Final Box in PDF Format


LAKELAND, Fla. – In her first collegiate match, freshman Kaelen Valdez notched a double-double, but the Rambelles volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (25-22, 17-25, 15-25, 19-25) decision to Florida Southern at the Florida Southern Classic in Lakeland, Fla., Thursday evening.

The 'Belles (0-1) left side hitter from Helotes helped guide the Rambelles to a 25-22 victory in game one as she notched 11 digs and hit .300 in the first set, and went on to tally 10 kills and 20 digs in the contest.

ASU came out swinging in game one as it capitalized on a service error by Florida Southern's Anne Pietkiewicz to give the 'Belles an 8-7 lead. The Rambelles never looked back as they led by as many as six points in the first set, while holding the Mocs to a .209 hitting percentage.

The Moccasins battled back in the second set as they fought ASU tooth-and-nail in a back-and-forth affair. With the score notched at 11, the Mocs took advantage of a Rambelle miscue and followed up with an ace to take a two-point lead. Florida Southern controlled the second set after that, as it went on to win, 25-17.

In the third set, Angelo State was held to a .184 hitting percentage and was unable to come back from an early deficit. The Mocs jumped on the board first, putting up a .394 hitting percentage and a 10-3 advantage before defeating the Rambelles, 25-15.

The 'Belles fought back in the fourth set as they collected 18 digs and 15 kills, but four service errors and two ball handling miscues along with Florida Southern's steady offense proved to be too much for ASU as they fell 25-19 in the final set.

“We came out and executed well,” Angelo State head coach Chuck Waddington said. “We served, passed and defended pretty good, but we couldn't keep our consistency. We came up against a good team and did a lot of good things for a young team, but we still have a lot to improve on.”

Despite being young, the talent is there as sophomore setter Alex Woolsey registered 44 assists, six kills and five digs and freshman Katie Coleman hit a team-high .526 with 12 kills. Her 12 kills matched sophomore Chelsea Gibson's, who was the 2009 Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year.

Florida Southern was led by Anne Pietkiewicz who also notched a double-double, pounding out 11 kills and 18 digs. Ashley Martin hit .579 with 11 kills for the Mocs.

The Rambelles will be back in action Friday, Sept. 3, at the Florida Classic as they take on Missouri S&T at 3:30 p.m., CT.