Game Notes (.pdf Format)

Tournament Information

vs. Truman State
Date: Friday, October 1, 2010
Time: 11:30 a.m. CT 

vs. Emporia State
Date: Friday, October 1, 2010
Time: 4:30 p.m. CT

vs. Southwest Baptist
Date: Saturday, October 2, 2010
Time: 11 a.m. CT

vs. Washburn
Date: Saturday, October 2, 2010
Time: 5 p.m. CT

Location: Topeka, Kan.
Arena: Lee Arena
Capacity: 4,150
Tournament Results: www.wusports.com


The Matches
• Truman State: The Rambelles will face the Bulldogs for just the sixth time in program history. Truman State holds a slight edge in the series, leading 3-2. The last time the two teams squared off was last season at the Holiday Inn/Lady Blues Tournament and then-No. 20 Truman State defeated ASU, 3-2.
• Emporia State: Angelo State looks to even the all-time series at three, as the Hornets hold the advantage 3-2. Last year at the Holiday Inn/Lady Blues Tournament, Emporia State swept the 'Belles, 3-0.
• Southwest Baptist: This will be the second meeting between the two squads this year after facing each other in the Florida Southern Classic to open the season. After ASU swept Southwest Baptist at the FSC, the all-time series is tied at two games apiece.
• Washburn: ASU will take on host Washburn Saturday evening to conclude the Lady Blues Regional Crossover Tournament. The 'Belles are looking to earn their first win over the Lady Blues in program history after dropping a 3-0 decision to Washburn last year at the tournament.

The Coaches
• Angelo State: Chuck Waddington (Rensselaer, 1993) took over the ASU program in 2008 and has since guided the 'Belles to a 45-34 overall mark. Waddington has propelled the Rambelles to back-to-back conference appearances in 2008 and 2009. Under Waddington's tutelage, the 'Belles finished third in the LSC Tournament.
• Truman State: Ben Briney (Southwest Baptist, 2001) is in his second year as the head coach at Truman State after serving as the assistant coach at TSU for four years prior. In his first season at the helm of the program, Briney's squad posted a 24-13 record in 2009 as the Bulldogs reached the NCAA Tournament for the tenth time in program history.
• Emporia State: Bing Xu (Columbia College) has put together an impressive 139-43 record as the head coach at Emporia State. In 2009, Xu led the Hornets to their third straight regional tournament berth. Xu has worked at Emporia State since 2002, serving as the assistant coach for two years before taking on the role as head coach.
• Southwest Baptist: Kelly Richardson (Evangel, 2004) begun her fourth season with the Bearcats with a 33-68 record. Prior to her experience with Southwest Baptist, the Springfield, Mo., native led the Republic (Mo.) High School volleyball program to a third place finish in the Missouri State Championships.
• Washburn: Chris Herron (College of the Ozarks, 1980) has accumulated an impressive 12-1 record thus far building his current mark to 259-50 at Washburn. Last season, Herron led the Lady Blues to their third straight 20-win season and their sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance.

The Program
• The 'Belles are riding a three-game winning streak after sweeping Texas A&M-Commerce and Texas Woman's University over the weekend. ASU's win streak includes three-consecutive sweeps as the Rambelles are 6-1 in three-set matches this season.
• ASU is currently 3-1 in the Lone Star Conference after its two wins at Texas A&M-Commerce and Texas Woman's.
• Head coach Chuck Waddington added assistant coach Qi Wang to his staff over the summer. Wang brings a wealth of experience to ASU as he was the former head coach at Florida Tech, Northern Michigan and Truman State. The China native led Truman State to the national title game in 2002 and 2004, and was named Division II National Coach of the Year in 2002.
• Former East Central standout Holly Hicks also has joined the 'Belles coaching staff as graduate assistant. Hicks enters her first year of coaching with numerous hours of playing time on her resume. The Round Rock, Texas native competed as a member of the Austin Juniors, one of the top club programs in the state, and earned an athletic scholarship to Texas Tech.
• ASU Volleyball was picked to finish third in the conference behind West Texas A&M and Abilene Christian University.

This Week's Opponents
• Truman State: The Bulldogs are on a five-game winning streak after notching victories over Washburn (3-1), Fort Hays State (3-0), Southwest Baptist (3-0), Missouri Southern State (3-1) and Pittsburg State (3-2). Truman State boasts a 12-2 overall mark and a 5-1 record in the MIAA. The Bulldogs last loss came at the hands of conference rival Emporia State on Sept. 14 when they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Hornets. TSU is led by Megan Sharpe's 141 kills, .353 hitting percentage and 53 total blocks.
• Emporia State: Emporia State comes to the Lady Blues Regional Crossover Tournament after having swept Nebraska-Omaha last Saturday. The Hornets hold a 10-2 record and are 4-1 in the MIAA. Emporia State's only two losses were to Minnesota-Duluth (3-1) and No. 7 Central Missouri (3-0). ESU is led by Brittany Miller (159 kills, .372 hitting percentage), Ting Liu (479 assists) and Meg Schwartz (160 digs).
• Southwest Baptist: The Bearcats are trying to snap a three-game losing skid after dropping contests to Northwest Missouri State (3-1), Missouri Western (3-0) and Truman State (3-0). Southwest Baptist is 1-4 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), with their lone victory coming on Sept. 18 over Nebraska-Omaha (3-0). Ashley Jurgensmeyer leads the Bearcats with a team-best 157 kills, a .340 hitting percentage and 38 total blocks.
• Washburn: The Lady Blues are off to a great start having won all but one of their games this season. Washburn's only loss was to Truman State in four sets on Sept. 17. Since their single loss, the Lady Blues have won three in a row racking up wins over Central Missouri (3-1), Nebraska-Omaha (3-2) and Missouri Western State (3-2). Jessica Fey leads the Lady Blues with 105 kills and 46 total blocks. Amanda Guess is Washburn's setter with 404 assists, while Molly Smith leads the team with 201 digs.