SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State volleyball team closes out the regular season this weekend with a road trip east that will see them take on two of the best in the Lone Star Conference. The Rambelles open their weekend on Friday night in Dallas to take on DBU before closing the regular season on Saturday afternoon with a matchup against UT Tyler. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Belles swept their home finales as they close out the season 11-1 on their home floor. The Belles dispatched UAFS in three sets in a matchup that carried conference tournament and regional implications before capping the weekend with a straight-set win over Oklahoma Christian. Hannah Kinnison led the team with four kills per set this weekend while Elsa Lamphere and Evelyn Torres averaged 3.50 kills per set. Laney Dale had 7.67 assists per set as the Belles hit .308 as a team. 

DALE MAKES HISTORY
After joining the 1,000-assist club last month, senior setter Laney Dale moved herself up to sixth all-time on the ASU career assists list (rally-scoring era, since 2001) with 1,160 assists, passing Alexa Johnson, who recorded 1,144 assists in the 2014 season. 

REGIONAL RAMBELLES
The Belles appeared in the first batch of NCAA South Central regional rankings last week; the selection show takes place on Nov. 20th at 6:30 p.m. on NCAA.com. 

BELLES IN THE POLLS

•     The Belles are receiving 61 votes in the AVCA Top 25, the second-highest placed LSC team in the AVCA poll and just four positions out of the top 25. 
•     The Belles have clinched a spot in the 2023 LSC Volleyball Tournament. The Belles have qualified for the tournament every season under Waddington. 
•     The Belles were picked fifth in the LSC Preseason Poll behind West Texas A&M, UT Tyler, DBU, and Texas A&M-Kingsville.
•     They are one of two LSC teams to appear in the poll, joining fifth-ranked West Texas A&M.
•     The Belles started the 2022 season ranked 13th in the country before dropping to 23rd the following week and falling out of the poll the next week, failing to rejoin at any point during the rest of the season. 
•     The Belles started the 2021 season ranked first in the country off the heels of the 2021 AVCA National Championship; they spent the entire 2021 season within the top 25 of the poll. 

Game 1
RV Angelo State at DBU
Friday, November 10th - 6 p.m.
Burg Center

The Lady Patriots are 20-6 on the season and 12-2 in LSC play; they are tied with the Belles for second in the conference standings. The Lady Patriots are on a seven-match winning streak and are 7-0 on their home court this season. The Belles are 4-1 all-time against DBU, with the Belles winning the only matchup in Dallas back in 2021. 

DBU is second behind ASU in the LSC when it comes to points per set (17.84 points/set). They lead the LSC with 2.07 aces per set. Delaney Fuller leads the league with 4.40 kills per set and is hitting .239 this season. Fuller is also third in the LSC in aces, while teammate Shaylee Shore is second in the league with a .381 attack percentage. As a team, the Lady Patriots are hitting .243 as a team. 

The Patriots average 14.51 digs per set and hold their opponents to a .160 hitting percentage; they average 2.28 blocks per set. Shore is third in the LSC with 1.15 blocks per set and libero Daylee Doggett is ninth with 4.59 digs per set. 

LAST TIME VS. DBU
The Lady Patriots swept the Belles last season in San Angelo; DBU hit .236 for the match. That match saw Marina Sanchez and Kaila Garnett lead the Belles with seven kills apiece, with Sanchez hitting .467. Laney Dale had 15 assists and Kayla Baer chipped in 13, and Ireland Ferguson led the Belles with 13 digs. 


Game 2
RV Angelo State at UT Tyler
Saturday, November 11th - 2 p.m. 
Harrington Patriot Center

The Patriots are 15-10 on the season and 9-5 in LSC play; they are coming off a weekend in which they split, losing to St. Mary's in five sets before beating St. Edward's in four. They are 8-2 on their home court this season, with their only losses coming to DBU and West Texas A&M. The Belles are 3-2 all-time against the Patriots. 

The Patriots are htting .197 as a team and are averaging 13.43 kills per set. Their attack is led by freshman Shaye Koski, who is averaging 3.77 kills per set. Maiya Pena leads the team with a .313 hitting percentage and Adeline Ortman assists 7.31 times a set, fifth in the LSC. 

Defensively, the Patriots hold their opponents to a .182 hitting percentage; they average 17.18 digs per set and 1.73 blocks per set. Libero Addison Evans is seventh in the conference with 4.72 digs per set, and Dakota Rogers-Hurtado (0.90 blocks/set) and Pena (0.84 b/s) lead the Patriots' defensive effort at the net. 

