SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State volleyball team will open its Lone Star Conference schedule on Wednesday night with a pivotal matchup against Tarleton State at Stephens Arena at the Junell Center before heading to the American International College Invitational in Springfield, Mass., on Friday.

The Belles are 7-3 on the season heading into the LSC opener. ASU is 87-25 in LSC play under head coach Chuck Waddington and 6-1 in LSC openers. Stephens Arena at the Junell Center will play host to the showdown where ASU is 76-16 since 2008 including an 11-3 mark last season at home.

ASU will travel to Springfield, Mass., for matches against Dowling College, Ohio Valley, New Haven and American International on Friday and Saturday.

Angelo State enters the opener second in the LSC in hitting percentage at .220, kills (13.92) and assists per set (13.11) and is behind Wednesday's opponent Tarleton State in percentage (.270), kills (14.67) and assists (13.89). ASU has limited opponents to a .168 hitting percentage on the season.

The Belles are led on the attack by Mallory Blauser, Brianna Sotello and Abbie Lynn. The trio has each totaled triple digit kills so far this season. Blauser has 138 this season, fourth in the LSC and averages 3.63 kills per set. She is hitting at a .227 percentage and is tied for third on the team with 13 total blocks.

The team leader in double-doubles, Brianna Sotello, has 134 kills on the season and has eight double-doubles. She is digging 3.39 balls per set, second on the team and has killed 3.53 balls per set. The sophomore is fifth in the league in kills per set.
Abbie Lyn has the top hitting percentage of the trio at .251. She has 102 kills on the season and is second on the team in blocks with 19 (.50/set).

Zoey Hanrahan had the best weekend with a .337 hitting percentage. She tied her career high of 15 kills against UC-San Diego. The junior leads the Belles with 28 total blocks and has a season clip of .306.  Fellow middle blocker, Klohe Harrion, leads the Belles with a .316 clip and is fourth with 84 total kills on the season.

Maggi Jo Keffury has been distributer on defense with an LSC high 11.4 assists per set. She has dished out 435 total assists and has 97 digs. The senior has four double-doubles on the season and was last week's LSC Setter of the Week. The Arroyo, Calif., native set a season high with 57 assists against Missouri S&T.

Katie MacLeay leads the defense with 211 digs on the year. Her 5.55 digs per set is No. 1 in the LSC and it is almost a full dig per set ahead of the LSC. She has had six matches of at least 20 digs and a season high of 38 against WNMU at the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational.

Brooke Robertson and Micheala Sifuentes picked up valuable time in Colorado. Robertson played in eight sets and picked up 16 digs. The sophomore averaged 2.0 digs per set. Sifuentes saw action in 16 sets averaging 1.94 digs per set. The freshman has 68 digs on the season. 

Tarleton State is 8-2 on the season and has won its last three matches. The TexAnns took two of three form the Belles last season .