AUSTIN, Texas – Four All-American Southwest Conference honorees return in 2019 to the Concordia Texas volleyball team, who reached the conference tournament semifinals for the third time in the last four years, and open the season on the road in a doubleheader against Centenary and Austin College on Friday.

The Tornados, who are coming a season where they recorded their most conference wins in a single season since 2000, will begin the new season in Sherman, Texas, competing in the Austin College Classic, playing four matches in two days.

It is year six for the volleyball program under the direction of head coach Nicole McCoy-Dalby, who has led the team to back-to-back 19 win seasons, the most wins during a two-year span since the program recorded 39 wins from 1999-2000.

In the ASC Preseason Poll, CTX was picked third in the ASC West Division after earning 84 points in the poll, which was voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.

The Tornados will rely on veteran leadership to continue the success of the program in 2019, including senior Tristyn Massey and junior Georgia Quiroz, both of whom were named to the ASC Players to Watch list.

Massey, an Amarillo, Texas native, was superb for CTX last season. The outside hitter registered 313 kills, ranking second on the team, and 290 digs, which was third-best on the squad. Massey finished the season with 10 double-doubles and was named an ASC All-Conference and ASC West First Team selection for her performance.

Quiroz, meanwhile had a historic second year for the Tornados. The setter tallied a single-season school record 994 assists and was second on the team in digs, totaling 331 on the year. She finished with a team-best 17 double-doubles and was named to the ASC West First Team.

Concordia Texas will have a heavy road schedule to begin the year, facing nine of their first 11 opponents away from Concordia Fieldhouse, including a four-game road trip to Thousand Oak, Calif., competing in the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational.

The Tornados will open conference play at home, facing Howard Payne on Sept. 17, and will be seeking to reach their third straight conference tournament, which will be hosted by the top seed in the ASC East on Nov. 7-9.

Concordia Texas will compete in two ASC Crossover weekends, the first being hosted by East Texas Baptist from Sept. 27-28 and then will host the second crossover, taking on LeTourneau and UT Dallas on Oct. 18-19.

The regular season will wrap up on the road in non-conference matchups against Austin College and Texas Lutheran on Nov. 2 in Belton, Texas.

The Tornados will kick off the new season in Sherman, Texas, facing Centenary and Austin College in a doubleheader on Friday, facing the Ladies at 2 p.m. followed by a showdown with the 'Roos at 8 p.m.