brooklyn Talley and libero Mari Prazak, but Garza's squad is well-equipped to make the transition thanks to the return of Brianne Tseng and Aubree McCune at setter and Chloe Miller and Alyssa Holloway as defensive specialists. Last season McCune and Tseng averaged 3.85 and 3.8 assists-per-set, respectively, as both players competed in 19 matches for the 'Roos. Defensively, Miller averaged 1.96 digs-per-set and Holloway added 1.73, and both should be in line for larger roles as they replace Prazak, one of the most prolific liberos in program history.
Garza will also be looking for early impacts from his freshman class, which includes setter Madison Manning and outside hitters Taylor Hayes, Selah Coleman, and Vivianna Murphy. With strong junior and sophomore classes and no seniors on this year's squad on top of the talented group of newcomers, this year's youthful 'Roo volleyball team has a chance to both make an impact in the conference standings this season, as well as build for an outstanding future over the next several seasons.
Austin College opens the 2022 campaign with a pair of home matches against Paul Quinn and Champion Baptist on September 1.