CENTRAL, S.C. - The Southern Wesleyan volleyball team kicked off their season on Friday in the Maryville (Univ.) Invite. The Warriors played Texas A&M Kingsville in the morning session and Central Oklahoma on Friday afternoon. 

In the opening match vs. the Javelinas, Southern Wesleyan fell in the first two sets (25-13, 28-26) before storming back to force a fifth set with wins (25-23, 25-22) in the third and fourth sets. Ultimately, the Javelinas prevailed, winning the fifth set 15-11. 

Against Central Oklahoma, the Warriors fell in three sets, as the Broncos won 25-19, 25-15, 25-18.

"Im so proud of the effort," head coach Julia Reininga said. "It took a little while for us to adjust to the pace in the first match and the afternoon match was a little rough, but I saw slimpses of some really good things. This tough competition early in the season will pay off for us in the long run. We will continue to work on getting better each week and to find the right mix. I'm very proud of this team."

The Warriors have two games on Saturday as part of the tournament. Reininga's team will play host school Maryville at 12 PM ET and Henderson State at 4 PM ET. Southern Wesleyan's first game at home is set for Tuesday, Sept. 8 against Lander at 7 PM. Live stats and live video are provided for the event.