SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State volleyball team, ranked second in the country in the preseason AVCA Division II Top 25, begins its South Central Regional Championship defense this weekend when it hosts the 15th annual Kathleen Brasfield Invitational presented by All-American Chevrolet. The Belles will play four matches this weekend, capping their weekend with a ranked matchup against No. 23 Colorado Mesa on Saturday night. 

15TH KATHLEEN BRASFIELD INVITATIONAL
This year marks the 15th edition of the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational inside the Junell Center-Stephens Arena. The Belles have gone 49-6 in the previous 14 editions of the tournament, boasting a .902 winning percentage. UT Permian Basin is taking part in their fifth KBI, and its third in a row; the Falcons have gone 8-8 in their previous KBI appearances. Southern Nazarene is making its second appearance, previously going 2-2 in 2022. Colorado Mesa and Arkansas-Monticello are playing in the KBI for the first time since 2013 and 2014, respectively, with the Mavericks holding a 3-1 record in this tournament while the Blossoms have a 1-3 record. Adams State will make its first-ever appearance in the KBI this weekend. 

BELLES NAMED LSC PRESEASON FAVES
The Belles were listed on top of the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll, receiving 933 total votes and 30 of 54 first-place votes. They lead West Texas A&M, UT Tyler, DBU, and Texas Woman's in the conference's preseason poll; St. Mary's, Oklahoma Christian, Lubbock Christian, UT Permian Basin, and Texas A&M-Kingsville round out the poll's top ten. This is the Belles' first time being picked atop the LSC Preseason Poll since the 2021 season, when they claimed the LSC Regular Season Championship. 

PARRISH NAMED LSC PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Junior outside hitter Madi Parrish was named the LSC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, as announced in the conference's preseason polls and awards on August 25th. Parrish, an AVCA Second Team All-American in 2024, is coming off a season in which she recorded 498 kills, the fifth-most in a single season in program history. Parrish is the first Belle since Kailyn Gilbreath in 2021 to be named the conference's preseason offensive player of the year. Gilbreath, like Parrish, is a product of Boswell HS, and in 2021, Gilbreath led the Belles to the LSC title en route to being named the LSC Player of the Year.

BELLES IN THE RANKINGS
The Belles enter the 2025 season ranked second in the AVCA Division II Top 25 poll. The Belles finished the 2024 season ranked fourth, their highest ranking to finish the season. The Belles have been ranked in 13-straight polls, dating back to September 17th, 2024. The second-place ranking is the highest for the Belles since they started the 2021 season ranked first in the country. Eight of the Belles' 28 matches this season will take place against teams ranked in the preseason top-25, with the Belles potentially adding two more ranked opponents as a part of the Colorado Premier Challenge on Sept. 13. 

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. 

BELLES' 50TH SEASON
The 2025 season will be the 50th season of competition for the Belles volleyball program. In the program's first 49 seasons, they have gone 1,092-630-3, good enough for a .634 winning percentage. The Belles have a 391-187 record in LSC play, a .676 winning percentage. The Belles have won 11 LSC tournament titles and qualified for 16 NCAA Tournaments in that time, winning two regional championships. 

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 200-34 inside the Junell Center-Stephens Arena, boasting an impressive .855 winning percentage. The Belles are a combined 25-2 on their home court over the past two seasons, 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
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 36 crowds of over a thousand fans, going 31-5 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.