2024 Austin College Volleyball Season Preview

SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College volleyball team heads into the 2024 campaign looking to rise up the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference standings as it gets set to host the SCAC Championships in November, after finishing last season with an overall record of 18-14 and a conference mark of 6-10.

The 'Roos will once again be led by head coach Ed Garza, who takes a young squad into the new year. Austin College enters the new year with a roster of 18 players, 10 of which are either freshmen or sophomores, but the team does feature five seniors including Brianne Tseng, Mattie Duncan, TJ Folse, Jazmyn Kizziar, and Tatum Torres. All five seniors have been strong contributors during their tenures in Sherman, paced by Tseng, a starter at setter who has collected more than 1,300 assists and 500 digs in her career. Duncan had a career-best 133 digs last year, and Folse enters her final season with 347 career kills and last year set a personal best with 154 digs on the season. 

Austin College also features a small but talented junior class, with Samantha Graham, Madison Manning, and Selah Coleman each boasting starting experience. Graham was third on the team with 2.18 kills-per-set last season, while Manning finished just behind Tseng in with 4.82 assists-per-set. Coleman averaged 1.50 kills-per-set, and is expected to make a big jump for the 'Roos in 2024. 

Seven of the team's underclassmen reside in its sophomore class, with All-SCAC libero Laynie Kovacs returning for her second season in Sherman to lead the way in that group. Last season, Kovacs made an instant impact both on the team and in the conference, finishing among the SCAC leaders with 610 digs and an average of 5.60 digs-per-set. Rita Araya is another sophomore who made a big contribution during her first collegiate season a year ago, appearing in 26 matches and averaging 1.68 kills and 1.13 blocks-per-set. Victoria Larson joins the 'Roos after transferring from SCAC foe Centenary College, and Rachel Sadler, Shelby Brent, Kailey Vick, and Catherine Stepaniak round out the sophomore class and should each take a step forward after notching a year of experience at the collegiate level. 

Garza also welcomes three freshmen to the team this year, including setter Kat Stein, defensive specialist Jade Reim, and libero Rosie Deweber, who comes to Sherman from just up the road in Denison. All three have a chance to make an impact in their first year with the 'Roos.

Austin College opens the 2024 campaign on August 30-31, as they host the Austin College Classic. First on the docket is a 4:00 p.m. match against St. John Fisher on Friday, followed by a 6:00 p.m. match against Lakeland. On Saturday, the 'Roos take on Wisconsin-Superior at 10:00 a.m., and wrap up opening weekend with a match at 4:00 p.m. against Shenandoah. All four matches will be played in Hughey Gym.