SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State volleyball team, coming off a 24-5 season last fall and their 10^th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, open their season in two days when they host the 14^th Annual Kathleen Brasfield Invitational inside the newly-renovated Stephens Arena at the Junell Center.

Five returners from last year's team compliment 13 new arrivals in the Blue and Gold, and despite the bevy of new faces, the same goal remains for head coach Chuck Waddington and his squad – to compete for a national championship.

All-LSC performers for the Belles, Elsa Lamphere and Grace White, highlight the returners, with Sydney Mundkowsky, Jaedyn Woolley, and Caleigh Enax the remaining holdovers from a season ago.

Six true freshmen and seven transfers, including five from the Division I level, make up the new arrivals this fall for the Belles.

As they have done in every fall season since 2013, the Belles open their season at home with the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational. The Belles have won their past 26 matches in the invitational, last losing on September 5^th, 2014, against UAFS.

The teams in this year's field include two schools from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), the Great American Conference (GAC), and Texas A&M-Kingsville joins the Belles as the two teams from the LSC.

All matches for the Belles this weekend count for in-region play, with the Belles starting at noon on Friday against GAC school Southern Nazarene. The Crimson Storm went 11-16 overall last season, qualifying for the GAC Tournament.

The Belles come back on Friday night to face CSU Pueblo. The Thunderwolves went 20-9 last season, qualifying for the NCAA tournament before falling in the first round to top-seeded MSU Denver. The Thunderwolves were picked to finish fifth in the RMAC preseason poll.

Saturday sees the Belles start at high noon against New Mexico Highlands. The Cowgirls went 11-18 last season and 7-11 in conference play in a competitive RMAC field, qualifying for the RMAC Tournament for the first time in a decade.

The weekend ends with the Belles facing East Central on Saturday night. The Tigers went 15-14 a year ago, going 11-5 in the GAC. The Tigers played in this invitational last year and will look to avoid losing all four matches, just as they did in 2021.

Following this weekend, the Belles make the trip to the Rocky Mountains to face Colorado Christian in a regional matchup before participating in the Colorado Premier Challenge next weekend.