Final Box  //  Season Stats

KINGSVILLE – The 18^th-ranked Angelo State volleyball team dropped the opening two games, but rallied to earn a 3-2 victory over Lone Star Conference foe Texas A&M-Kingsville (17-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-7) Tuesday at Hampton Inn Court.
 
Offensively, Angelo State (14-0, 6-0 LSC) was led by Celeste Bonter (20), Chelsea Gibson (16) and Emily Booth (12) who all recorded double-digit kills. Shelby Wilt had a team-high 23 digs, while Alex Woolsey—the three week reining LSC Setter of the Week—recorded a double-double with 52 assists and 14 digs. 
 
“We were not ourselves the first two sets,” said Angelo State head coach Chuck Waddington. “Kingsville is playing very well so being down two games to none and being able to battle back shows the fight our team has. I'm so proud of how our team responded on the road.”
 
For just the second time all season, the Belles dropped their opening set of the match. The Javelinas scored seven of the first 10 points before jumping out to a 17-10 advantage. Angelo State rallied with back-to-back kills coming from Bonter to make it 19-16, but it wasn't enough as ASU dropped game one, 25-17.
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville (4-5, 2-5 LSC) was led by Kelsey Washington who had 17 kills followed by Kakeshia Craft's 10. Ali Insell set the tone defensively with 25 digs.
 
The second set was a back-and-forth affair that featured seven ties and seven lead changes with TAMUK prevailing with a 25-23 win.
 
The uncertainty that plagued the second set was absent in the opening moments of game three, as the Belles jumped to a 6-0 lead. ASU took advantage of a pair of Javelinas' errors by responding with three consecutive kills by ASU's Booth and one by Debbie Ohl.
 
“Emily's fast start lit a fire for our kids in game three,” Waddington said. “Although we had a fast start, we weren't clicking that well and struggled to win the set.”
 
The Javelinas clawed back into the set and eventually tied the game (21-21); however, Angelo State scored the final four points to earn a 25-21 victory.
 
Fast starts became a trend, as Texas A&M-Kingsville scored the first five points in the fourth game with four of those coming from Washington. The nationally-ranked Belles chipped away at the deficit and eventually tied the game, 16-16, after a Shelby Warick ace. Angelo State then went on a 9-3 run to win the match, 25-19, and forced a decisive game five. The run was highlighted by Bonter, who had four kills including the final three points.  
 
“Celeste had some huge kills in the fourth set to force five,” Waddington said. “She was aggressive and wanted the ball, and that's what you want to see as a coach.”
 
The Belles minimized mistakes in the deceive fifth set, while capitalizing on the Javelinas to earn a 15-7 victory. Angelo State had an 11-3 rally in the game to 15 led by Bonter and Booth who each had three kills.  
 
The Belles will host Eastern New Mexico (3-9, 1-4 LSC) Thursday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. in the Junell Center. Live stats, live audio and live streaming will be available at AngeloSports.com.

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