SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State volleyball team returns to the friendly confines of the Junell Center - Stephens Arena this weekend after an 11-match road trip over the past month. The Rambelles take on Texas A&M International on Friday at 6 p.m. before closing their week-end with Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday at 2 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Belles went 1-1 last weekend, dropping their match to No. 9 West Texas A&M in three sets before bouncing back to defeat Eastern New Mexico in four sets last Saturday. 

LAND OF ENCHANTMENT
The Belles' win over Eastern New Mexico on Saturday extended their winning streak in the state of New Mexico to seven in a row, dating back to the 2018 season. The Belles are 6-0 in the Mountain Time zone this season and have won their past seven matches in a different time zone. 

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
The Belles' freshmen attackers - Demi Carter, Sydney Thornton, Julia Hopkins, Amelia Creacy, and Taryn Barnes - have supplemented the Belles' offense this season, hitting .262 as a group and averaging 2.07 kills per set. Carter and Thorton have earned two of the LSC's five "Freshman of the Week" honors. 

HOME COOKING
Under head coach Chuck Waddington, the Belles have an 189-34 record inside the Junell Center - Stephens Arena, good enough for a .848 winning percentage. Eight of the Belles' last 12 matches this season will occur on their home court. 

BELLES SET ATTENDANCE RECORD
The Belles' match on Friday, September 6th, against New Mexico Highlands featured 3,315 fans in the stands, which set the Lone Star Conference record for single-match attendance. The match was the third-most attended Division II volleyball match in history and the third-most for a sporting event inside the Junell Center—Stephens Arena.

BELLES IN THE POLLS
•The Belles are 14th in the AVCA/Taraflex Division II Top 25, totaling 545 points in the poll.
•The Belles were the third seed in the 2023 LSC Volleyball Tournament. Under Waddington, the Belles have qualified for the tournament every season. 
•The Belles were picked third in the LSC Preseason Poll behind West Texas A&M and DBU, receiving two first-place votes. 
•They are one of three LSC teams in the poll, joining ninth-ranked West Texas A&M and DBU, who are receiving votes.
•The Belles are on their fourth straight week in the top 25. The Belles are amongst the nation's top 25 for the first time since September 2022; they had featured in the receiving votes section every week since the start of the 2023 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. 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL
AVCA RANK: N/A
2024 RECORD: 6-7, 3-1 LSC

Live Stats | Watch Live on FloSports

Texas A&M International is 6-7 on the season and 3-1 in LSC play. After a 1-5 start, the Dustdevils have gone 5-2 over their last seven matches, which included a four-match winning streak that bled into conference play. They are 1-2 in true road matches this season. 

The Dustdevils average 12.45 kills per set and hit .192 as a team. Mia Molina (3.59 kills per set) and Aryana Ledet (3.49 kills per set) lead the team in kills, while Caitlyn Cornell (.340 attack percentage) is the Dustdevils' most efficient attacker. 

The offense runs through reigning two-time LSC Setter of the Year Emma Lade. The Minnesotan averages 9.92 assists per set, the sixth-best in the LSC this season. She also leads the team, along with Lixai Perez, with 13 aces. 

Opponents are hitting .216 against TAMIU this season. Perez, the Dustdevils' libero, is sixth in the conference with 4.31 digs per set. Middle Abby Buenrostro leads the team with 0.91 blocks per set. 

The Belles are 6-2 all-time versus the Dustdevils and 4-2 inside the Junell Center - Stephens Arena. The Dustdevils claimed a five-set win in the last matchup in San Angelo in 2022. 

TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE
AVCA RANK: N/A
2024 RECORD: 10-5, 2-2 LSC

Live Stats | Watch Live on FloSports

Texas A&M-Kingsville is 10-5 on the season and 2-2 in LSC play. After a 7-2 start, they have won three of their past six matches. 

The Javelinas, like the Belles, have common non-conference opponents in Adams State, Fort Lewis, and Western Colorado. The Javelinas lost to Adams State in four sets and defeated Fort Lewis and Western Colorado in three and four sets, respectively.

The Javelinas hit .229 as a team and averaged 16.96 points per set, the fourth-best in the LSC. Their offense is led by the triumvirate of Meghan Stiefer (2.70 kills per set), Ayanna Jackson (2.65 kills per set), and Rylan Pollard (2.43 kills per set). Jackson is leading the league with a blistering .415 attack percentage. 

Elisa Carli and Nadia Pena are the leading setters for the Javelinas, combining for 10.01 assists per set. They are also the top two threats from the service line, as the duo combines for 34 of the team's 74 aces this season. 

Jackson is second in the LSC with 1.12 blocks per set, and Isabel Rodriguez is ninth with 4.12 digs per set. 

The Belles are 60-15 all-time versus the Javelinas; however, the Javelinas have won the last three matchups in this series.

PERSONAL BESTS THIS SEASON
Twelve Belles have recorded at least one personal best in 2024.