LAST TIME VS. UTT
The Belles went 0-2 with a pair of sweeps last season against the Patriots; however, the Belles are 2-0 in Tyler against the Patriots. This marks their first matchup in East Texas since the Spring 2021 LSC Tournament Championship finals, which the Belles won in five sets. Last season, Caleigh Enax averaged 4.33 digs per set across six sets against the Patriots. The second matchup also saw the Patriots' Mikayla Ware post a 16-kill, 10-dig double-double. 

PERSONAL BESTS THIS SEASON

•     Twelve Belles have recorded at least one personal best this season.
•     Setter Kayla Baer had three service aces against UAFS on Sept. 16, including two in a row that gave the Belles the lead in the fifth set.
•     Setter Laney Dale recorded a pair of kills against New Mexcio Highlands on Sept. 5; she has seven kills this season, exceeding her total from the 2022 season. She also set a new career high with four service aces against Oklahoma Christian on Nov. 4 and has nine double-doubles this season. 
•     Libero Caleigh Enax recorded 36 digs against Cameron on Oct. 7; her career-best is tied for the fourth-most digs in a single match in program history.
•     Outside hitter Hannah Kinnison set a career-high attacking percentage of .750 against University of the Southwest on Sept. 1. She recorded a career-high 23 kills against Cameron on Oct. 7.
•     Setter Alli Kirkpatrick assisted 26 times against East Central on Sept. 9, the most in her debut season; she also recorded eight digs against TAMUK on Sept. 14.
•     Outside Elsa Lamphere hit .833 in the season opener versus Southwest, a new career-high for the senior. 
•     Outside hitter Madi Parrish buried 15 kills against Texas Woman's on Sept. 27. She recorded 15 digs against UAFS on Nov. 3 and had four blocks against TAMIU. 
•     Defensive specialist Krizia Perez recorded six digs against Cameron on Oct. 7. She also recorded her first ace against MSU on Sept. 30. 
•     Middle Marina Sanchez had 13 kills vs. CSU Pueblo on Sept. 8, the first time she's had ten or more kills in a match in her career. She also had eight digs against the Thunderwolves, a career-high.  
•     Middle Hannah Spencer recorded three blocks against Henderson State on September 1st; she also recorded ten kills in her LSC debut versus WNMU; she hit .625 against UTPB on Sept. 23. She also recorded a pair of aces against St. Mary's on Sept. 15. 
•     Outside hitter Evelyn Torres set a new career high with 18 kills against UAFS on Sept. 16; she tied that mark again on Sept. 27 against Texas Woman's. 
•     Outside hitter Kamryn Williams recorded four kills each against Huston-Tillotson and Southwest; she hit .667 against the Mustangs.  

RETURNING STATS

• ASU returns four starters and 12 letter winners from last year's team while adding seven newcomers, including a pair of in-conference transfers.
• Angelo State returns 79.8 percent (1052 of 1319) of its kills, 94.7 percent (107 of 113) of its service aces, 88.3 percent (1572 of 1780) of its digs, and 34.2 percent of its blocks (81.5 of 238.5) from last season's team.

BELLES ADD SEVEN
Angelo State brought in seven newcomers in 2023, including a pair of transfers from within the LSC. 

    Alli Kirkpatrick
    Freshman * 5-11 * Setter
    Bonham, Texas * Bonham HS
Recorded 1,939 kills and 1,375 digs at Bonham HS; two-time district hitter of the year
    
    Madi Parrish
    Freshman * 5-9 * Outside Hitter
    Saginaw, Texas * Boswell HS
Recorded 981 kills and 1,049 digs at Boswell HS; two-time all-district selection.

    Krizia Perez
    Freshman * 5-6 * Defensive Specialist
    Laredo, Texas * United HS
Led United HS to four district championships; first-team all-district selection

    Maya Smalls
    Grad. Student * 5-10 * Right Side
    San Antonio, Texas * St. Edward's
2022 All-LSC First Team selection at St. Edward's; recorded 361 kills for the Hilltoppers in 2022

    Hannah Spencer
    Freshman * 6-1 * Middle Blocker
    San Antonio, Texas * Cornerstone Christian
Tallied 385 kills and 210 blocks; two-time all-district selection

    Evelyn Torres
    Senior * 5-9 * Outside Hitter
    Fort Worth, Texas * UT Tyler
All-LSC Second Team in 2022 for UT Tyler

    Kamryn Williams
    Freshman * 6-0 * Outside Hitter
    Wall, Texas * Wall HS
All-time kill leader at Wall HS with 1,260; most kills in a season with 448; 2021 All-West Texas MVP

UP NEXT
The Belles will compete next Thursday-Saturday at the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament.