PENSACOLA, Fla --- The Mississippi College volleyball team won its opening match of the Gulf South Conference Championships as it defeated Auburn University at Montgomery in four sets. It's the first win in the conference tournament since 1994.
 
Mississippi College moves on to the GSC Quarterfinals to face Shorter University. First serve is set for 4 p.m.
 
A trio of Choctaws posted double figure kills in the contest as it was spurred by Lydia Paulette with season-high 18. Lexi Richards added 17 kills followed by Stevie Nesbit with 10. Lexie Laurendine added 50 assists to help direct the offense. The junior also added 15 digs.
 
Nesbit led the way at the net as she collected four blocks in the outing. Kendall Platt joined Laurendine with double-digit digs as she notched 14 in the contest.
 
MC opened the match with a 25-13 blasting of the Warhawks in the opening set and followed with a 25-22 win to take a 2-0 lead through the first two sets. AUM rallied to the third set in extra points, but the Choctaws weren't to be overtaken as it won the match with a 25-18-victory in the fourth.
 
Trailing 7-6 in the set, MC strung together a 6-0 run in the to take an 11-7 advantage and never looked back. The Choctaws added a 4-0 to reach a 19-13 lead and closed the contest out scoring four of the final points, including back-to-back service aces from Missy Beber. Richards posted the winner off an assist from Laurendine.
 
The quarterfinal contest against Shorter marks the second meeting of the season. Mississippi College downed the Hawks in five sets in Clinton, Miss., on Oct. 29.
 

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Inside the Box
- Mississippi College is now 5-2 against AUM, including three consecutive in the series.
- Lydia Paulette's previous season-high came on Nov. 13 in five sets at the University of Montevallo.
- Lexie Laurendine registered her third match this season with 50-plus assists. She posted a career-high and school record best 54 earlier this season against the University of Arkansas at Monticello and added 53 last weekend at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
- With 62 kills in the match, it's the most in a four-setter this season for the Navy and Gold and the third most this season trailing both, five-set contest with UAM earlier this season (72, Sept. 17; 64, Sept. 7).
- Mississippi College posted a .349 attack percentage in the match, which marked a season-high. It surpassed the previous high .328 set at Ouachita Baptist on Sept. 18.