SAN ANGELO – No. 16 Angelo State volleyball will travel to Kingsville, Texas on Friday, September 29 for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Texas A&M – Kingsville Javelinas.
The Belles will embark on the road trip sporting a 10-4 overall record and are currently 2-3 in the conference. ASU will be seeking to continue riding its two-match win streak and end the Javelinas' streak of three straight victories. With 13.67 assists per set, the Belles are eighth nationally in the category, while they lead the LSC in team assists per set, team blocks per set (2.21), team digs per set (17.23), and team kills per set (14.40). The ASU defense has also held the opposition to a conference low .145 clip.
The Javelinas are currently second in the conference with a 3-1 record in the LSC and a 10-5 record overall. TAMUK 's attack is ranked second in the LSC with 1.63 aces per set and its defense is second with 17.20 digs per set. The hogs recently downed Texas A&M –Commerce and Texas Woman's by a score of 3-1 in both matches, with its last loss coming at the hands of Eastern New Mexico in Portales, New Mexico. The last time TAMUK and the Belles faced off, ASU swept the Javelinas in the quarterfinals of the 2016 NCAA South Central Regional, which took place in San Angelo.
The Angelo State attack will be led by Brianna Sotello and Sundara Chinn. Sotello who recently marked her fifth double-double with a 11 kill, 15 dig performance against West Texas A&M, leads the squad with 4.00 kills per set. The senior leader is also top five on the Belles with 10 total service aces and a 2.79 dig per set average on the defensive side of the ball. She has also broken through the 1300 career kill barrier and now sits fourth all-time in ASU history with 1,338. Chinn follows with a team second 2.91 kills per set average. The sophomore transfer has also assisted the defense with outstanding play along the net, as she has recorded a team third 28 total blocks for the season.
Morgan Seaton, Anna Graham and Micheala Sifuentes will anchor the team's defensive efforts. Seaton (46) and Graham (41) are, first and second on the team in the block category, respectively. Seaton's five solo blocks are also a team most. Graham, who has been a versatile addition to the roster, has aided the attack as she is third on the team averaging 2.28 kills per set. Completing the group, Sifuentes has inked a team high 5.38 dig per set average thus far. The junior is third on ASU in assists with 35 and tied for second with 11 aces from the service line.
Continuing to spread the rock around to the Angelo State attack will be Meghan Parker, followed by Eadara Files. Parker, who has marked three double-doubles on the season, has chalked a team most 8.44 assists per set and is currently only 60 away from climbing to the ninth spot all-time in program history. The sophomore also heads the service ace category with 17 for the season. Files, who is averaging a squad second 4.23 assists per match, marked a career high in the Belles last match as she recorded 21 against West Texas A&M.
Angelo State will also look to Tulani Titley, Haley Coulter and Abbie Lynn to add depth to its line-up against the Javelinas. Titley and Lynn are coming off phenomenal performances this past week. Titley, an offensive player of the week nominee tallied 17 kills in three matches and is sporting the team's best hitting percentage (.320) at the moment. Coulter marked a career match as she came away with a season high 11 kills and a .400 clip in the sweep of the Lady Buffs. The Bradenton, Florida native also recorded a solid career match for the Belles against UTPB tying a season high with eight digs. Finally, Lynn also had a solid week marking a .500 clip in the Belles sweep over West Texas A&M. The senior captain turned in 23 total kills for the week which averaged her 2.30 kills per set.
