SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State volleyball team is set to compete at the Lone Star Conference Tournament this week in Dallas, where the Rambelles will be the third seed this weekend as they compete for their 11th LSC Tournament Title. 

Thursday's match against UT Tyler will represent a rematch of the regular-season finale for both squads, which the Patriots won on their home court in four sets this past Saturday. This marks the first time since 2011 that the Rambelles' LSC Tournament opening-round match is a rematch of their regular-season finale. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Belles dropped the final two matches of the regular season this past weekend, with road losses to DBU and UT Tyler, both in four sets. The Belles hit a season-low .096 against DBU on Friday, committing 25 attacking errors. Against UT Tyler, the Belles hit .113 with 25 more attacking errors. Libero Caleigh Enax had 22 digs against the Patriots on Saturday while Evelyn Torres led the team with ten kills. 

REGIONAL RAMBELLES
The Belles were ranked fifth in the second release of the NCAA South Central regional rankings last week; the selection show takes place on Nov. 20th at 6:30 p.m. on NCAA.com. 

WADDINGTON AT THE LSC TOURNAMENT
Head coach Chuck Waddington has a 23-11 record in the LSC Tournament since he took charge of the Belles back in 2008. The Belles have dropped their past two games at the LSC Tournament, last winning against UT Tyler in the Spring 2021 Tournament Finals, which was Waddington's fourth LSC tournament title. 

FOR WHOM THE BELLES POLL

•     The Belles are receiving 17 votes in the AVCA Top 25, the second-highest placed LSC team in the AVCA poll.
•     The Belles are the three seed in the 2023 LSC Volleyball Tournament. The Belles have qualified for the tournament every season under Waddington. 
•     The Belles were picked fifth in the LSC Preseason Poll behind West Texas A&M, UT Tyler, DBU, and Texas A&M-Kingsville.
•     They are one of three LSC teams to appear in the poll, joining sixth-ranked West Texas A&M and ahead of receiving votes DBU.
•     The Belles started the 2022 season ranked 13th in the country before dropping to 23rd the following week and falling out of the poll the next week, failing to rejoin at any point during the rest of the season. 
•     The Belles started the 2021 season ranked first in the country off the heels of the 2021 AVCA National Championship; they spent the entire 2021 season within the top 25 of the poll. 

Lone Star Conference Quarterfinals
(3) Angelo State vs. (6) UT Tyler
Thursday, November 16th - 12 p.m. 
Burg Center

The Patriots are 17-10 on the season and 11-5 in LSC play; they are coming off a weekend in which they won both of their matches against UT Permian Basin and ASU. ASU and the Patriots have split their six meetings all-time. 

The Patriots are hitting .199 as a team and are averaging 13.47 kills per set. Their attack is led by freshman Shaye Koski, who is averaging 3.62 kills per set. Maiya Pena leads the team with a .318 hitting percentage and Adeline Ortman assists 7.63 times a set, fifth in the LSC. 

Defensively, the Patriots hold their opponents to a .179 hitting percentage; they average 17.33 digs per set and 1.75 blocks per set. Libero Addison Evans is seventh in the conference with 4.65 digs per set, and Dakota Rogers-Hurtado (0.95 blocks/set) and Pena (0.81 b/s) lead the Patriots' defensive effort at the net. 

LAST TIME VS. UTT
The Patriots won in four sets this past Saturday to clinch the sixth seed in the LSC Tournament and set up a rematch against the Belles. The Patriots recorded 11 blocks against the Belles as the Belles hit only .113 for the match.

Evelyn Torres led the Belles with ten kills on the day, hitting .269 for the match. The Fort Worth native also recorded a pair of solo blocks and contributed five digs.

Hannah Kinnison had nine kills, Madi Parrish had eight kills, and Elsa Lamphere added six of her own. Middles Hannah Spencer and Marina Sanchez had five and four kills, respectively.

Laney Dale led the squad with 21 assists, and teammate Kayla Baer came one dig shy of a double-double with 13 assists to go with nine digs.

Belles' libero Caleigh Enax led the match with 22 digs, her seventh match this season with 20 or more digs.

PREVIEWING THE REST OF THE BRACKET
DBU, the top-seed, earned hosting rights with a win over UTPB and a Texas A&M International win over West Texas A&M on Saturday. 

West Texas A&M, the defending national champions, dropped their season finale to the Dustdevils on Saturday; they are currently the top-ranked team in the South Central regional rankings. 

