The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ basketball team has gotten its 2015-16 season off to a strong start.

The Lady Saints began the year by participating in the Virginia Episcopal School tournament over the weekend and won the event.

They defeated Williamsburg Christian School 61-42 on Saturday afternoon in the tourney title game and reached that stage by routing The Covenant School on Friday evening 79-42.

Entering the tournament, NSA had only three days of practice with the full team because several members were still finishing up the fall volleyball season.

“All things considered, I thought we did really well,” Nansemond-Suffolk coach Kim Aston said. “This year we are lot stronger in the ball handling department, and Harper (Birdsong) has a lot more help offensively, so it changed the dynamic of the game from last year to this year, but it changed for the good.”

Birdsong, a senior guard who has signed to play for George Washington University next year, will once more be a driving force for the Lady Saints.

Last year, she led them to a 21-6 record and their first appearance in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II state title game.

On Saturday, she led her team with 24 points and eight assists and tied for the team-lead in rebounds with eight. On Friday, she had a team-high 26 points, eight boards and five assists.

Helping lighten her load of responsibility with this ball this season will be junior volleyball standouts Logan Harrell and Lindsay Knierbein along with sophomore Abby Herrod, who transferred in from Churchland High School.

“All three of them handled the ball well in the tournament,” Aston said.

Birdsong made the all-tournament team along with senior center Caroline Hogg, who returns to help anchor the offense.

“Caroline played a really big role in the Williamsburg Christian game because they came out in a triangle and two (defense) against Harper and Logan,” Aston said. “Caroline hit five consecutive jumpers from the elbow to pull them out of it.”

Hogg finished the game with 18 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and two assists. On Friday against Covenant, she had 15 points, four assists, two boards, two blocks and a steal.

Harrell and Knierbein look to help shoulder more of the offensive load this season.

Aston noted they have essentially the same basketball skill level they had last season, but because of their growth on the volleyball court, “they’re just playing with a lot more confidence.”

Harrell became a leader for her successful club volleyball team earlier this year, and that leadership carried over to Nansemond-Suffolk’s successful volleyball team.

Aston said she does not want the carry over to stop there “because I feel like, vocally, she could do the same thing for us that she did for the volleyball team.”

Junior forward Kelly Hogan returns, lending the Lady Saints her aggressive presence near the hoop.

“Kelly Hogan is just a beast on the boards,” Aston said. Over the weekend, “she rebounded the ball extremely well in both games.”

Nansemond-Suffolk (2-0) visits First Colonial High School on Tuesday.