Sherman, Texas - The Austin College volleyball team opened its season with a pair of non-conference victories Tuesday in Hughey Gym, defeating Howard Payne in four sets before outlasting Paul Quinn in five sets.

In the opening match, the 'Roos defeated Howard Payne 25-22, 21-25, 25-16, 25-21. Mia Johnson led the offense with 22 kills and added 19 digs. Caroline Smith and Madisin Hartsfield each contributed 12 kills, while Victoria Larson chipped in eight. Setters Elizabeth Oh and Katie Riemer shared the workload, recording 26 and 25 assists, respectively. Laynie Kovacs paced the defense with a team-high 22 digs. Austin College hit .261 overall and finished with eight service aces.

The 'Roos capped the night by moving to 2-0 with a 20-25, 27-25, 25-22, 17-25, 15-3 victory over Paul Quinn. After the Tigers forced a fifth set, Austin College dominated the tiebreaker behind the serve of Kovacs, who delivered five aces during a 10-point run to build an insurmountable lead. Kovacs finished with six aces and a match-best 31 digs. Johnson recorded another double-double with 18 kills and 19 digs, while Larson totaled 11 kills. Riemer dished out 28 assists, and Oh added 16. Austin College registered 13 total aces and matched Paul Quinn with eight team blocks in the win.