SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The No. 6 Angelo State University volleyball team overcame a two-set deficit Friday evening, rallying for a reverse sweep over St. Mary's at Bill Greehey Arena to open Lone Star Conference play with a victory.
With the win, the Belles improve to 11-1 overall and 1-0 in LSC play.
Angelo State finished the night with a .278 attack percentage while holding advantages over the Rattlers in service aces, 15-9, and digs, 63-59. The Belles also took advantage of 21 St. Mary's service errors, while committing just 10 of their own.
The opening two sets featured back-and-forth play, with a late Rattler run giving St. Mary's the first set. The Belles struggled offensively in the second set, committing 11 attack errors while hitting just .044 as the Rattlers claimed the set in extra points.
The Belles responded emphatically in the third set, recording 19 kills against just one attack error while hitting .621 as a team. Angelo State pulled away for a 25-15 victory to begin its comeback.
ASU carried that momentum into the fourth set before holding off a late Rattler rally to force a decisive fifth set. The Belles again withstood a late push from St. Mary's to complete the reverse sweep and secure their first conference victory of the season.
Sydney Thornton paced the Belles offensively with 16 kills while hitting .394 and adding four total blocks.
Madi Parrish narrowly missed a triple-double, leading Angelo State with 22.5 points behind 13 kills, nine service aces and a block assist. The senior also recorded 11 digs to post her third consecutive double-double and fourth of the season.
Leah Klueber matched Parrish with 13 kills while hitting .320.
Julia Hopkins added nine kills, while
Alli Kirkpatrick finished with seven.
Gabi Ashcraft picked up where she left off with 27 assists and 11 digs to record her fifth double-double of the year.
Olivia Pena added 19 assists, while
Allie Duitsman recorded the first double-double of her collegiate career with 11 assists and a team-high 22 digs.
The Belles return to action Saturday afternoon against St. Edward's in Austin. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.
