SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State volleyball team will begin its 2018 season with the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational, playing four games on Friday and Saturday in the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center.
The Belles finished the season with a 21-10 record, which was good for third in the LSC and put them in the NCAA Postseason Tournament for the seventh straight season. ASU is led by head coach Chuck Waddington, in his 11th season with the team. Waddington has accumulated 251 wins in his time at Angelo State.
Angelo State will play four games over all in the invitational, playing at noon and 6 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. The Belles will take on St. Mary's at noon and New Mexico Highlands at 6 p.m. on Friday. They will then face East Central at noon and Arkansas Fort Smith at 6 p.m.
Returning eight players from the 2017 team and eight newcomers, Angelo State was picked No. 1 in the 2018 Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll after finishing third in the conference a year ago. The Belles earned a total of 304 points in the poll, including eight first place votes. West Texas A&M followed with 282 points and Tarleton was ranked third with 263 points.
Also earning preseason recognition from the LSC was ASU setter Meghan Parker, who was named the preseason setter of the year. Parker, who was the conference setter of the year as a freshman in 2016, is now entering her junior season and is one of three Belle captains. She has 2,435 career assists, which is good for No. 7 on the ASU all-time list. In 2017, Parker played in all 31 matches, averaging 9.54 assists per set through the year. She played strong defense as well, finishing with 231 total digs.
The two other captains for the 2018 season are left side Sundara Chinn and middle blocker Anna Graham. Both Graham and Chinn are in their second years with the Belles.
Graham finished the 2017 season with the second most kills on the team at 249, averaging 2.57 per set. The Bushland native had a .290 hitting percentage for the season and was also second on the team with 80 blocks.
Just behind Graham with 2.51 kills per set during the 2017 season was Sundara Chinn, who totaled 203 in just 81 sets played. Chinn also played strong defensively, racking up 73 digs as well as 45 blocks.
Also returning to attack for the Belles after a strong 2017 is outside hitter Bailey Drum. The Canyon Lake native averaged just under two kills in 86 sets during the season for 170 overall.
Other returners who have seen playing time at Angelo State in the past include Tulani Titley, Eadara Files and Baleigh Allen.
Titley has played middle blocker at ASU for the last two seasons putting in 70 kills and 26 blocks last season. Files had a strong sophomore campaign as well, digging 159 balls as well as adding in 346 assists. Allen is returning after playing briefly last season, averaging 1.6 kills in five sets.
The eighth and final returning Belle is redshirt freshman Grace White. White spent last season with the Belles and will contribute on the court this season.
New to Angelo State for the 2018 season are freshmen Chloe Robinson, Brianna Hudson, Makenna Hanssen, Morgan Preston and Sophia Berg. Robinson and Hudson are both attacking players from the outside, while Berg is a middle blocker out of Round Rock Christian Academy. Both Hanssen and Preston will play in defensive specialist roles this season.
The Belles have also added transfers Makenzie Griffin, Hailee Morton and Audrey Fragniere. All three are attacking players and Fragniere, a transfer from Texas Tech, is the only senior on the team.
While ASU will be taking on four opponents themselves this weekend, volleyball fans will have a number of other games to watch throughout the weekend, as the invitational kicks off at 8 a.m. each day in the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center. For the full schedule, visit https://angelosports.com/sports/2014/8/28/WVB_0828140622.aspx.