• Outside hitter Taryn Barnes recorded two kills against No. 23 Central Oklahoma on Sept. 6 and three digs against Fort Lewis the next day. 
• Middle Demi Carter recorded 15 kills against No. 20 DBU on Sept. 19. She had two digs against New Mexico Highlands. She recorded four blocks against DBU and WT.
• Right side Amelia Creacy recorded seven kills against Fort Lewis, hitting .250, and a pair of digs against the Skyhawks. Against No. 3 WT, she had three blocks. 
• Defensive specialist Allie Duitsman recorded a pair of digs against Fort Lewis on Sept. 7. She notched her first career ace to clinch the match against DBU on Sept. 19.
• Libero Caleigh Enax set a new career best with 38 digs in the Belles' five-set win over TWU on Sept. 28. 
• Outside hitter Julia Hopkins had ten kills in the Belles' comeback win over Texas Woman's on Sept. 28. She also had three digs and a block against the Pioneers. 
• Setter Adeline Ortman tied her career high with 58 assists twice this season and tied a personal best with a pair of blocks.
• Outside hitter Madi Parrish set a new personal best with 23 kills in the Belles' win over No. 3 WT on Sept. 20; she notched four aces in the Belles' sweep of Western Colorado on Sept. 10.
• Defensive specialist Krizia Perez notched ten digs for the first time in her career in the Belles' win over Texas Woman's on Sept. 28. 
• Middle Hannah Spencer tallied 12 kills in the Belles' win over Texas Woman's on Sept. 28, her second-ever match with double-digit kills. 
• Middle Sydney Thornton had 14 kills in the Belles' win over No. 15 Colorado Mesa on Sept. 14. She recorded her first ace and five blocks against Adams State the previous day.
• Outside hitter Evelyn Torres recorded 25 digs and 57 attack attempts in the Belles' five-set loss to No. 23 Central Oklahoma on Sept. 6. She set a new career watermark with 25 kills in the Belles' win over Texas Woman's on Sept. 28. She has tied her personal best of four blocks twice this season.

RETURNING STATS

• ASU returns four starters and ten letter winners from last year's team while adding ten newcomers, including three Division II transfers.
• Angelo State returns 46.9 percent (746 of 1589) of its kills, 67 percent (134 of 200) of its service aces, 70.7 percent (1337 of 1892) of its digs, and 50.8 percent of its blocks (99 of 195) from last season's team.

BELLES ADD TEN
Angelo State brought in ten newcomers in 2024, with seven freshmen and three Division II transfers joining the ten returners from last year's team.

    Adeline Ortman
    Graduate Student * 5-7 * Setter
    Rhome, Texas * UT Tyler
Two-time All-LSC selection who ranked fourth in the LSC in assists last season for UT Tyler

    Raelee Allen
    Freshman * 5-9 * Outside Hitter
    San Antonio, Texas * Reagan HS
6A Offensive Player of the Year in 2018-19

    Taryn Barnes
    Freshman * 5-9 * Outside Hitter
    Southlake, Texas * Carroll HS
Two-time All-District selection for the Dragons

    Sydney Thornton
    Freshman * 5-10 * Middle Blocker
    Prosper, Texas * Prosper HS
Recorded 594 kills and 289 blocks in her prep career

    Julia Hopkins
    Freshman * 6-0 * Outside Hitter
    Austin, Texas * Westwood HS
District MVP for the Warriors

    Amelia Creacy
    Freshman * 6-1 * Right Side
    Cypress, Texas * Bridegland HS
Two-time Offensive Player of the Year at Bridgeland HS

    Demi Carter
    Freshman * 6-2 * Middle Blocker
    Bridge City, Texas * Bridge City HS
Recorded 1,353 career kills, 258 blocks, 522 digs, and 221 aces; District 19-4A MVP in 2022

    Allie Duitsman
    Freshman * 5-6 * Defensive Specialist
    Prosper, Texas * Prosper HS
2023 First Team All-District selection

    Ella Unterweger
    Junior * 5-9 * Outside Hitter
    Oconomowoc, Wis. * St. Cloud State
Member of the 2022 NSIC Tournament Championship team

    Marta Roicka
    Graduate Student * 6-0 * Setter
    Warsaw, Poland * Gannon
Helped Golden Knights to two PSAC championships and an appearance in the Elite Eight

RECORD WATCH
With her fifth dig against Central Oklahoma on September 6th, senior libero Caleigh Enax became the 17th player in program history and the 12th in the rally-scoring era to eclipse the 1,000-dig mark. She has 1,253 career digs, which ranks 9th all-time and 7th in the rally-scoring era. 
Additionally, teammate Adeline Ortman recorded her 2,000th career assist in the Belles' win over West Texas A&M on September 19th. She has 2,197 career assists, second-most among active players in the LSC. Evelyn Torres is closing in on 1,000 career kills, as the graduate student is only 29 away from the milestone.