DENVER, Colo. – The Angelo State volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championships final for the first time in program history after a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-22) semifinals win over top-seeded Regis University on Friday at the Regis Fieldhouse.

The Belles (29-5) will meet West Texas A&M in the championship match at 7 p.m. (MT) on Saturday with the winner advancing the NCAA DII Championships in Pensacola, Fla. ASU and WT have met three times this season with the Lady Buffs winning two of the three.

“We both know each other very well and it's going to be a lot of fun to play them again,” ASU senior Alex Woolsey said. “They got us last time but I think we are playing great right now and can beat them if we play the way we're capable of throughout the match.”

Kaelen Valdez and Shelbi Goode each led the Belles with 10 kills each, while Woolsey had 37 assists and 10 digs. Valdez also added 15 digs, while Shelby Wilt led the Belles with 21 digs on the night. The Belles finished with 13 blocks on the night with Maddie Huth having nine and Goode adding six. Huth also added nine kills.

“We had a really solid performance tonight and it may have been the best we blocked all year,” ASU head coach Chuck Waddington said. “It made a huge difference and affected how Regis came to the ball. They got away from taking big swings. They made some adjustments and so did we to get them off balance. I was pleased with our effort and us keeping calm.”

Emily Booth added eight kills and four blocks, while freshmen Haley Bianco and Katie MacLeay each had 10 digs. The Belles hit for a .231 percentage in the match and held the Rangers to a .112 percentage. ASU is now 20-1 in three-set matches this season and have swept both of its matches here in Denver this week.

Regis ends its season with a 26-9 record with the loss to Angelo State. Katie Klein led the Rangers with 10 kills, while Jaclyn Williamson had 30 assists and 10 digs. Sage Martinson led RU with 17 digs.

West Texas A&M advanced to the finals with a 3-1 win over the tournament's third-seeded Colorado School of Mines.
 
“Our mindset was right and our hitters put the ball away,” Woolsey said. “Even when we got down, we never quit fighting."