SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State volleyball team has reestablished itself as Lone Star Conference and national contenders. Now, with four years of rapid progress, they're ready to make a leap and become champions.
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The Belles enter the 2012 season with a No. 15 national ranking by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and are picked to finish second in the LSC – behind West Texas A&M which has won the conference the last six seasons. ASU is made up of five seniors, four juniors, a sophomore and six freshmen this season. The nine players who are returning helped lead the team to the program's first NCAA Division II tournament last year and won their first South Central Regional match since the 1991 season. ASU's last LSC championship came in 1992.
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Chuck Waddington is entering his fifth season as the head coach at Angelo State and has orchestrated the program's resurrection. Waddington, who is the fifth coach in ASU volleyball history, is not backing down from elevated expectations about this season and is excited to get the season started this week. He has led the Belles to an 89-47 record the past four seasons with the Belles playing for the LSC tournament title match the past two seasons.
The ASU program enters with a 773-520-3 all-time record and have claimed six Lone Star Conference championship titles.
Waddington on the 2012 Angelo State volleyball team's character:
We have a very talented group that is goal-oriented. We had a taste of success last year and made a big jump in terms of national recognition. They liked that experience and have been working hard to achieve more. They are a very motivated group and want to be the group that wins the conference championship for our program again. That is a very important goal and will put us in a good position nationally. There's no doubt about it that our kids are hungry for success. It's great that we did that last year but we are not a complacent group.
Waddington on using last year's experiences to benefit this season:
Those experiences should help us a lot. There are going to be a good number of kids on the court for us this season that weren't here last year so it's good to have the returners who have that experience to help them through the transition. They have an idea of what to expect and how to go about the process of playing in the conference and national tournament. Unless you win a national championship you should always be striving for more success than the previous season.
Waddington on the Angelo State senior class of Emily Booth, Katie Coleman, Chelsea Gibson and Alex Woolsey:
It is a very good group. They have made a huge impact on the program from the first day they got here. They have always been on the court playing for us and have set a tremendous standard. They set the tone of being hungry for success.
Waddington on Chelsea Gibson who is moving from middle blocker to outside hitter for the Belles and is only 75 kills away from 1,000 in her career:
We are taking a kid who has been a first-team all-conference middle for us the past three years and switching her position. That is a risk but it's also exciting because I know that she is such a great volleyball player that she is going to be even better at the outside hitter position. She has been steadfast for three years and we are changing it, but I really have no fear that she is up for the challenge and our team is going to be better for it.
Waddington on Alex Woolsey who is only 1,095 assists from breaking the ASU all-time record set by Amber Nelson in 2004:
She has been a rock for us. There have been very few matches that she hasn't been on the court for us since she got here. Alex provides incredible leadership and does a great job of distributing the ball. She has a great sense of who needs it, where they need it and when they need it. You have to have that from your setter and we are extremely lucky to have a setter like her. She wants to make our players look great and she does that match after match.
Waddington on Katie Coleman and Emily Booth who have both made significant contributions the past three years for the Belles and on their senior leadership intangibles:
They are competing for the same spot on the court but you would never know that because they are such mature people. They are doing a great job of leading this team and keeping all of us on track. Both have experience on the court and are really impressing me with the way they handle everything. They are great competitors and will get their opportunities to help us win throughout the year. They make our team better.
Waddington on Maddie Huth who compiled 275 kills and 105 blocks in a sophomore season where she earned second-team LSC honors:
Maddie is an explosive player. She gets off the floor just about as quick as anyone in our conference and region. She is a very special player who is going to have a breakout year. She can bring it. I expect big things from her this year.
Waddington on Kaelen Valdez who is entering her junior season after recording 287 kills and 364 digs as a sophomore:
Her volleyball IQ is incredible. She is really smart on the court and has a great feel for the game. She wants to be a coach and sees the game at a different level than most of her peers. Her ball control and craftiness is amazing which makes her a great volleyball player. She is our best pure volleyball player because she is able to put it all together out on the court.
Waddington on Shelbi Goode who has transferred to ASU after playing the past two seasons at the University of Alabama:
Shelbi will have a huge impact on our year. She puts up a huge block and can really put the ball away. She gives us versatility to move people around with her ability up front. She is a great addition to our team and has really fit in well with our team during the preseason.
Waddington on Shelby Wilt who led the Belles with 585 digs as a freshman last season:
She came in last year and made things happen on the court simply by pure effort. With a year of experience and that same level of effort, she is going to make a huge difference for us defensively. She makes plays that other kids just can't make and makes everyone around her better. I love watching her play because she is fearless and has a relentless on the court. If we had six Shelby Wilts on the court I don't know of many teams that could beat us. Her mentality and effort is spreading throughout the team and that is a tremendous thing for our program.
Waddington on the Angelo State volleyball freshmen class:
They will have opportunities to compete and they have the ability to hang with our returners. The talent level is there and they will have their shot. They will have some growing pains that they have to get through, but I've been really impressed with them so far. I expect them to.
Waddington on the first weekend of the season which will have the Belles playing four matches (Southeastern Oklahoma, St. Mary's, Southwestern Oklahoma and St. Edward's):
The first weekend is always scary because of the unknowns. You really have no idea of what you're going up against. It's a wildcard weekend where you have no film or knowledge of changes they may have made from last year. That's fun, but it's also a little nerve wracking. These are all four in-region matches so we have to be prepared to compete at a very high level in each match.
Waddington on the potential of the Belles and the focus throughout the season that will be needed to win a Lone Star Conference championship:
If we play good volleyball, then I really believe that we can beat anybody. My goal is not just to beat West Texas A&M, but rather, to win a conference championship. We will have to beat West Texas A&M in order to do that but we can't get wrapped up in that. The level of play in our conference is very strong so to assume that it's simply going to come down to us and West Texas A&M is simply not true. There are about four or five teams in our conference that could all win the championship this season. There's work to be done each match throughout our schedule. If we take care of our side of the net every time the ball is in play, we'll be all right.
