DENVER, Colo. – The Angelo State women's volleyball team split its final two matches of the Colorado Premier Challenge beating UC-San Diego 3-1 before falling to Missouri S&T in five sets.
 
The Belles (7-3) went 1-3 overall in the Colorado Premier Challenge against some of the top teams in the nation. Zoey Hanrahan finished the tournament at the No. 7 hitter with a .337 clip through 16 sets. Maggi Jo Keffury was fourth in assists with 11.31 per set and Katie MacLeay was second in digs per set (5.31) and fourth in service aces (.38).
 
In the morning match, the Belles hit a .280 percentage as a team and three recorded double-digit kills. Keffury collected her third double-double of the season. Keffury finished with 48 assists and 11 digs. Abbie Lynn, Brianna Sotello and Hanrahan were on the receiving end of a majority of Keffury's assists. Sotello led ASU with 16 and Hanrahan tied her career high with 15. The junior set her career high hitting .538 for the match. Lynn contributed 14 kills.
 
ASU would lose the first set 25-23 after taking a 5-3 early lead. UC-San Diego scored six straight points to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish.  
                                                                                        
The second set was tied at six until four UC-San Diego errors gave ASU a 9-6 advantage. A kill by Sotello made it 12-8 but UCSD would battle back to tie the set at 13. Anther UCSD attacking error made it set point but it wasn't until a kill from Ciara Sheppard did the Belles put the set away at 25-23.
 
In the third set, ASU hit a whopping .517 to take the set 25-16. The Belles finished the set with 16 kills and a season low, one error. 
 
The fourth was also closely contested with Hanrahan recorded five of her 15 kills in the final set. ASU was forced to take a timeout down 21-18 but Morgan Seaton and Mallory Blauser recorded back-to-back kills to pull within one. Lynn drove home two straight kills to tie the match at 22. The two squads exchanged kills before UCSD committed two attacking errors to drop the set 25-23 and the match.  
                                                                                                                        
MacLeay led the defense with 4 digs and added six assists. The 58 assists were the most before going into the match with Missouri S&T.
 
In the second game of the day, four Belles had at least 10 kills while Keffury had 57 assists. Sotello picked up her team high seventh double-double with a team high 17 kills and 18 digs.
 
ASU took a 2-1 advantage but faltered in sets four and five to lose the match to Missouri S&T (6-2) 25-12, 27-29, 25-15, 18-25, 8-15.
 
"We came out flat against Missouri S&T in set five and it cost us," Waddington said. "We learned a lot about what it takes to play at the highest level. It will help us for sure down the road."
 
The first set was all ASU jumping out to a 10-4 lead before extending it to 20-12 on a kill by Keffury. Seaton put the set away for the 25-12 win.
 
Set two was a marathon with the Belles having set points at 25-24, 26-25 and 27-26. Missouri S&T responded each time before two ASU errors gave the set away at 29-27.
 
The Belles found their grove in set three building a 13-10 lead through the set. A 12-5 run to end the set at 25-15 in favor of ASU. Sotello picked up five of her 17 kills in the third set.
 
Missouri S&T took advantage of a -.022 hitting percentage by the Belles in set four. MST would lead the entire set finishing the set on a 5-0 run. The fifth set saw MS&T hit .500 as a team and ASU couldn't respond fast enough falling 15-8 in the final set.
 
Keffury racked up a season-high 57 assists and MacLeay finished with 21 digs. Freshman Micheala Sifuentes also added 13 digs for the Belles.
 
ASU will return home for its Lone Star Conference home opener on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Tarleton State at Stephens Arena in the Junell Center.