SAN ANTONIO – Kaelen Valdez recorded 14 digs and eight assists to help lead No. 15 Angelo State to a 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-17) sweep of St. Mary's in the Hilltopper/Rattler Classic on Friday at Greehey Arena.

The Belles never trailed in the first set but found themselves in trouble in a second set that saw seven ties and three lead changes. ASU fought through the solid play of the Lady Rattlers and a loud home crowd though by running off five points to end the match.

“They pushed us in the second set but we answered it by staying calm and fighting back,” ASU senior Chelsea Gibson said. “We made sure we took care of the ball. I think we can accomplish anything when we are focused. It's exciting to see us respond like that and know that when we are tested that we can respond.”

Angelo State (2-0), which swept Southeastern Oklahoma earlier in the day, returns to action at 1 p.m. on Saturday with a match against Southwestern Oklahoma State at St. Edward's in Austin and will then play the Hilltoppers at 7 p.m. to conclude their four-match pool play in the tournament.

Gibson finished the match with eight kills, while Shelbi Goode led the Belles with 11 and also added five digs. Alex Woolsey continued her quest for the ASU all-time assist record by compiling 37 against St. Mary's and also digging eight balls. Shelby Wilt joined Valdez for the team lead in digs with 14 with Maddie Huth slamming down nine kills.

ASU finished with a .307 attacking percentage compared to St. Mary's .079 and the team did not make any errors in a flawless first set. The Belles improved to 20-13 all-time against St. Mary's and the win was head coach Chuck Waddington's 91st of his career.

Additional Quotes
 
Chelsea Gibson
On starting the season with two wins on Friday:
It's a great way to start the season. We got two wins and were tested and passed. I think it messed with our minds in a good way and that we are in a good place right now.
 
 
Chuck Waddington
On the Belles fighting back in the second set against St. Mary's:
I like that we dug down and finished a game really strong. We fought back to get back with them at 20 and finished it off. A five-point run at the end of the game is great to see. There were a lot of kids who made gutty plays that helped us come back and win. There were great transitions and sets that got us going again. We made the adjustments and competed on the court. That's how you win games.

On the quick turnaround with two matches on Saturday:
We have another trip but need to do more of the same. If we keep scrambling and handling the ball the way we did today then we will be all right.
 
Alex Woolsey
On the Belles performance against St. Mary's:
Performances like that is what separates good teams from great teams. We came back because we never stopped believing in ourselves.

On how the Belles used the preseason to get ready for real matches:
I think our scrimmages prepared us for playing scrappy teams and for playing five sets. Our energy was up all day and we never played like we were tired.