Game 1 Box

TOPEKA, Kan. – Angelo State head coach Chuck Waddington said the Belles needed to have a short memory after suffering their first loss of the season last weekend. The Belles listened, as ASU picked up a pair of victories Friday at the Ramada Inn Lady Blues Fall Classic Tournament in Topeka, Kan. beating Truman State 3-1 (25-17, 24-26, 27-25, 25-19) in a morning match then rallying to defeat No. 25 Emporia State 3-2 (17-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-18, 15-10) in the afternoon game.

After dropping the first match of the season, 3-2, to 14th-ranked West Texas A&M last Saturday, Angelo State (17-1, 7-1 LSC) rebounded to beat the Lady Bulldogs of Truman State. Senior Debbie Ohl led the attack with 15 kills and also added 21 digs on the match giving her a double-double, while Alex Woosley had 44 assists to go with her 15 digs.

Reigning Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week Celeste Bonter added 14 kills, while Chelsea Gibson chipped in 10 for the Belles. Shelby Wilt and Kayla Smith added 21 and 20 digs respectively for Angelo State.

“We took advantage of what they gave us and we played steady on our side of the net,” head coach Chuck Waddington said. “Unlike last weekend, I really thought we played the dig points a lot better today. When we needed key plays our kids made them. It was a great match it was back and forth.”

After dropping a close second game, the Belles were faced with adversity again in the third. Trailing 24-21, Angelo State went on a 6-2 run to rally overtake the Bulldogs. Multiple players contributed to the comeback, and ended the run -- and set -- with a Maddie Huth service ace, 27-25.

“We made a ton of errors in the third set, but we were still in it fighting for points,” Waddington said. “24-21 in that third set and a bunch of kids made the individual plays and came back and won that third set. I think that was the key. We came out that fourth set in rhythm and played well

“There is just bunch of small things in volleyball you know, there is no plot so it's one point at a time and they stuck with it.”

The Belles fell behind 16-12 in the second set before coming back to tie the score at 20-20. After trading points, the Lady Bulldogs were able to pull away for a 26-24 win. In the fourth set, the score was tied (8-8), but the Belles went on a 10-1 run to put the set out of reach.

Game 2 Box

In the afternoon match against No. 25 Emporia State, Angelo State dropped its first two games (17-25, 21-25), before rallying to win the the final three sets for a 3-2 victory. Gibson led the way with 16 kills against the Lady Hornets, while Woosley added 52 assists. Bonter registered 15 kills and Ohl tallied her second double-double of the day with 12 kills and 18 digs. Smith led the Belles with 20 digs, while Wilt and Alexa Williams had 16 and 12 digs, respectively.

The Belles fell behind by as many as nine points in the first set against the Hornets before making it a contest in the second game, as ASU held a 13-10 lead. In the final three sets the Belles were only down once, 5-2 early in the third set, as they were able to close out with the win.

The Belles will be on the court again Saturday to take on Southwest Baptist at 11 a.m. and finally in the afternoon versus No. 5 Washburn at 5 p.m.

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