SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State volleyball team closes the regular season this weekend as it hosts DBU and UT Tyler inside the Junell Center—Stephens Arena. Both matches carry postseason ramifications. The Rambelles, the Lady Patriots, and the Patriots are all fighting for seeding in the LSC Tournament and the South Central regional.  

Friday's match starts at 6 p.m. and Saturday's match, which is also the Belles' senior day, will start at 2 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Belles opened their final homestand with statement sweeps of Cameron and Oklahoma Christian as they hit .363 for the week against their Sooner State competition. 

KILLIN' IT
The Belles lead the LSC in points, kills, and assists as they possess one of the most potent attacks in Division II. Their 14.50 kills per set are sixth in the country and second in the region, while their 13.75 assists per set are fourth in the country and second in the region. Adeline Ortman is seventh nationally in assists, while Evelyn Torres and Madi Parrish are second and third in the LSC in points per set, respectively. 

ORTMAN NAMED LSC SETTER OF THE WEEK
Adeline Ortman earned her fourth LSC Setter of the Week award on Monday for her performances against Cameron and Oklahoma Christian. She averaged a double-double, recording 12 assists and 4.4 digs per set. The Belles hit .363 for the week as she became the first student-athlete in the LSC to win four weekly awards this season.  

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
The Belles' freshmen attackers - Demi Carter, Sydney Thornton, Julia Hopkins, Amelia Creacy, and Taryn Barnes - have supplemented the Belles' offense this season, hitting .271 as a group and averaging 2.48 kills per set. 

HOME COOKING
Under head coach Chuck Waddington, the Belles have a 195-34 record inside the Junell Center - Stephens Arena, good enough for an .852 winning percentage. The Belles are 9-1 on their home court this season. 

BELLES SET ATTENDANCE RECORD
The Belles' match on Friday, September 6th, against New Mexico Highlands featured 3,315 fans in the stands, which set the Lone Star Conference record for single-match attendance. The match was the third-most attended Division II volleyball match in history.

BELLES IN THE POLLS
•The Belles are 11th in the AVCA/Taraflex Division II Top 25, totaling 659 points in the poll.
•The Belles have clinched a spot in the 2024 LSC Tournament. Under Waddington, the Belles have qualified for the tournament every season. 
•The Belles were picked third in the LSC Preseason Poll behind West Texas A&M and DBU, receiving two first-place votes. 
•They are one of three LSC teams in the poll, joining sixth-ranked West Texas A&M and receiving votes DBU.
•The Belles are on their ninth straight week in the top 25. The Belles are amongst the nation's top 25 for the first time since September 2022; they had featured in the receiving votes section every week since the start of the 2023 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. 

SCOUTING DBU
AVCA RANK: RV
2024 RECORD: 17-7, 11-3 LSC

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DBU is 17-7 overall on the season and 11-3 in LSC play; they are coming off a week in which they lost to Texas Woman's in five sets before sweeping Sul Ross in Alpine. The Lady Patriots are 5-2 on the road this season.

DBU hits .256 as a team, second in the league, and is paced by reigning LSC Offensive Player of the Year Delaney Fuller. The fifth-year senior leads the league with 4.58 kills per set and 0.39 aces per set. 

Opponents hit .184 against DBU this season. They average 14.29 digs per set and 2.04 blocks per set, which ranks fifth in the LSC. Libero Daylee Doggett leads the team with 4.90 digs, while Shaylee Shore and Lindsey Otero lead the defensive effort at the net with 0.86 blocks per set each. 

The Belles are 5-2 all-time against the Lady Patriots. The two teams played earlier this season at the LSC Challenge in Dallas, where the Belles won in four sets. Demi Carter recorded a career-high 15 kills, while Madi Parrish had 14 kills and 12 digs. 

SCOUTING UT TYLER
AVCA RANK: N/A
2024 RECORD: 16-6, 13-1 LSC

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UT Tyler is 16-6 on the season and 13-1 in LSC play. They are tied with the Belles for the second seed in the LSC standings. The Patriots are 7-2 on the road this season, with those losses coming against RV DBU and then-No. 9 West Texas A&M. 

The Patriots hit .243 as a team and average 17.09 points per set. Kota Hartman leads the Patriots' offense with 3.84 kills per set, which ranks third in the LSC. Middle Dakota Rodgers-Hurtado leads the team with a .380 attack percentage, the third-highest mark in the LSC. 

Opponents hit .178 against the Patriots, averaging 14.51 points per set. UTT's defense racks up 15.79 digs per set and 1.56 blocks per set. Senior libero Addison Evans leads the team with 4.18 digs per set, while Rodgers-Hurtado, the reigning LSC Defensive Player of the Week, leads the team with 0.80 blocks per set. Rodgers-Hurtado also set the new school record in solo blocks with 86. 

The Belles are 4-3 all-time against the Patriots. Last season, they lost in Tyler to close out the regular season before bouncing the Patriots in the first round of the LSC Tournament.

PERSONAL BESTS THIS SEASON
Thirteen Belles have recorded at least one personal best in 2024.

