Volleyball | 8/31/2016 4:43:00 PM

SAN ANGELO – After a productive preseason, the Angelo State volleyball team will take to the court in the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center to kick off its 2016 season hosting the annual Kathleen Brasfield ASU Volleyball Tournament beginning  at noon on Friday.

A total of five teams will be partaking in the tournament, four of which ASU will face on the main court in the Stephens Arena. On day one the Belles will get started with South Dakota School of the Mines at noon, moving on to St. Mary's (TX) at 6 p.m. It will then finish the tournament on Saturday with another pair of matches once again beginning at noon with St. Edward's and completing the day with Regis University (CO) at 6 p.m.  Also partaking in the tournament will be fellow Lone Star Conference member, Tarleton State; however, the Belles will not face the TexAnns until later on in the season. The tournament will be the season opener for all five teams in attendance.

South Dakota School of the Mines completed its 2015 season at 8-20 with a pair of losses coming to tournament mate Regis. Friday, afternoon's match will be the first between the Hardrockers and Belles. St. Mary's, which last faced ASU in 2015, closed out last season with a 7-21 record. The Belles came away from San Antonio with a 3-2 victory and owns the overall record over the Rattlers, 21-3.

Saturday's match-ups will continue to challenge the Belles as they will begin with a St. Edward's squad that turned in an 8-20 season in 2015. The Hilltopers last squared off with the Belles in 2014 which concluded with a 3-1 ASU win. The Belles lead the overall series 18-9. Finally, ASU will complete the tournament with a rematch of its 2015 South Central quarterfinal opponent, Regis. The Belles came away from that match-up with a 3-1 victory to advance to the semifinal. The Rangers lead the all-time series with the Belles 3-4.

Angelo State enters the 2016 season after making it to the regional final for the third time in program history in 2015. It completed its last with a historic 33-6 overall record, which included a 14-1 home record. This was the best finishing record for the Belles since 1992 under legendary ASU volleyball Head Coach Kathleen Brasfield. ASU also completed its 2015 season with a 14-2 record in the LSC, winning the Lone Star Conference Volleyball Tournament.   

For the ninth consecutive season the Belles will be led by Head Coach Chuck Waddington. Seeking his 200th win as the Belles head coach, Waddington currently holds an overall record of 197-77.    

Heading up the attack for ASU will be All-American senior Mallory Blauser, as well as juniors Brianna Sotello and Abbie Lynn. Blauser capped off her junior season recording nine matches with at least 20 kills and an overall .274 kill percentage. She dropped in 550 kills on the year and averaged 4.33 per set. Her totals accounted for over a quarter of all ASU kills in 2015. With 909 career kills at ASU, she is currently 17th on the school's all-time career kills list and could very well move into the top 10 if she continues her stellar production next season. Sotello, who recorded 24 double-doubles last season, was second on the squad in kills (3.64 per set), service aces (21), digs (3.38 per game), blocks (76 total) and third in assists (38).  Finally, Lynn completed her sophomore season third on the Belles with 336 total kills (2.45 per set) for a .238 clip. She also racked up 52 total blocks on defense.

Also looking to make an impact for the Belles will be veterans Morgan Seaton, Micheala Sifuentes, Kelly Hasbrouck, Brooke Robertson, Mallory Davidson and Marinda Killeen. Seaton played a big role in the latter half of the 2015 season, finishing with 202 total kills for a .253 attack percentage and a team leading 100 total blocks. Sifuentes recorded 1.97 digs per set last season, while Hasbrouck recorded a team fourth 19 service aces.  Rounding out the bunch, Robertson recorded 1.33 digs per set, Davidson recorded 1.90 digs per set and Killeen 11 assists on the season.

Along with the plethora of returning talent, Waddington and assistant coaches Ben Farmer and Ashley Davis have also added some top talent in freshmen Meghan Parker and Tulani Titley, as well as transfers Leiyona Young and Jenna Markey to the 2016 squad.

All four matches for the Belles as well as all other matches on the main court (Stephens Arena) can be viewed live and in high definition on RamTV (Suddenlink channel 6/106).