CANYON, Texas – The No. 2 Belles fought hard in their first match against the West Texas A&M Buffs, but fell short as WT swept the Belles at home, 3-0.
 
Two quick kills from Kailyn Gilbreath and an error from the Buffs brought Angelo State to an early 3-1 lead over West Texas A&M. Another kill from Gilbreath brought Chloe Patton back to serve for ASU, where she served for three straight points, bringing ASU to a 7-2 lead over the Buffs.
 
A big kill from Baleigh Allen brought Gilbreath to serve for ASU, where she served for two unanswered points, with Sophia Berg registering a kill to bring the Belles to a seven-point lead, 10-3. Two kills from Allen and Berg to maintain their lead of seven over the Buffs, 12-5.
 
Angelo State extended their lead over West Texas A&M to eight with two kills from Gilbreath and Grace White and a setting error from the Buffs, 17-9. Several kills, service aces, and errors from the Belles cut the Buffs deficit to one after the Buffs scored four unanswered points against the Belles, 19-18. Angelo State managed to extend their lead back to two points on a kill from Berg, but West Texas A&M scored several points to tie the first set up at 22-22.
 
A kill from Gilbreath tied the set at 24-24, but two quick kills from the Buffs ended the first set in favor of the Buffs as WT defeated Angelo State, 26-24.
 
Multiple kills from White, Nailah Gordon, and Anamarija Mikovic, along with errors from the Buffs gave the Belles a three-point lead over the Buffs, 7-4. WT managed to cut the Belles lead down to one point, but a service error from the Buffs and a kill from White brought the Belles to a 10-7 lead over WT. The Buffs managed to tie the second set at 12-12 off a kill, but a kill from Gilbreath and an error from the Buffs gave ASU a two-point lead at 14-12.
 
West Texas A&M tied the set up again 14-14, but a kill from Allen brought Gilbreath back to serve for the Belles where she served for two unanswered points to take a three-point lead over the Buffs, 17-14. Two kills Gordon and Berg extended the Belles lead over West Texas A&M to 20-16. Two kills from Berg and White kept the Belles lead at four, 22-18.
 
A kill from the Buffs gave the Buffs back the serve where they served for six unanswered points, defeating the Belles in the second set, 25-22.
 
West Texas A&M quickly jumped to a 4-1 lead over the Belles, but three kills from White and Gilbreath cut the Belles deficit to one point, 7-6. The Blue and Gold managed to keep the score close, trailing only by two at 11-9, but a kill from the Buffs gave WT the momentum and second wind they needed to score unanswered points to take a nine-point lead over Angelo State, 18-9.
 
The Belles attempted a valiant comeback to cut into their deficit, but the Buffs explosive lead and renewed spirit proved too much in the third set as the Buffs defeated the Belles, 25-13, to hand Angelo State its first loss of the season.
 
Key Players:

• Gilbreath led the Belles offense against West Texas A&M, registering 11 kills and scoring 11.5 points against the Buffs, hitting a .276 clip. Gilbreath registered 21 assists, one block assist, and eight blocks to end the night.
• Patton led the Belles defensively against the Buffs, registering 11 digs against WTs offense, ending the night with one assist as well.
• Lindsey Ledyard finished the night with 20 assists and five digs against the Buffs.
• White was a major asset on offense and defense for the Belles, grabbing 10 kills and registering a .563 hitting percentage offensively, and one solo block, a block assist, and one dig defensively against the Buffs.

 
Up Next:
The Belles return to the Box for the final regular season series against the Buffs as Angelo State and West Texas A&M play the second match on Wednesday, March 10. First serve is slated for 6 p.m.