LSC MATCH NOTES //
LSC CHAMPIONSHIP
SAN ANGELO – The No. 18 Angelo State volleyball team opens its fourth consecutive appearance in the postseason at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday against Midwestern State in the first round of the Lone Star Conference Championship in Canyon.
The Belles (28-4, 17-3 LSC) swept the season series this year against the Mustangs, winning in Wichita Falls in straight sets before taking a 3-1 win in the regular-season finale last Saturday. ASU, which is looking for its first LSC Championship since 1992, went 7-0 in neutral court matches this season. Midwestern State (15-15, 7-13 LSC) comes into the tournament on a six-match losing streak but with a 5-0 record in neutral court contests.
“Anything can happen, and we understand that,” ASU head coach
Chuck Waddington said. “They are going to be ready to play and be motivated. The last game will be fresh in their minds and I expect them to come out and play really well.”
This marks the 15th time the Angelo State volleyball team is playing in the conference tournament. The Belles are 30-10 all-time in the tournament, having won it six times (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1992) and finished as runner-ups twice (1993, 2010). Midwestern State is 0-5 in its LSC Championship appearances. ASU leads the all-time series against MSU, 17-11.
Celeste Bonter and
Chelsea Gibson tops the Belles in kills with 320 and 297 each this season, while
Shelby Wilt (500) and
Kayla Smith (378) leads ASU in digs. Woolsey also leads with 1,328 assists, with
Maddie Huth pacing the team with 20 blocks.
Debbie Ohl, Huth and
Kaelen Valdez are all three over 200 kills this season.
Kristan Aduddell leads the Midwestern State with 626 assists, while Shelbi Stewart and Caitlin Wallace lead the Mustangs with 270 and 263 kills, respectively. Kiara Jordan has paced MSU with 777 digs, while Miranda Byrd has recorded 253 kills and Kimberly Jeffrey has contributed 539 assists.
“It's going to be exciting and difficult,” Ohl said. “We've already seen these teams twice. Seeing them for the third time, they are going to know our strengths and weaknesses. We all know each other's tendencies and just battle it out.”
The Angelo State-Midwestern State winner will play the winner of No. 3 Abilene Christian – No. 6 Cameron match at 5 p.m. on Friday in the semifinals. The championship match is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday.
