SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State volleyball team continues its month of matches away from the Junell Center—Stephens Arena as it opens conference play this weekend against Midwestern State and Texas Woman's. The Belles take on the Mustangs on Friday at 6 p.m. in Wichita Falls before they face off against the Pioneers on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Denton.
LAST TIME OUT
The Rambelles went 2-0 last week at the LSC Challenge in Dallas, defeating No. 20 DBU in four sets before taking down No. 3 West Texas A&M in four sets. The Belles hit .302 against their ranked opponents, and the Belles have defeated three ranked opponents on the bounce.
PARRISH EARNS AVCA HONORS
Sophomore outside hitter
Madi Parrish was named the AVCA Division II National Player of the Week for her play in Dallas. Parrish averaged 4.63 kills per set and hit .354 for the week. Parrish recorded a 14-kill, 12-dig double-double against the Lady Patriots before recording a career-high 23 kills against the Lady Buffs. Parrish is the third-ever Belle to receive national Player of the Week recognition, joining former Belles Mallory Blauser and Kailyn Gilbreath. Parrish is the first LSC player to earn the award since Gilbreath earned it in the Spring 2021 season.
CARTER NAMED FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Middle blocker
Demi Carter earned LSC Freshman of the Week honors, and the Belles earned the award for the second straight week. Carter recorded a career-high 15 kills on a .609 attack percentage before recording nine kills in the win over WT. She is hitting .416 this season.
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.
HELPING HANDS
The Belles lead the LSC with 13.21 assists per set, which has propelled them to lead the league with a .248 attack percentage.
Adeline Ortman leads the league with 11.57 assists per set, and three Belles own a hitting percentage above .300.
BELLES IN THE POLLS
•The Belles are 14th in the AVCA/Taraflex Division II Top 25, totaling 500 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 tenth-ranked West Texas A&M and 23rd-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 OPPONENTS
MIDWESTERN STATE
AVCA RANK: N/A
2024 RECORD: 6-5
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Midwestern State is 6-5 on the season, one win off matching their win total from last season.
The Mustangs are coming off a 3-0 week at the LSC Challenge in Portales, where they claimed sweeps over Eastern New Mexico, Western New Mexico, and Sul Ross State.
The Mustangs hit .189 as a team and are led by Riley Rabedeaux's 3.16 kills per set. Middle Isabella Dickens leads the team with a .318 attack percentage.
The Mustangs' strength is in their backline defense. They rank fifth in the league in digs and hold opponents to the fifth-best hitting percentage in the LSC with a .188 attack percentage. Jenna Redding leads the team with 3.86 digs per set. Gabrielle Oos leads the team at the net with one block per set.
The Belles are 38-9 all-time versus the Mustangs and have won the last 25 matches in the series, dating back to 2008.
TEXAS WOMAN'S
AVCA RANK: N/A
2024 RECORD: 6-3
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Texas Woman's is 6-3 on the season and riding a four-match winning streak, including a pair of five-set wins over Texas A&M-Kingsville and UT Tyler.
The Pioneers hit .228 as a team and are led by Erin Jones' 2.72 kills per set. The senior right side has recorded double-digit kills in eight of the first nine matches of the season. Kady Hansen is third in the LSC with a .387 attack percentage.
Setter Grace Reynolds, the reigning LSC Setter of the Week, runs the offense as she averages 5.95 assists per set. The junior has seven double-doubles this season and in the past three matches. Reynolds is also a threat with her serve, as she ranks seventh in the LSC with 0.44 aces per set.
The Pioneers rank fourth in digs with 17 digs per set, with senior libero Luna Franca leading the team and ranking seventh in the LSC with 4.46 digs per set. Cara Pool leads the team with 0.77 blocks per set.
The Belles are 41-15 all-time versus the Pioneers and have won the last four matchups dating back to 2019.
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 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 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 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 1,162 career digs, which ranks 12th all-time and 9th in the rally-scoring era.
Additionally, teammate
Adeline Ortman recorded her 2,000th career assist in the Belles' win over West Texas A&M. She has 2,022 career assists, second-most among active players in the LSC.
Digs - All-Time
10. Marci Sanders 1997-98 1,227
11. Kimber Duncan 2006-09 1,201
12. Caleigh Enax 2021-24 1,162
Digs - Rally Scoring Era (since 2001)
7. Alex Woolsey 2009-12 1,252
8. Kimber Duncan 2006-09 1,201
9. Caleigh Enax 2021-24 1,162
