SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State volleyball team finished the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational 4-0 after sweeps over East Central and Arkansas Fort Smith on Saturday in the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center.
The Belles (4-0) held both opponents to hitting percentages under .050, beating the Tigers 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-20) and taking down the Lions 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-16) as well.
Three Angelo State players were named to the All-Tournament team for the weekend, including outsider hitter Audrey Fragniere, setter Meghan Parker and tournament MVP Sundara Chinn.
"We played really together overall this weekend," Angelo State head volleyball coach Chuck Waddington said. "The girls really worked hard for each other on the court, and that's exactly what you want to see as a coach."
East Central stayed with the Belles early in the first set of the day, even taking a lead at 6-5. Sundara Chinn then stepped to the service line and led the Belles to seven straight points and a 12-6 lead.
Chinn once again led Angelo State with seven kills in the first match of the day, adding in eight digs as well. She leads the team after the first weekend with 52 digs.
The Belles continued to push ahead, opening up a 10-point lead on a kill by Meghan Parker while Makenna Hanssen was making a run at the service line. Chinn then closed out the set with three more points from the service line as ASU won 25-16.
Momentum carried into the second set for the Belles, as they stormed out to an 8-3 lead and never looked back. Hanssen had another strong run at the service line as ASU scored seven straight points, taking an 18-7 lead on a kill from Makenzie Griffin. Bailey Drum ended the set with a kill of her own.
East Central came out firing in the third set and built their biggest lead of the match at 8-4. The Belles then went on a run of their own, scoring eight of the next nine points and jumping back in front 12-9 on a kill from Tulani Titley.
The Tigers kept the match close, tying the Belles at 19-all, but they could not pull in front as Bailey Drum once again ended the set, and this time the match, with a kill.
ASU fans packed the house for their second match of the day and the final match of the invitational, with attendance over the 1500 mark as they took on Arkansas Fort Smith.
The match was tight to start out, with UAFS tying the match at 9-9. With the score 11-10, however, Audrey Fragniere fired in a kill to kick off an eight-point Belle run. Fragniere had another strong day at outside hitter, and now leads the team in kills after posting 13 in the night cap.
ASU never looked back after the run and ended the first set 25-16 on a kill by Sophia Berg.
Momentum held once again as the Belles fed off the energy of the crowd and scored eight of the first 10 points of the second set. Â
The Lions would not go away quietly this time, however, and cut the deficit back to two at 18-16. ASU stayed on top with a block from Berg and a kill by Fragniere before setter Meghan Parker got to the service line and ended the second set with back-to-back service aces.
Parker is the team leader in service aces with 10 so far this season, after leading the team in that category in 2017. The junior also tallied 32 assists against UAFS and added in eight digs as well.
The Belles built and early lead again in the third set, going up 6-2 on a service ace from Morgan Preston. Timely kills from Anna Graham and Baleigh Allen kept ASU up as the Lions tried to fight back.
The closing act of the match began with yet another kill from Fragniere on the outside, sparking a seven point run to put ASU up 24-15. One point later, Sundara Chinn closed out the match with a kill, securing the Belles' fourth straight 4-0 start.
Angelo State will have a quick turnaround, as they take their first road trip of the season next week. The Belles will begin the trip with games at Colorado State Pueblo and Colorado Christian on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, before traveling to Denver for four games in the Colorado Premier Tournament.
