SOUTH CENTRAL — Hosted by Regis University, Denver, Colo. – Semifinal Matches

No. 2 West Texas A&M vs. No. 3 Colorado Mines (5 p.m MT)

No. 1 Regis University vs. No. 4 Angelo State (7:30 MT)

DENVER, Colo. – It's a new day with new goals to achieve for the Angelo State volleyball team.

The Belles (28-5) advanced in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championships on Thursday with a sweep of Adams State and will play top-seed Regis University (26-8) at 7:30 p.m. (MT) tonight at the Regis Fieldhouse in the semifinals.

“They stayed really calm last night under pressure and that's exactly what you want to see at this time of year,” ASU head coach Chuck Waddington said. “We showed a lot of composure in a variety of situations. That's what every team needs to do to keep advancing in tournaments like this.”

Click for NCAA DII South Central Web site

ASU and the Rangers have met once this season with RU taking a 3-2 (27-25, 18-25, 25-20, 17-25, 15-11) win over the Belles on Sept. 7 during the Colorado Premiere Challenge. The all-time series leans in Regis' favor with the Rangers having won four of the five meetings.

“They are a very strong offensive team with great attackers on both ends,” Waddington said. “Their setter does a nice job of moving the ball around. We'll have to continue serving really well to get them out of system and make them more predictable. I expect a battle against them and we're looking forward to it.”

Shelbi Goode led ASU in the first match against Regis with 20 kills, while Alex Woolsey had 52 assists and 16 digs. The Belles, who have a .233 hitting percentage this season, were limited to a .173 hitting percentage in the match, but also limited the Rangers to a .148 percentage. RU comes into the match on a seven-match winning streak, including taking a five-set victory on Thursday over Metro State in the quarterfinals and a 3-1 win over Colorado School of Mines two weeks ago in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's tournament championship.

Katie Klein leads the Rangers with 445 kills this season with Caitie Breaux adding another 400. Setter Jaclyn Williamson has 1,225 assists this year and Sage Martinson has 511 digs for RU. The Rangers have a team hitting percentage of .213 this season and are limiting opponents to a .185 percentage. RU is 15-1 inside the Regis Fieldhouse this season.

“Our girls really enjoy playing in this kind of environment,” Waddington said. “They have played really well on the road this season and have thrived in the past in tough places. We have a group that is ready to step up to challenges.”
 

Belle Breakdown

Haley Bianco has also played in every match of her freshman season for the Belles and recorded four digs in Thursday's win over Adams State. She has recorded 215 digs (1.97 per set) and has added 10 aces. She was named the LSC's Defensive Player of the Week once this season and had a career-high 24 digs in the conference final.

Arielle Bond has brought energy to the ASU offensive throughout the season and has recorded 82 kills in 25 matches played as a freshman. Bond is averaging 1.61 kills per set and recorded a career-high six blocks in the tournament final and a career-high six kills against Regis earlier this season.

Emily Booth has been a dominate force for the Belles this postseason and led ASU with 15 kills on Thursday against Adams State. She entered the national tournament with 143 kills this season and had a staggering .538 hitting percentage against the Grizzlies in the quarterfinals. The senior was named to the LSC's All-Tournament team after a career-high nine blocks against the Lady Buffs and has 62 blocks this season. She also produced a career-high .423 hitting percentage in the tournament final before Thursday's performance.

Katie Coleman has been a consistent player for the Belles the last four seasons and a key contributor as a senior. She enters the national tournament with 110 kills this season and 37 blocks. Coleman has 449 career kills as a Belle and 130 blocks.

Chelsea Gibson returned to the court on Thursday night after being forced to the sidelines the past four weeks dure to injury. She had four kills, two digs and two blocks against Adams State. She enters the regional tournament's semifinal match against Regis with 167 kills this season and 42 blocks. She is a three-time LSC first-team selection and earned an Honorable Mention selection this season after missing the final three weeks of the season with an injury. The senior captain has 1,092 kills in her career and 307 blocks. Gibson ranks seventh all-time in ASU history in blocks and is eighth all-time in career kills. She also has 220 digs and 76 assists.

Shelbi Goode has made an immediate impact during her first season in an ASU uniform. The junior transfer from the University of Alabama leads the Belles with 423 kills this season and was first in the LSC with a 3.78 kills per set average. Goode, who had seven kills on Thursday night against Adams State, was named to the AVCA All-South Central team last week after also earning the LSC's Newcomer of the Year award and being named to the conference's first team. She was also a two-time Offensive Player of the Week for the conference and was named to the Daktronic All-South Central second-team on Monday.

Maddie Huth continued her dominant season on Thursday with 13 kills and a .565 hitting percentage against Adams State. She leads the Angelo State attack with a .355 hitting percentage and is also tops with 117 blocks (20 solo, 98 assists). She is second on the team with 361 kills this season and has added 125 digs. Huth has 731 kills in her career and ranks eighth all-time at Angelo State with 258 career blocks. She earned recognition as an AVCA All-South Central performer along with being named to the LSC's first-team and was chosen twice as its Offensive Player of the Week honor. Huth record a career-high 23 in the Belles' tournament final match against West Texas A&M and had a career-high eight blocks in the semifinals against Texas Woman's.

Katie MacLeay is off to a great start to her Angelo State career after a freshman season in which she played in all 32 matches. She had eight digs on Thursday against Adams State. MacLeay is third on the team after recording 346 digs this season and also added 18 aces.

Leah McWilliams has provided a spark to the Belles throughout the season and had a career match in the LSC quarterfinals against Texas Woman's. McWilliams, who started her career at Alaska-Anchorage and then redshirted last season, has 60 kills this season for the Belles and six blocks. She recorded a career-high 14 kills against TWU in the conference tournament and had four kills on Thursday against Adams State.

Kailyn Troxell has played in 12 matches as a freshman and has recorded 10 kills, 11 blocks and four digs. She had a career-high three kills in matches against Southwest Oklahoma and Colorado School of Mines in early-season tournaments.

Kaelen Valdez had seven digs on Thursday in the Belles' win over Adams State following the production of a great all-around season for the Belles. Valdez recorded 272 kills this season (2.46 per set) and 411 digs in her junior season. She has 1,106 digs in her three-year career and ranks 15th all-time in ASU history with 832 career kills as a Belle. Valdez was named to the LSC second-team this season. Her single-match high in kills came this season with 25 in the Belles' match at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Shelby Wilt had eight digs and three assists in Angelo State's win over Adams State on Thursday. The Belles were among the nation's elite in defense throughout the season in large part to Wilt's consistent play. She led the Belles for the second straight season in digs and enters the national tournament with 616 digs this year. Wilt was an AVCA All-South Central Honorable Mention selection to go along with being named the LSC's Libero of the Year and to its first-team. She was also a four-time LSC Defensive Player of the Week and is eighth all-time in ASU history with 1,201 digs through her first 70 matches played in her career. Wilt was named to the Daktronic All-South Central second-team on Monday.

Alex Woolsey is playing in the national tournament after a record-breaking season and an award-gathering postseason. The senior had 42 assists in the win over Adams State on Thursday and holds the all-time ASU career record with 5,091 assists and has 1,400 this season. She is third in the nation with 12.12 assists per set and has already been named to the AVCA All-South Central team along with being named the LSC Setter of the Year, to the LSC first-team, to the LSC All-Tournament team and she was a four-time LSC Setter of the Week selection. Woolsey also has 324 digs this season and ranks fifth all-time in ASU history with 1,236 digs in her career.