• Outside hitter Taryn Barnes recorded two kills three times this season. She has recorded three digs twice. 
• Middle Demi Carter recorded 15 kills against No. 20 DBU on Sept. 19. She had two digs against New Mexico Highlands. She recorded eight blocks versus LCU on Oct. 26.
• Right side Amelia Creacy recorded seven kills against Fort Lewis, hitting .250, and a pair of digs against the Skyhawks. Against No. 3 WT, she had three blocks. 
• Defensive specialist Allie Duitsman recorded three digs against Sul Ross on Oct. 18. She had a kill and three digs against the Lobos. She notched her first career ace to clinch the match against DBU on Sept. 19.
• Libero Caleigh Enax set a new career best with 38 digs in the Belles' five-set win over TWU on Sept. 28. 
• Outside hitter Julia Hopkins had ten kills in the Belles' comeback win over Texas Woman's on Sept. 28. She also had three digs and a block against the Pioneers. 
• Setter Alli Kirkpatrick recorded three kills and four blocks against Sul Ross State on Oct. 18. 
• Setter Adeline Ortman tied her career high with 58 assists twice this season and set a personal best with three blocks versus LCU on Oct. 26. 
• Outside hitter Madi Parrish set a new personal best with 23 kills in the Belles' win over No. 3 WT on Sept. 20; she notched four aces in the Belles' sweep of Western Colorado on Sept. 10.
• Defensive specialist Krizia Perez notched ten digs against Texas Woman's on Sept. 28. She had a pair of aces at St. Edward's on November 1st.
• Middle Hannah Spencer tallied 12 kills in the Belles' win over Texas Woman's on Sept. 28, her second-ever match with double-digit kills. 
• Middle Sydney Thornton had 14 kills in the Belles' win over No. 15 Colorado Mesa on Sept. 14. She recorded seven blocks versus LCU on Oct. 26. 
• Outside hitter Evelyn Torres recorded 25 digs in the Belles' five-set loss to No. 23 Central Oklahoma on Sept. 6. She set a new career high with 25 kills in the Belles' win over Texas Woman's on Sept. 28. She has tied her personal best of four blocks twice this season.

RETURNING STATS
ASU returns four starters and ten letter winners from last year's team while adding ten newcomers, including three Division II transfers.
Angelo State returns 46.9 percent (746 of 1589) of its kills, 67 percent (134 of 200) of its service aces, 70.7 percent (1337 of 1892) of its digs, and 50.8 percent of its blocks (99 of 195) from last season's team.

BELLES ADD TEN
Angelo State brought in ten newcomers in 2024, with seven freshmen and three Division II transfers joining the ten returners from last year's team.

    Adeline Ortman
    Graduate Student * 5-7 * Setter
    Rhome, Texas * UT Tyler
Two-time All-LSC selection who ranked fourth in the LSC in assists last season for UT Tyler

    Raelee Allen
    Freshman * 5-9 * Outside Hitter
    San Antonio, Texas * Reagan HS
6A Offensive Player of the Year in 2018-19

    Taryn Barnes
    Freshman * 5-9 * Outside Hitter
    Southlake, Texas * Carroll HS
Two-time All-District selection for the Dragons

    Sydney Thornton
    Freshman * 5-10 * Middle Blocker
    Prosper, Texas * Prosper HS
Recorded 594 kills and 289 blocks in her prep career

    Julia Hopkins
    Freshman * 6-0 * Outside Hitter
    Austin, Texas * Westwood HS
District MVP for the Warriors

    Amelia Creacy
    Freshman * 6-1 * Right Side
    Cypress, Texas * Bridegland HS
Two-time Offensive Player of the Year at Bridgeland HS

    Demi Carter
    Freshman * 6-2 * Middle Blocker
    Bridge City, Texas * Bridge City HS
Recorded 1,353 career kills, 258 blocks, 522 digs, and 221 aces; District 19-4A MVP in 2022

    Allie Duitsman
    Freshman * 5-6 * Defensive Specialist
    Prosper, Texas * Prosper HS
2023 First Team All-District selection

    Ella Unterweger
    Junior * 5-9 * Outside Hitter
    Oconomowoc, Wis. * St. Cloud State
Member of the 2022 NSIC Tournament Championship team

    Marta Roicka
    Graduate Student * 6-0 * Setter
    Warsaw, Poland * Gannon
Helped Golden Knights to two PSAC championships and an appearance in the Elite Eight

RECORD WATCH
With her fifth dig against Central Oklahoma on September 6th, senior libero Caleigh Enax became the 17th player in program history and the 12th in the rally-scoring era to eclipse the 1,000-dig mark. She has 1,437 career digs, which ranks 7th all-time and 6th in the rally-scoring era. 
Additionally, teammate Adeline Ortman recorded her 2,000th career assist in the Belles' win over West Texas A&M on September 19th. She has 2,556 career assists, second-most among active players in the LSC. Evelyn Torres recorded her 1,000th career kill in the Belles sweep of Texas A&M-Kingsville on October 12th, with the milestone kill finishing off the second set for the Belles.