SAN ANGELO, Texas – The No. 9 Angelo State University volleyball team bounced back from a tightly contested second set to defeat Lubbock Christian, 3-1, Saturday afternoon at the Junell Center/Stephens Arena to close the Lone Star Conference Challenge.
With the win, the Belles became the first team in the Lone Star Conference to reach double-digit victories this season, improving to 10-1 ahead of conference play.
Angelo State found its offensive rhythm throughout the match, hitting .299 as a team while holding the Lady Chaps to a .099 attack percentage. The Belles also held advantages in service aces (9-4), assists (49-37) and digs (67-65).
The Belles came out firing in the opening set, jumping to a 3-0 lead before a 12-point run helped propel ASU to a 25-10 victory.
After Lubbock Christian evened the match with a second-set victory, the Blue and Gold responded emphatically in the third set, hitting .552 on the way to a 25-12 win. The fourth set featured a back-and-forth battle before the Belles closed out the match.
Julia Hopkins led all hitters with 14 kills while posting a season-best .387 attack percentage.
Parrish recorded a double-double for the second consecutive match, finishing with 10 kills and 14 digs.
Vivian Parker also reached double figures with 10 kills while hitting .269.
Sydney Thornton led all hitters with a .593 attack percentage, recording nine kills and three total blocks.
Alli Kirkpatrick continued her strong start to the season with eight kills while hitting .471 and adding three blocks.
Olivia Pena led the Belles with 22 assists, while
Madison Scrivner recorded her second consecutive double-double with 19 assists and 13 digs.
Allie Duitsman made her presence felt from the service line with four aces while adding 12 digs from her libero position.
Taryn Barnes also contributed 11 digs after entering the match in the second set to help anchor the Belles' defense.
The Belles will now hit the road to begin Lone Star Conference play, traveling to San Antonio to face St. Mary's Friday, Sept. 18.
