The Belles (6-2, 0-0 LSC) will host MSU at 7 p.m. on Friday before taking on the Aggies at 2 p.m. on Saturday. ASU is coming off a 2-2 week where it beat then No. 3-ranked Nebraska-Kearney (8-1) and Metro State before falling to No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul (8-1) and No. 10 Southwest Minnesota (5-3). Click for Belle Notes

Midwestern State and Cameron both started LSC play on Tuesday with both taking losses. The Belles, who are currently ranked No. 9 in the nation, are 4-0 at home this season after going 11-0 I the regular season last year.  Their ranking matches the highest the program has ever been ranked by the AVCA.

COACH QUOTES

Head coach Chuck Waddington (Sixth season at Angelo State, 124-54 record)

On where the Belles are at leading into the start of conference play:
"What we've done in the non-conference part of our schedule has put us in good position in the region as long as we do well in conference. We have new goals and things to look forward to. A lot of the teams in our conference are playing really well right now and we're prepared for the grind. The conference schedule is a grind over a long period of time and we're ready to go."

On Midwestern State which is 7-2 this season:
"They are a brand new team with a lot of transfers and talented freshmen. They're going to be very different than in years past, so we're going to have to be prepared for a challenging match. They're a good team and we know that."

On Cameron which is 4-5 entering the weekend:
"Cameron has its best player back who is a very dynamic attacker who is a lefty on the right side. They'll be a good team this year. We're just going to have to take care of our side of the net and see where that takes us."

BELLE PLAYER SUMMARIES

Maddie Huth earned LSC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week after leading the Belles last weekend at the Colorado Premier Challenge with 46 kills and a .289 hitting percentage at the tournament. Huth, who was also named to the all-tournament team for her production in Denver and is the Belles' captain, leads the Belles with 87 kills (3.11 per set) and a .303 hitting percentage. She has also added a team leading 31 blocks (1.11 per set) and 36 digs. The returning all-American enters this weekend with 844 career kills and 303 blocks.

Maggi Jo Keffury was named the LSC Setter of the Week after also being named to the Colorado Premier's all-tournament team. Keffury, a junior transfer from New Mexico State, has led the ASU offense with 280 assists (10.77 per set) and has also contributed on defense with 58 digs. She has also had 19 kills in her first season with the Belles. Shelby Wilt continues to lead the ASU defense and had 62 digs (4.13 per set) in Denver. Wilt, who was last season's LSC Libero of the Year as a sophomore, has 118 digs (4.07 per set) this season and enters this weekend with 1,352 for her career.

Kaelen Valdez is second on the team with 86 digs (3.19 per set) with Leah McWilliams at 66 digs (2.54 per set) and 71 kills. Valdez enters this weekend with 866 career kills and 1,216 career digs. Valdez, McWilliams and Wilt are co-captains for the Belles this season.

Sophomore Arielle Bond established a new career high with 15 kills against No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney and No. 14 Southwest Minnesota last weekend. The El Paso native now has 72 kills this season (2.67 per set) and a .228 hitting percentage. The sophomore class has been important throughout the season for the Belles with Katie MacLeay and Haley Bianco playing important roles on the defensive side of the court. MacLeay is second on the team with 88 digs (3.03 per set) with at 47 digs (1.81 per set). Kailyn Troxell added 15 kills last weekend in Denver, while freshman Courtney Bartusiak has 53 kills (2.12 per set) and a team leading .317 hitting percentage in 25 sets played.
 
Angelo State vs. Midwestern State Mustangs (7 p.m. on Friday)
The Belles open Lone Star Conference play against Midwestern State on Friday at the Junell Center. ASU has won seven consecutive matches against MSU and owns a 25-9 all-time advantage in the series. The Mustangs are 7-2 on the season and are coming off a three-set loss at home to No. 15 West Texas A&M on Tuesday. Caitlyn Wallace, a senior middle blocker from Amarillo, leads MSU with 93 kills and a .419 hitting percentage this season, while Casey Fletcher has 115 digs in her junior season. Fletcher, a defensive specialist, is averaging 3.97 digs per set with junior middle blocker Kaitlyn Molloy adding 3.62 digs per set and 105 overall. Setter Madelyn Johnson has 197 assists through the first nine matches of her redshirt freshman season. Johnson, like ASU's Keffury, is a transfer from New Mexico State. Marija Jovanovic, a senior transfer from Florida A&M, has added 140 assists and 59 kills.
 
The Belles won both matches with sweeps last season and have not dropped a set to the Mustangs in the last four matches. MSU is coming off a 7-23 overall record and a 5-15 record in conference play. The Mustangs did not qualify for the conference tournament. Venera Flores-Stafford is entering her 10th season as the Mustangs head coach. Caitlin Wallace returns for her senior season after taking second-team honors as a middle blocker during her junior season.
 
Angelo State vs. Cameron Aggies (2 p.m. on Saturday)
Angelo State has won the previous seven meetings against Cameron and will look to continue that trend with two regular-season matches in 2013. The first meeting of the season between the two schools is on Saturday at the Junell Center in a match sponsored by Wells Fargo. Cameron comes into the match with a 4-5 record after opening LSC play with a three-set loss to Eastern New Mexico on Tuesday. Kelle Carver, a sophomore from Shawnee, Okla., leads the Aggies this season with 113 kills, while Kat Evans has 82 kills. The Aggies are hitting .158 this season with Kayla Hebert leading the offense at setter. Hebert, a true freshman from McKinney, has 302 assists (10.07 per set) for the Aggies with Lauren Acuna leading the defense with 131 digs.

The Belles possess a 22-11 all-time advantage over the Aggies, including taking both matches last season. Cameron also missed out on the conference tournament after going 4-16 in LSC play and finishing with a 10-22 overall record. Doug Tabbert is entering his third season as the head coach of the Aggies. ASU and CU will also play on Friday, Oct. 25 in Lawton, Okla.
 
Up next: Angelo State will travel to play Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Kingsville next week. The match against UIW will be on Friday, Sept. 27 and is a non-conference match following the Cardinals departure to Division I and the Southland Conference. UIW earned a five-set win over Texas Tech this week. ASU will then resume LSC play against the Javelinas at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 in Kingsville.