SAN ANGELO, Texas – The No. 23 Angelo State volleyball team will host Regis (Colo.) on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the NCAA DII South Central Regional Tournament at Stephens Arena at the Junell Center.
This is will mark the ninth time in program history that the Belles will participate in the regional tournament only making the final match twice. ASU will face Regis (Colo.) in the first round and are currently 2-4 all-time against the Rangers. Regis University is 18-12 on the season and has one opponent in common with the Belles in fellow regional tournament opponent, Metro State. Both teams dropped their matches against Metro State as ASU lost once to the Road Runners (3-1) and Regis (Colo.) lost twice (3-1,3-1). The winner of the Thursdays match-up between these two schools will advance to the next round of the Tournament where they will face the winner of the Texas Woman's versus Colorado Mines quarterfinal match. The Belles are 12-0 at Stephens Arena this season and it is the first time ASU has hosted a NCAA Division II South Central Regional.
As a team ASU is currently averaging 14.6 kills per set for a .231 attack percentage. The Belles have ammased 151 total aces on the seaon and record an average of 1.2 aces per set. Defensively, the Belles are holding opponents to an average clip of .148 while tallying 19.1 digs and 1.6 blocks per set as a team.
Leading the Belles prolific attack into the regional tournament will be Mallory Blauser, Brianna Sotello and Abbie Lynn. Blauser leads the team with 488 kills on the year and also led ASU as she totaled 69 kills in the Lone Star Conference Volleyball Championship Tournament. The junior outside hitter has also helped the defense this season totaling 54 blocks and 123 digs. Blauser leads ASU with 10 solo blocks.
Sotello, a constant producer in all aspects of the game, has remained in the top three in every statistical category for the majority of the season. The sophomore outside hitter recorded a team leading 21 double-doubles on the year marking one in each of the LSC tournament matches. In 2015, she has tallied 473 total kills, 23 service aces, 37 assists, 431 digs and 55 total blocks.
Completing the offensive leaders, Lynn provides a strong swing from the right side. She is third on the squad with 305 kills on the season. In the LSC tournament finale she marked 10 kills and a season high four blocks.
Handling the majority of ball allocation for the Belles will be LSC setter of the year, Maggi Jo Keffury. She is the national leader in the total assists having tallied a team high 1,552 this season. She is also sixth all-time in program history with 3,001 career assists. The senior is currently boasting an outstanding 12.03 assists per set which places her sixth in the nation. In the championship match against Tarleton State, the senior setter marked her 18th double-double with a 55 assist and 15 dig.
Anchoring the defensive for Angelo State will be Katie MacLeay, Micheala Sifuentes and Morgan Seaton. The LSC libero of the year, MacLeay has led the Belles with 674 digs on the season and is averaging 5.18 digs per set. The senior has recorded seven consecutive matches with double-digit digs upon entering the regional tournament. She is No. 2 on the ASU career digs list. Recording a season high nine blocks in the final match of the LSC tournament, Seaton leads the team with 85 total blocks. She had also made great offensive contributions this season with 181 total kills. Sifuentes rounds out the defensive leaders as she is fourth on the squad with 226 digs. The freshman tallied double-digit digs in the final rounds of the conference tournament marking a season high 14 against Texas Woman's.
Tickets are available at AngeloStateTickets.com or at the ASU Junell Center Ticket Office. Fans can purchase tournament passes at $20 for adults or $10 for students. Single day tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.
