DENVER, Colorado – No. 19 Angelo State volleyball remained undefeated after its opening rounds of the Colorado Premier Tournament upsetting No. 6 Central Missouri (25-21, 25-19, 25-14) in sweeping fashion and downing Metro State (25-17, 21-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-9) in five sets.

The Belles improve to 8-0 for the first time since 2011 with the pair of wins.  No. 6 CMU is the highest ranked team upset by the Belles since upsetting No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney in 2013. With the loss the Jennies slid to 3-2 overall. ASU also handed Metro State its first loss of the season as the RoadRunners fell to 4-1.  

"It was a solid team effort in both matches," said ASU Head Coach Chuck Waddington. "Probably the most complete effort we've seen from this group. Defensively, I felt like we made a lot of plays to keep our momentum going."

Once again, Mallory Blauser and Brianna Sotello lead the Belles' attack efforts. Blauser first checked in with 15 kills in the first match and then marked 18 in the second for her fifth consecutive match with double-figure kills.  Against No. 6 CMU, the senior recorded her second double-double on the season when she chalked up 13 digs to assist the defense. Blauser also added four total blocks to her numbers and now sits at 18 for the season. Sotello also added a double-double with a 12 kills and 17-dig showing against Metro State. This marked her fourth double-double on the young year and a season high single game dig record for the junior.  She has now tallied her fourth consecutive match with double-figure digs. The San Antonio native led the squad with a total of three service aces on the day.

"Mallory [Blauser] was at the top of her game today for us, and Brianna [Sotello] was a steady force on the left side," added Waddington.

Junior Abbie Lynn also made a significant from the right side position chalking up 18 total kills in the two matches. Defensively, she set a season high marking six total blocks in ASU's initial match against No. 6 CMU.  She has now has a total of 12 blocks on the year.

Providing a solid base for the Belles defense was newcomer Leiyona Young and libero Micheala Sifuentes. Young's strong presence in front of the net showed as she set a season high with a seven-block performance against No. 6 Central Missouri. After adding three more against Metro State, She now leads the team with 26 overall, which averages her 1.08 per set. Sifuentes recorded her second and third consecutive games with double-digits digs as she turned in a 16 dig performance against No. 6 CMU and a season high 19 dig performance against MSU. She continued to lead the team in the category with 108 total digs in 2016.

Freshman Meghan Parker had a career day distributing the rock for the Belles. Along with recording her fourth match with at least 40 assists, she tallied a career high four blocks as ASU went the distance against the Road Runners. Marking a 42 assist and 13 dig match against MSU Parker recorded her team leading fifth double-double. She holds on to her team lead in the service ace category dropping in a pair today, which totals her 14 on the season.

The Belles jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the first match of the day, with Lynn contributing to three of the four points.  Angelo State would maintain the lead over Central Missouri throughout the set. The Jennies would cut the lead down to two at 17-15, however, Sotello would stifle the run with a key kill. This kicked off a 6-2 run that saw another pair of big hits by the junior and three consecutive kills by Blauser. With ASU one point away from the set win, Lynn and Young teamed up on a block that would place the set in the book for ASU.     

In the second set, CMU attempted to get the ball rolling in its favor scoring the first two points but kills from Blauser, Young, Lynn and Sotello put the Belles back in control. Midway through the set, ASU went on a monster 11-2 run to push its lead to 16-7. Blauser took the team into the break with a 2-0 lead, scoring the final two points for the Belles.

The senior continued to add to her kill count by opening the third set with a laser that was set up by Parker to give ASU the early lead. The two teams would exchange points with ASU never relinquishing the lead. With the set score sitting at 16-12, ASU put together another big 10-2 run. Seaton, Blauser and Lynn contributed kills to the run, while Blauser and Young added a timely block. Lynn closed out the upset for Angelo State rocketing in the final kill.    

In the second match of the day the Belles once again came out firing. The team took an early 4-0 lead with kills from Lynn and Blauser. Metro State battled back to bring the game back to an even 10. A kill by Young regained the lead for the Belles. The Roadrunners answered and brought the game back to 11 each, but a Blauser kill quickly sent ASU on a 10-3 tear. A final block by Sotello pocketed the set win for Angelo State.

Despite dropping the second set to MSU, The Belles bounced back in the third set taking an early 5-2 lead. The Road Runners then constructed a 7-2 run; its lengthiest of the evening, to take over the lead with a score of 9-7. A pivotal kill by Sotello, halted the run and kills by Mallory Davidson accompanied by a Parker and Seaton block put the Belles back in front. ASU would hold on to its lead and another Blauser kill would close out the set in the Belles favor.

The RoadRunners rallied in the fourth set, only giving ASU the opportunity to take one early lead before quickly rebounding and forcing a fifth winner-take-all set. In the final set the Belles came out firing on all cylinders. An early block by Parker and Young along with a Parker ace and a kill by Sotello gave ASU a 6-2 lead.  Scoring seven of the final 10 points the Belles chalked up its second win of the day as Blauser nailed her 18^th kill of the match.

Angelo State returns to action to complete the Colorado Premier Tournament tomorrow against No. 5 Southwest Minnesota State at 10:30 a.m. (CDT). ASU will then face a second team based on the outcome of its morning top 20 match-up. The Mustangs are currently riding a three match win streak and are sitting at 5-1 on the season. SMSU swept its way through its first day of the Colorado Premier Tournament downing No.18 Colorado School of Mines and West Florida. The Belles are 0-2 all-time versus SMSU with the two team's last meeting in 2013 resulting in a 1-3 final match score.