DeLand, Fla. -- The 10th-ranked Stetson beach volleyball team opened its 2016 season with three victories on Friday at the Stetson Spring Break Invitational.

The Hatters blanked Missouri Baptist and Spring Hill College by identical 5-0 scores and defeated 18th-ranked Tulane by a 4-1 count.

"Overall, I am really pleased with our performace today," Stetson head coach Kristina Hernandez said after the Tulane match. "That was a really good win for us. They are a very good team, and they always give us a tough time. They have more experience than we do at most of their seeds. I thought we had some really tough wins at the 4, at the 3, and at the 1, especially with our freshmen at those positions. It was awesome to see so early in our season, and I think that means good things for us."

Stetson started six freshmen on opening day, including Sara Putt at the No. 1 seed with graduate student Vendy Strakova.  The pair battled to a third set with Tulane's top seed before claiming a 15-12 victory.

Putt and Strakova went 3-0 on Friday, as did 2 seed Rachel Noble and Kristin Lind.  At the 3 seed, Emily Carroll and Kaylee Anderson went 3-0, and so did Madison Akins and Lauren Durham at the No. 4 seed.  

At the 5 seed, Charlotte Earnhart and Samantha Harris went 1-1, while Jamie Walsh and Alexa Richardson went 1-0.

After taking Saturday off, the Hatters will face UNCW, Eckerd, and the College of Charleston on Sunday.