SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State volleyball team has qualified for their second-ever NCAA Championship as they travel to South Dakota to take on Gannon in the national quarterfinals on Thursday at 11 a.m. The Belles last qualified for the national championship in 2016, which also took place in Sioux Falls. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Belles swept Colorado Christian and DBU before downing MSU Denver in the South Central Regional championship on Sunday. 

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 14.57 kills per set are sixth in the country and second in the region, while their 13.68 assists per set are seventh in the country and second in the region. Adeline Ortman is seventh nationally in assists, while Madi Parrish and Evelyn Torres are second and third in the LSC in points per set, respectively. 

BELLES ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Madi Parrish, Adeline Ortman, Demi Carter, Caleigh Enax, and Evelyn Torres were five of the 12 South Central Regional All-Tournament Team selections. The quintet was also named to the AVCA All-American list, with Ortman on the first team, Parrish on the second team, Torres on the third team, and Carter and Enax named Honorable Mentions. Carter also earned National Freshman of the Year plaudits. 

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 .282 as a group and averaging 2.75 kills per set. 

HOME COOKING
Under head coach Chuck Waddington, the Belles have a 200-34 record inside the Junell Center - Stephens Arena, good enough for a .857 winning percentage. The Belles went 14-1 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 and was the third-most attended Division II volleyball match in history.

BELLES IN THE POLLS
•The Belles are 7th in the AVCA/Taraflex Division II Top 25, totaling 851 points in the poll.
•The Belles were the two seed 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 eighth-ranked West Texas A&M and receiving votes DBU.
•The Belles are on their 11th 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 GANNON
AVCA RANK: N/A
2024 RECORD: 26-7, 13-1 PSAC

Gannon went 26-7 on the season and 13-1 in PSAC play; the Golden Knights have won eight of their past nine and are making their eighth appearance in the Elite Eight. 

Four Golden Knights players—Journey Blevins, Emma Hall, Hailey Koch, and Ali Sorenson—were named AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans. 

Koch and Blevins lead the team in kills, while Sorenson's .362 attack percentage leads the team. Bengisu Arslan is the primary setter for the Golden Knights, averaging over ten assists per set. Arslan also leads the team with 0.50 aces per set. 

Opponents are only hitting .148 on the season against the Golden Knights. Hall, the libero, averages 5.44 digs per set. At the net, Sorenson leads the way with 1.37 blocks per set. 

This marks the first-ever matchup between the Belles and the Golden Knights. The Belles' only PSAC opposition has come against Edinboro, whom the Belles last played at the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational in 2011. 

THE REST OF THE FIELD
Top seed Ferris State, led by National Player of the Year Olivia Henneman-Dallape and National Coach of the Year Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, enter the Elite Eight 34-0 on the season. They take on Bentley, the top seed and host of the Northeast Region. 

Central Oklahoma, the two seed in the tournament, is a familiar face. They defeated the Belles in five sets on the opening day of the season. The Bronchos defeated St. Cloud State in five sets in Minnesota to claim the Central Region championship. They play seven-seed San Francisco State, who won the West region by sweeping nationally ranked Cal Poly Pomona on their home court. 

Lynn and Wingate take on each other in the four-five matchup. Lynn defeated Tampa in five sets to win their region, while Wingate only dropped one set in their regional. 

None of the eight teams in the quarterfinals has won an NCAA Division II National Championship.

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 assisted 59 times in the LSC Semifinal versus UT Tyler in their five-set win over the Patriots. 
• Outside hitter Madi Parrish set a new career best with 25 kills in the Belles' LSC Semifinal win over UT Tyler on Nov. 22. She also recorded a best four aces in the Belles' road 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 nine blocks in the Belles' LSC Semifinal win over UT Tyler on Nov. 22. 
• 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 1,570 career digs, which ranks 5th all-time and 4th 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 2,881 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.