The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ volleyball team started its 2015 season on Tuesday by taking on a talented public school opponent, and the Lady Saints came away with a straight-sets victory.

NSA won 25-14, 25-21, 25-18 against visiting Western Branch High School.

“For the first match, it was good,” Lady Saints coach Robyn Ross said of her team’s performance.

She noted there were a few instances in which her girls gave up too many points in a row, putting themselves behind by five or six points at a time.

“With so many new people out on the floor, that’s really to be expected,” she said. “If it hadn’t happened, I would have been more surprised.”

The theme of short team versus tall team that will define this season for Nansemond-Suffolk was on full display on Tuesday, as the Lady Bruins enjoyed the significant height advantage.

“The David and Goliath story still reigns … you don’t have to be bigger to be better,” Ross said.

And she knows what will make the Lady Saints better and what did make them better on Tuesday.

“We have to be smarter and we have to be in better condition, and I think there was only one long point rally that we lost in this entire match,” she said. “So those are the things that this year, I have to focus on figuring out, making sure we’re winning the long rallies,” then taking advantage of the other team being tired.

NSA junior outside hitter Livi Bono registered a double-double on Tuesday with 12 kills and 10 digs.

“She’s stepping into this new role of being the kill leader, and so I thought that last night, she handled that really well and produced some really great numbers,” Ross said on Wednesday.

The coach noted that junior outside hitters Logan Harrell and Lindsay Knierbein were not nearly as confident on the front row last year as they were on Tuesday.

“(Lindsay) had her best offensive night, and she had an amazing defensive night,” Ross said. Knierbein compiled eight kills and 15 digs, and NSA also scored 10 points on her serves. “We scored 71 percent of the time that she was back there serving.”

Junior setter Nicole Wright handed out 28 assists and produced two kills, two blocks and nine points on serve.

“She’s probably physically the strongest setter that I’ve had in my time (at NSA), and so watching her grow and take over the setting spot from Brooks (Gillerlain), to see her do so well with it was really exciting last night,” Ross said.

The coach also praised freshman outside hitter Kayla Hankins for a poised, efficient performance in her varsity debut.

The Lady Saints (1-0) host Hampton Roads Academy on Tuesday.