SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State volleyball team continues its postseason run this weekend at the South Central regional in Denver, as the defending regional champions put their crown - and their 11-match winning streak - on the line, starting off with conference foes Lubbock Christian. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Belles swept their way through the Lone Star Conference tournament to claim their 12th tournament title and their second in a row, doing so by defeating Texas A&M-Kingsville, UT Tyler, and Lubbock Christian. Ireland Ferguson, Hannah Spencer, and Madi Parrish were named to the all-tournament team, with Parrish claiming MVP honors for the second successive season. 

BELLES CLAIM NINE LSC HONORS
The Belles took home nine all-conference honors ahead of the LSC Tournament. Madi Parrish, who was named to the LSC All-Academic Team and the All-LSC First Team, did the double as she was named the LSC Player of the Year and the Offensive Player of the Year. Demi Carter was named to the All-LSC First Team while Ireland Ferguson and Julia Hopkins garnered second team honors. Cate Boldrick was an honorable mention, and Raelee Allen was named to the all-freshman team. 

SCOUTING LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN
Lubbock Christian is 25-7 on the season and went 15-2 in conference play. LSC claimed 14 all-LSC awards, led by head coach Keith Giboney being named the conference's coach of the year, and Camdyn Sears being named the LSC Freshman and the LSC Setter of the Year. San Angelo product Emilee Sikora was named to the All-LSC First Team as she leads LCU with 3.30 kills per set. LSC Academic Player of the Year Lily Bickley is hitting .329, averaging 2.96 kills and 0.79 blocks per set. Sears is assisting 10.58 times per set. Defensively, opponents hit .160 against the Chaps, with All-Tournament selection Abby Dominguez leading the team with 5.06 digs per set. 

PARRISH REACHES PAIR OF MILESTONES
Junior outside hitter Madi Parrish became the 16th player in program history to record 1,000 career kills on October 28th against Western New Mexico. Parrish is the first Belle to reach the milestone since Brianna Sotello did so in the 2016 season. Parrish is on 1,142 career kills, which is 10th-best in program history. Parrish is 37 kills away from Maddie Huth (2010-13), which would put the Saginaw native into ninth place in the program's career kills list. With her one service ace in the season finale against Texas A&M International, Parrish notched her 100th career ace, becoming the 14th player in program history to do so. She is the sixth Belles to record 1,000 career kills and 100 aces. 

FERGUSON RECORDS 1,000TH CAREER DIG
Senior libero Ireland Ferguson recorded her 1,000th career dig in the LSC Tournament semifinal versus UT Tyler, becoming the 18th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-career dig mark. She is on 1,017 career digs, five from passing Cel Bennett for 17th on the program's all-time list. 

RETURNING STATS
The Belles return 66.4 percent of their kills from last season (1,201 of 1,810 kills), 51.2 percent of their blocks (130 of 254 blocks), and 35.2 percent of their digs (762 of 2,162 digs). The Belles return 13 letterwinners from last season's squad, including two All-Americans in Madi Parrish and Demi Carter. Sydney Thornton, an All-LSC and LSC All-Freshman selection, also returns for the Belles. 

A YEAR FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
The 2024 campaign turned out to be the single-best season in Angelo State Volleyball's 50-season history. The Belles went 32-3 overall and 15-1 in LSC play, winning the LSC Tournament, the NCAA South Central Regional, and advancing to the National Semifinals for the first time in program history. Five Belles - Adeline Ortman, Madi Parrish, Evelyn Torres, Caleigh Enax, and Demi Carter - earned AVCA All-American honors, and Chuck Waddington was named the AVCA South Central Region Coach of the Year. The season also featured a 20-match win streak that extended from October 5th to December 13th, when the Belles' season ended in the national semifinals. 

HOME COURT DOMINANCE
Under head coach Chuck Waddington, the Belles are 217-34 inside the Junell Center-Stephens Arena, boasting an impressive .861 winning percentage. The Belles are a combined 41-2 on their home court since the 2023 season, with both losses coming against ranked opponents who would go on to win their region later that season: No. 5 West Texas A&M in 2023 (South Central) and No. 23 Central Oklahoma in 2024 (Central). 

ATTENDANCE
On opening weekend, the Belles led all Division II programs in attendance, with 5,152 fans watching the Belles go 4-0 at the 2025 Kathleen Brasfield Invitational. The Belles had 3,123 fans in attendance in their season-opening sweep of Arkansas-Monticello. The Belles' match against No. 23 Colorado Mesa saw 851 in the stands, the second-highest attendance at a Division II match on opening weekend. At the 2024 KBI, the Belles set a new program and LSC attendance record when 3,315 fans packed the Junell Center-Stephens Arena to watch the Belles' season-opening sweep of New Mexico Highlands. The Belles are consistently one of the biggest draws in Division II. In Chuck Waddington's time leading the Belles Volleyball program, the Belles have drawn 37 crowds of over a thousand fans, going 32-5 in matches with over a thousand fans inside the Junell Center - Stephens Arena. During last season's South Central Regional, 4,237 fans watched the Belles win their three matches to claim the South Central Regional Championship and clinch their spot in the Elite Eight. The Belles bested their previous attendance record from the 2023 season, where 2,936 fans filled the seats of the Junell Center - Stephens Arena to watch the Belles sweep Southwest at the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Waddington and the Belles lost six players from last season's regional champions - three of whom were All-Americans in 2024. The Belles have restocked their talent, bringing in three transfers - Gabi Ashcraft (Palm Beach Atlantic), Madison Scrivner (North Texas), and Indiah Maroney (Liberty) - alongside four true freshmen: Chanelle Cancel, Mary Johnson, Annie Witt, and Journi Jones.