SAN ANGELO, Texas – The No. 6 Angelo State University volleyball team returns home to host 'Youth Sports Weekend' at the Junell Center/Stephens Arena where they'll face off against Texas Woman's on Friday, Oct. 16 before turning around to face R.V. DBU in a battle atop the Lone Star Conference standings on Saturday, Oct. 17.

WEEKEND THEME – YOUTH SPORTS WEEKEND
The Belles are hosting Youth Sports Weekend for both of their matches at the Junell Center/Stephens Arena. Fans 8th Grade and younger who wear their team's jersey will receive free admission while the accompanying adult will receive a discounted ticket rate of $5 at the gate.

LAST TIME OUT
Angelo State concluded the road trip with a stop in Odessa to take on UT Permian Basin last Saturday afternoon. Madi Parrish notched 15 kills followed by Alli Kirkpatrick, who had 10, as the Belles swept the Falcons in three sets to remain perfect in Lone Star Conference play.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Texas Woman's goes into the weekend with a 6-12 overall record and 3-5 in LSC play. Last weekend, the Pioneers hosted St. Edward's and St. Mary's, suffering a sweep against the Hilltoppers while winning in four sets against the Rattlers.

Offensively, the Pioneers rank 14^th in the Lone Star Conference with a .172 team attack percentage. Kaitlyn paces the team with 201 kills on a .184 attack percentage while Trinity Blackwood sits second with 153 kills.

Running a 5-1, TWU is led by Lorena Gomez with 415 assists while Cat Millsap and Allison Watson each gave notched 100 assists each.

Defensively, opponents are hitting .191 against Texas Woman's, which ranks eighth in the LSC. The Pioneers boast four players who have registered over 100 digs, led by Alyssa Rojo, who has notched 333. At the net, Blackwood leads the team with 60 blocks followed closely by Montserrat Soto-Talavera, who has 58.

SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
Dallas Baptist goes into the weekend with a 14-3 overall record and 7-1 in LSC play. The Patriots have won nine of their last 10 matches, dating back to the LSC Challenge on Sept. 10 with their lone loss coming in a four-set match on Oct. 1 at Western New Mexico.

Offensively, the Patriots rank 2^nd in the Lone Star Conference with a .248 team attack percentage. DBU boasts three hitters who have eclipsed 100 kills on the season, led by Karly Wells, who has 182 on a .222 attack percentage. She is followed by Lauren Witte and Reagan Fifer, who have 163 and 147 kills respectively.

Running a 6-2, Zoe Gun leads the way with 349 assists along with her setting mate Paityn Winters, who has notched 280.

Defensively, opponents are hitting .179 against UT Permian Basin, which ranks fifth in the LSC. The Patriots have four players who have notched over 100 digs, led by Olivia Clayton who has 220. At the net, Aizlyn Dewberry leads the team with 64 blocks.

AVCA COACHES' POLL, OCTOBER 12TH
The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced its eighth weekly poll on Monday, Oct. 12, with the Angelo State Belles maintaining their highest rank of the season at No. 6. The Belles have appeared in 22 consecutive AVCA polls dating back to Sept. 17, 2024.

PARRISH DOING PARRISH THINGS
Preseason Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Year Madi Parrish leads the Belles in both points accounted for (236), kills (200). The senior from Saginaw, Texas, has also recorded 27 service aces and 15 total blocks while ranking second on the team with 213 digs.

On Saturday, Sept. 26, Parrish became the 13th player in program history to record 1,000 career digs. Parrish also became just the third player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs while surpassing 1,300 career kills, joining Jennifer Glass (1993-96) and Brianna Sotello (2014-17).

HOP-PING HIGHER
Julia Hopkins is tied atop the team with 200 kills and is second with 227.0 points accounted for entering the weekend.

The junior from Austin was named Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, Oct. 5 when she averaged 4.38 kills per set while hitting .329 to help lead the Belles to road victories over UT Dallas and UT Tyler. She opened the weekend with a career-high 19 kills on a .368 attack percentage in ASU's 3-1 win over UT Dallas before following with 16 kills on .289 hitting in another 3-1 victory over UT Tyler.

SYD THE KID
Sydney Thornton ranks third on the team with 192.5 points accounted for behind 148 kills. The junior also leads the Belles with 52 blocks and has added 11 service aces.

Thornton was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8 after helping lead the Belles to a 4-1 record at the Colorado Premier Challenge against a challenging field that included then-No. 5 Ferris State, No. 7 MSU Denver and Bentley, which was receiving votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll. The Prosper, Texas, native totaled 43 kills while hitting .373 and added 16 blocks during the five-match stretch. She also recorded 16 digs, three service aces and one assist.