The Lady Buffs open with Texas Woman's, who are making their first appearance at the LSC Tournament since 2019. The winner of the Pioneers and the Lady Buffs' matchup will take on the winner of the Belles/Patriots matchup. 

UAFS and Texas A&M-Kingsville face each other in the four-five matchup, with both teams angling for regional qualification. 

PERSONAL BESTS THIS SEASON

•     Twelve Belles have recorded at least one personal best this season.
•     Setter Kayla Baer had three service aces against UAFS on Sept. 16, including two in a row that gave the Belles the lead in the fifth set.
•     Setter Laney Dale recorded a pair of kills against New Mexcio Highlands on Sept. 5; she has seven kills this season, exceeding her total from the 2022 season. She also set a new career high with four service aces against Oklahoma Christian on Nov. 4 and has nine double-doubles this season. 
•     Libero Caleigh Enax recorded 36 digs against Cameron on Oct. 7; her career-best is tied for the fourth-most digs in a single match in program history.
•     Outside hitter Hannah Kinnison set a career-high attacking percentage of .750 against University of the Southwest on Sept. 1. She recorded a career-high 23 kills against Cameron on Oct. 7.
•     Setter Alli Kirkpatrick assisted 26 times against East Central on Sept. 9, the most in her debut season; she also recorded eight digs against TAMUK on Sept. 14.
•     Outside Elsa Lamphere hit .833 in the season opener versus Southwest, a new career-high for the senior. 
•     Outside hitter Madi Parrish buried 15 kills against Texas Woman's on Sept. 27. She recorded 15 digs against UAFS on Nov. 3 and had four blocks against TAMIU. 
•     Defensive specialist Krizia Perez recorded six digs against Cameron on Oct. 7. She also recorded her first ace against MSU on Sept. 30. 
•     Middle Marina Sanchez had 13 kills vs. CSU Pueblo on Sept. 8, the first time she's had ten or more kills in a match in her career. She also had eight digs against the Thunderwolves, a career-high.  
•     Middle Hannah Spencer recorded three blocks against Henderson State on September 1st; she also recorded ten kills in her LSC debut versus WNMU; she hit .625 against UTPB on Sept. 23. She also recorded a pair of aces against St. Mary's on Sept. 15. 
•     Outside hitter Evelyn Torres set a new career high with 18 kills against UAFS on Sept. 16; she tied that mark again on Sept. 27 against Texas Woman's. She tied a personal best with four aces against DBU on November 10. 
•     Outside hitter Kamryn Williams recorded four kills each against Huston-Tillotson and Southwest; she hit .667 against the Mustangs.  

RETURNING STATS

• ASU returns four starters and 12 letter winners from last year's team while adding seven newcomers, including a pair of in-conference transfers.
• Angelo State returns 79.8 percent (1052 of 1319) of its kills, 94.7 percent (107 of 113) of its service aces, 88.3 percent (1572 of 1780) of its digs, and 34.2 percent of its blocks (81.5 of 238.5) from last season's team.

BELLES ADD SEVEN
Angelo State brought in seven newcomers in 2023, including a pair of transfers from within the LSC. 

    Alli Kirkpatrick
    Freshman * 5-11 * Setter
    Bonham, Texas * Bonham HS
Recorded 1,939 kills and 1,375 digs at Bonham HS; two-time district hitter of the year
    
    Madi Parrish
    Freshman * 5-9 * Outside Hitter
    Saginaw, Texas * Boswell HS
Recorded 981 kills and 1,049 digs at Boswell HS; two-time all-district selection.

    Krizia Perez
    Freshman * 5-6 * Defensive Specialist
    Laredo, Texas * United HS
Led United HS to four district championships; first-team all-district selection

    Maya Smalls
    Grad. Student * 5-10 * Right Side
    San Antonio, Texas * St. Edward's
2022 All-LSC First Team selection at St. Edward's; recorded 361 kills for the Hilltoppers in 2022

    Hannah Spencer
    Freshman * 6-1 * Middle Blocker
    San Antonio, Texas * Cornerstone Christian
Tallied 385 kills and 210 blocks; two-time all-district selection

    Evelyn Torres
    Senior * 5-9 * Outside Hitter
    Fort Worth, Texas * UT Tyler
All-LSC Second Team in 2022 for UT Tyler

    Kamryn Williams
    Freshman * 6-0 * Outside Hitter
    Wall, Texas * Wall HS
All-time kill leader at Wall HS with 1,260; most kills in a season with 448; 2021 All-West Texas MVP

UP NEXT
Following the LSC Tournament, the Belles will learn their postseason fate on Monday, November 20th on the NCAA Selection show.