SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State volleyball team returns to the Junell Center following a four-match road trip to compete against Cameron and Midwestern State in a pair of Lone Star Conference matches this weekend.

The Belles (12-5, 6-4 LSC) will host Cameron (10-8, 3-6 LSC) at 7 p.m. on Friday before playing at 2 p.m. on Saturday against MSU (6-13, 2-7 LSC). ASU is 1-0 against the Aggies and Mustangs this season after earning a 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-22) win over CU on Sept. 12 in Lawton, Okla. and a 3-1 (25-17, 24-26, 25-14, 25-19) victory over the Mustangs on Sept. 13 in Wichita Falls.

ASU, which is currently tied with Tarleton State for third in the LSC standings, is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time this season after suffering four-set defeats at Texas Woman's and Texas A&M-Commerce last weekend and bring in a 6-1 record on its home court this season. MSU will play at Tarleton State on Friday night before travelling to San Angelo for the Saturday match.

Quotes  ||  Chuck Waddington, Angelo State head coach
On the keys to improving on last weekend's play:
"We have to be more aware of what we are doing on the court and understand that we have to make better choices in critical situations. When the set or pass is off a little, we have to be able to adjust and make better choices on what we do with the ball."

On playing against Cameron on Friday:
"They are playing completely opposite of us right now. They're not making many errors. They don't have a real go-to player, but they have a lot of steady players who compete on every point and are tough. They have great ball control and we're going to have to be ready if we want to come out with a win."

On playing against Midwestern State on Saturday:
"They are a very diverse team that has a lot of hitters throughout the court. Our ability to get them out of system will be the most important part in that match."

On returning to play at the Junell Center following a four-match road trip:
"The road has not been very kind to us this season so it's really nice to be back home this weekend. Friday is important for us because it's our Dig Pink match. I not only want our kids to play well during the match, but I also want them to be aware of what and why we are supporting this cause. It's a big weekend for us and we need to get our season back on track."
 
BELLE ROSTER REPORT
Shelby Wilt has solidified herself as one of the best players in Angelo State history and comes into this weekend with 2,169 career digs. Wilt, who is a senior captain and ASU's all-time digs leader, has played at libero and setter this season and has 307 digs (4.95 per set) this season. She was named the LSC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and has recorded double-digit dig performances in 16 of 17 matches this season with a nine-dig showing against Tarleton State breaking up the double-digit run. Wilt had a season-high 28 digs against UAFS and also had 26 digs last Friday against Texas Woman's.

Mallory Blauser leads the Belles with 238 kills this season and is averaging 3.97 per set. Blauser has 12 double-digit kill matches, including a season-high 29 kills against Newman and a 21 kills against UAFS and Texas Woman's. A sophomore transfer from Round Rock, she has also added 28 blocks and is hitting .198 for the season on 732 attacks. Abbie Lynn is second on the team with 166 kills in her freshman season and is averaging 2.96 kills per set. An Amarillo native, Lynn has nine double-digit kill matches this season, including a season-high 18 kills last Friday at Texas Woman's.

Zoey Hanrahan tops ASU in the blocking category with 49 blocks and has also added 105 kills in her sophomore season, while Daeleigh Castile has 37 blocks and 67 kills. Cerbi Ritchey and Brianna Sotello have added 56 kills each and Arielle Bond has 96 kills. Alexa Johnson leads the Belles with 566 assists this season (10.88 per set) and has also added 105 digs and 39 kills.

Defensively, Katie MacLeay has 218 digs this season and has exactly 1,000 in her career at Angelo State. MacLeay, who is a team captain with Wilt, has 14 double-digit dig matches this season and is coming off a season-high 22 digs against A&M-Commerce. MacLeay's career dig total currently ranks 14th all-time in program history. Kelly Hasbrouck has added 155 digs this season, while Haley Bianco has 119 digs this season and 739 in her career. With strong defensive specialist play, ASU has out-dug its opponents 1,274-1,162 this season and leads the LSC with 20.55 digs per set.

Lynn led the Belles with 10 kills and Wilt provided 19 digs in the previous match against Cameron, while Johnson had 38 assists.
 
Cameron Aggie Report
Cameron, which is led by former ASU assistant Qi Wang, has won five of its last six matches including earning a 3-1 win over Eastern New Mexico last Saturday. The Aggies have already surpassed their seven-win total from all of last season and are 6-5 in matches played away from Lawton this season. Wang was an assistant at ASU for four seasons before accepting the head coaching position at Cameron last February. Friday's match will be his first time returning to San Angelo to coach against the Belles. 

Kat Evans leads the Aggies with 183 kills this season and has added 160 digs and 23 blocks. A junior from Pearland, Evans is averaging 2.80 kills per set and has a .211 attacking percentage. Rebecca Green, a senior from Flower Mound, is second on the team with 185 kills and Kayla Hebert leads the team with 220 digs (3.19 per set) in her sophomore season. Cameron comes into the match with a .170 team attacking percentage and has out-dug its opponents 1,300-1,213 this season.

ASU has won its last 10 matches over Cameron and owns a 25-11 advantage in the all-time series over the Aggies.
 
Midwestern State Mustang Report
The Mustangs come into the weekend having dropped four of their last five matches, including taking a 3-0 win over ENMU last Friday before being swept by the conference-leading Lady Buffs. MSU is 1-6 on the road this season and have lost their last 11 matches to Angelo State.

Nicole Marzik leads MSU with 178 kills this season and is second on the team with 223 digs. Hunter Porter has added 139 kills to the Mustang attack, while Sarah Rosinke leads MSU with 642 assists and has 140 digs. Sarah Garfield leads the block with 76 blocks (0.99 per set) and Angel Summers has 48 blocks.

DIG PINK
The Angelo State volleyball team is hosting its annual Dig Pink match at 7 p.m. on Friday when the Belles play Cameron at the Junell Center.
 
ASU raised over $3,500 during last year's Dig Pink campaign which donates funds to the national Side-Out Foundation. The Belles are auctioning off the pink jerseys they'll wear during the match against the Aggies at www.bellevolleyballcamps.com and are also selling t-shirts and auctioning off a pink Mizuno backpack signed by Olympic Gold Medalist Kerri Walsh-Jennings and a pink game ball which will be signed by the Belles. There will also be raffle tickets sold with the winner of the raffles winning a Texas-themed round cutting board which was hand crafted by Loyd Moore, a Dig Pink themed blanket which was made by Carolyn Hayes who is the aunt of breast cancer survivor Sherry Ann Miller and another signed pink game ball.
 
"As a coach of a female sport, it is important that our athletes understand the significance of Breast Cancer and how it impacts everyone involved," ASU head coach Chuck Waddington said. "We are not just raising money for a great cause, we are raising awareness in young women everywhere." 
 
Dig Pink t-shirts are $15 and are available for purchase now at the ASU Athletic Offices in the Junell Center and will be available on Friday.  If you would like to bid on a jersey, you can email coach Waddington at cwaddington@angelo.edu for a bid number and track your bids at our website.  You can also bid at the match.