HAVE A DAY, ALLI K!
Alli Kirkpatrick became the fourth Belle to reach 100 kills in 2026. The senior right side has recorded 144 kills while hitting for a .305 attack percentage, already surpassing the 69 kills she recorded across her first three seasons in the Blue and Gold. The Bonham, Texas, native's best performance thus far came at the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational, where she recorded 20 kills in Angelo State's four-set victory over MSU-Moorhead.

THE ASHCRAFT WAY
Gabi Ashcraft has recorded 338 assists and is currently on pace to surpass her assist total from last season. The junior is averaging 5.63 assists per set, compared to the 5.38 assists-per-set mark she posted in 2025.

THE PROWESS OF PENA
Olivia Pena has made her mark in the Belles' 6-2 system alongside Ashcraft. The Helotes, Texas, native is second on the team lead with 322 assists.

Pena earned Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Week honors on Sept. 15 after helping guide the Belles to a perfect 2-0 record during LSC Challenge Weekend against West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian. The freshman from Helotes, Texas, totaled 44 assists while averaging 5.5 assists per set. She also added 10 digs, one kill and one service ace during the weekend.

THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Along with Pena, two additional newcomers have made immediate impacts for the team this season. Leah Klueber has recorded 93 kills from the right side, while Vivian Parker, the Belles' lone incoming transfer, has accounted for 94 kills.

SCRIVNER IS HER
Madison Scrivner has demonstrated the Belles' depth and ability to step up when called upon. During the Lone Star Conference Challenge, the junior recorded back-to-back double-doubles, totaling 43 assists and 25 digs across matches against West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
BELLES NAMED LSC PRESEASON FAVES
Angelo State was selected to repeat as Lone Star Conference champions in the league's preseason poll, receiving 951 points and 41 of the 54 available first-place votes. The Belles were picked ahead of West Texas A&M, Lubbock Christian, UT Tyler and St. Mary's, with Oklahoma Christian, Texas A&M-Kingsville, DBU and Midwestern State rounding out the top 10. It marks the second consecutive season Angelo State has been selected as the LSC preseason favorite.

PARRISH NAMED LSC PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Senior outside hitter Madi Parrish was selected as the LSC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Parrish, an AVCA First Team All-American in 2025, returns following a standout junior campaign in which she led the conference with 435 kills. She became the first Belle to earn consecutive LSC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honors.

BELLES IN THE (PRESEASON) RANKINGS
Angelo State began the 2026 season ranked No. 21 in the AVCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Belles have appeared in 14 consecutive AVCA polls dating back to Sept. 17, 2024. Four of Angelo State's 28 regular-season matches are scheduled against teams ranked in the preseason top 25, with the Belles potentially facing two additional ranked opponents during the Colorado Premier Challenge on Sept. 4-5.

RETURNING STATS
The Belles return a significant portion of their production from last season, including 66.1 percent of their kills, 89.8 percent of their blocks and 65.9 percent of their digs. Angelo State returns 12 letterwinners from the 2025 squad, including All-American Madi Parrish and former All-LSC selections Sydney Thornton and Julia Hopkins.

BELLES' 51ST SEASON
The 2026 campaign marks the 51st season of Angelo State volleyball. Through its first 50 seasons, the program has compiled a 1,118-638-3 record for a .634 winning percentage, including a 406-189 mark in LSC play. The Belles have captured 12 LSC Tournament championships and advanced to 17 NCAA Tournaments, including two regional championships.

HOME COURT DOMINANCE
Under head coach Chuck Waddington, Angelo State has compiled a 225-34 record inside the Junell Center-Stephens Arena, good for an .867 winning percentage. The Belles are 50-2 at home over the past four seasons, with both losses coming against ranked opponents that went on to win their respective regions later that season. Angelo State fell to No. 5 West Texas A&M in 2023 and No. 23 Central Oklahoma in 2024.

ATTENDANCE
Angelo State volleyball continues to rank among Division II's top draws. At the 2024 Kathleen Brasfield Invitational, 3,315 fans packed the Junell Center-Stephens Arena to watch the Belles sweep New Mexico Highlands, setting program and LSC attendance records. During Waddington's tenure, Angelo State has welcomed more than 1,000 fans to 40 matches, posting a 35-5 record in those contests. During the 2024 South Central Regional, 4,237 fans watched the Belles win three matches inside the Junell Center-Stephens Arena to claim the regional championship and advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. The 2024 regional attendance surpassed the previous program record of 2,936 fans, set during the 2023 Kathleen Brasfield Invitational when the Belles swept Southwest.