SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State volleyball team faces its toughest weekend of the regular season as the three ranked teams in the Lone Star Conference converge upon Dallas to compete at the LSC Challenge. No. 20 DBU hosts the 21st-ranked Rambelles and the nation's third-ranked squad, West Texas A&M. The Belles take on DBU on Thursday at 6 p.m. before facing WT on Friday at 6 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Rambelles went 5-0 on their road trip to Colorado, recording four sweeps before closing their weekend with a four-set win over No. 15 Colorado Mesa. The win over the Mavericks is the Belles' first regular-season win over a ranked opponent since the 2021 season.

THORNTON EARNS LSC HONORS
Freshman middle blocker Sydney Thornton earned LSC Freshman of the Week honors from the conference for her performances this past week in Colorado. She had seven kills and no errors in ten attempts in the Belles' win over Western Colorado. She followed that up with ten kills and five blocks against Adams State before recording eight kills against Cal State Dominguez Hills. She closed out her weekend with a career-high 14 kills in the Belles' win over the Mavericks. 

FOUR NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Four Belles - Adeline Ortman, Caleigh Enax, Madi Parrish, and Sydney Thornton - were named to the Maverick Fall Classic All-Tournament Team. Enax led all players in digs per set and aces, while Thornton led all players with a .419 attack percentage and was tied for fourth in blocks. Ortman was second in assists, and Parrish was fourth in kills and aces.

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. 

ACE IN THE HOLE
The Belles lead the LSC with 2.10 service aces per set and feature three players - Adeline Ortman, Madi Parrish, and Caleigh Enax - who rank in the top ten. It's the only category in the LSC with three members from the same squad in the top ten. 

BELLES IN THE POLLS
•The Belles are 21st in the AVCA/Taraflex Division II Top 25, totaling 192 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 third-ranked West Texas A&M and 20th-ranked DBU.
•The Belles have rejoined 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 FIELD
DBU
AVCA RANK: 20
2024 RECORD: 6-2 

DBU, the host this weekend, is the 20th-ranked team in the AVCA Division II Top 25. This marks their first-ever foray into the nation's top 25. 

The Lady Patriots are 6-2 on the season and are coming off a 3-1 week at the Colorado Premier Challenge. They played four ranked opponents and claimed wins over No. 17 Central Missouri, No. 2 Wayne State, and No. 23 Lewis. Their sole loss came in three sets to No. 3 MSU Denver. 

The Lady Patriots opened their season by hosting the Dallas Classic, where they went 3-1, with East Central claiming the lone win against DBU. 

DBU hits .203 as a team, and its offense is led by Delaney Fuller, the reigning LSC Offensive Player of the Year. Fuller leads the league with 4.59 kills per set.

The Lady Patriots hold their opponents to a .192 attack percentage. Libero Daylee Doggett anchors the backline with 4.72 digs per set, while Shaylee Shore leads the team with 0.75 blocks per set. 

The Belles are 4-2 all-time against DBU, as the Lady Patriots won last season's match in Dallas in four sets. 

WEST TEXAS A&M
AVCA RANK: 3
2024 RECORD: 6-2

The Lady Buffs, the third-ranked team in the nation, are coming off an impressive week in the Colorado Premier Challenge, where they claimed the top prize. After falling to No. 4 Missouri-St. Louis in the opener, they bounced back with wins over No. 24 Regis and No. 5 Concordia-St. Paul and No. 13 Chaminade. 

The Lady Buffs are hitting .228 as a team, led by Emma Becker's 3.35 kills per set. Angelina Oliver leads the team with a .382 attack percentage. 

The Lady Buffs hold opponents to a .172 attack percentage. Libero Bryli Contreras leads the team with 43.62 digs per set, while Taytum Stow, the LSC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, averages 1.09 blocks per set. 

The Belles are 27-65 all-time against the Lady Buffs. WT has claimed the last five matches in the series, with the Belles last winning in 2021.

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 eight kills without an attacking error against No. 23 Central Oklahoma on Sept. 6. She had two digs against New Mexico Highlands. She recorded three blocks against CSUDH on Sept. 14. 
• Right side Amelia Creacy recorded seven kills against Fort Lewis, hitting .250, and a pair of digs against the Skyhawks. Later, on Sept. 7 against Emmanuel, she recorded her first career block. 
• Defensive specialist Allie Duitsman recorded a pair of digs against Fort Lewis on Sept. 7. 
• Libero Caleigh Enax tied a career-high with four aces against Fort Lewis on Sept. 7. 
• Outside hitter Julia Hopkins had three kills in eight attempts against Fort Lewis, hitting .375 against the Skyhawks on Sept. 7.
• Setter Adeline Ortman tied her career high with 58 digs in the Belles' five-set loss to No. 23 Central Oklahoma on Sept. 6; she also tied a personal best with a pair of blocks, doing so twice during the KBI.
• Outside hitter Madi Parrish set a new personal best with 18 kills in the Belles' win over Fort Lewis on Sept. 7; she notched four aces in the Belles' sweep of Western Colorado on Sept. 10.
• Defensive specialist Krizia Perez tied personal bests in assists and aces during the KBI. 
• Middle Hannah Spencer attempted a career-high 24 attacks during the Belles' five-set loss against No. 23 Central Oklahoma on Sept. 6. 
• 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 tied a career-high with four blocks in the season-opening win versus New Mexico Highlands on Sept. 6.

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 1,133 career digs, which ranks 13th all-time and 10th in the rally-scoring era. 
Additionally, teammate Adeline Ortman is rapidly approaching 2,000 career assists, which is within reach this weekend, while teammates Evelyn Torres and Marta Roicka are closing in on career milestones.

UP NEXT
Following this week, the Belles are on the road to open conference play against Midwestern State and Texas Woman's.