GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - The Newberry College volleyball team opened the 2009 season with two Friday matches at the Tusculum Volleyball Classic. Newberry was bested in their first match at the hands of Augusta State but defeated Mt. Olive handedly in the following match.

Augusta State got the better of Newberry in the opening match of the tournament. Newberry dropped the first set 25-15 but edged out the Jaguars in the second set by a score of 26-24 to even the match. Newberry was unable to build off of their momentum and dropped both the third and fourth sets by a score of 25-19.

Seniors Fernanda Frey (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Brianna Blakely (Houston, Texas) gave strong offensive performances in the losing effort. Frey led the team in kills with 15 and Blakely contributed 17 assists. Four different players recorded a serving ace for Newberry.

Senior Dani Hroblak (Lake Wylie, S.C.) and sophomore Lindsey Hollingsworth (Charleston, S.C.) led the team on the defensive side. Hroblak recorded 1 solo block and 4 block assists while Hollingsworth tallied up 17 digs.

Augusta State received stellar individual play from Jessica Howard (Athens, Ga.) and Ashley Zappitell (Detroit, Mich.). Howard was dominant at the net with 17 kills, 2 solo blocks and 3 block assists. Zappitell recorded an astonishing 40 assists in addition to her 3 service aces.

In their second match, Newberry claimed their first victory of the season by beating Mt. Olive 3-0. Head coach David Nicholson inspired his team and the scarlet and gray responded with a stellar performance. In the opening set, Newberry won 12 consecutive points en route to a 25-5 victory. The team continued its success throughout the match and won the second and third sets 25-22 and 25-19, respectively.

Frey and Blakely displayed their leadership on offense yet again, this time propelling Newberry to victory. Frey recorded 5 more kills as Blakely notched 23 assists. Junior Kara Harris (Grandview, Texas) was dominant from the service line with 5 service aces.

Lindsey Hollingsworth was again vital to Newberry's defense with a team-leading 5 digs. Senior Lorena Maia (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) stepped up at the net and totaled 3 blocks as Newberry improved its season record to 1-1.

Newberry continues action in the Tusculum Volleyball Classic with two more matches on Saturday. The scarlet and gray face off against Northern Kentucky at noon and play Converse at 2 p.m.

Full statistics for all matches will be available Sunday evening.