SAN ANGELO, Texas – The No. 7 Angelo State Belle volleyball played in an exciting match against West Texas A&M, defeating the Buffs in five sets to improve to a 4-0 overall and conference record, while the Buffs fall to a 1-3 record conference and overall record.
 
With Makenna Hanssen back to serve for Angelo State, ASU jumped to an early 3-1 lead over the Buffs after two errors from WT. WT found their rhythm later in the first set, scoring six unanswered points, taking the lead from the Belles, 10-6. The Belles, not to be outdone on their home court, sent Morgan Preston to the serving line, where she registered a service ace, while Sophia Berg and Anamarija Mikovic both grabbed kills while the Buffs made several errors to take their lead back and take a three point lead over WT, 13-10.
 
Multiple errors from the Buffs, and several kills from Baleigh Allen and Kailyn Gilbreath, extended the Belles lead to six over WT, 21-15, but two kills from Grace White and a kill from Elsa Lamphere ended the first set in favor for Angelo State, 25-21, over the Buffs.
 
The Buffs picked up the pace in the second set, taking a 6-1 lead over the Belles off of multiple kills and errors from the Blue and Gold. WT went on several runs where they extended their lead to seven over Angelo State, 17-10. The Belles went on a run of their own, scoring five unanswered points, putting them within two points of the lead, but a kill from the Buffs brought the second set to an end, 25-23.
 
West Texas came back into the third set with their adrenaline pumping, taking another 6-1 lead over Angelo State early on, but the Belles bounced back hard, scoring seven points quickly to tie the game at 8-8. ASU and WT traded points back and forth with neither team able to take an advantage over the other until Allen was sent to serve for Angelo State.
 
Allens' serving capabilities, along with several kills from Lamphere and multiple errors from the Buffs, brought ASU to a 22-18 lead over WT. A kill from Berg, along with an error from the Buffs, ended the third set in favor of Angelo State, 25-20.
 
The Buffs, not wanting to lose another set, rapidly jumped to a 4-2 lead over Angelo State, but the Belles rallied back to tie the fourth set at 5-5. Once again, the Belles and Buffs rallied back and forth for points, neither team gaining any advantage over the other, until a kill from Lamphere brought the Belles to a two point lead over WT.
 
Gilbreath grabbed a service ace for herself, while Lamphere nabbed another kill to bring the Belles lead to 16-12 over West Texas A&M. WT was able to rally back within two points, taking the lead away from the Belles at 23-22. Angelo State tied the game again at 23-23, but two rapid kills from WT ended the fourth set in favor of the Buffs, 25-23, leading to a fifth set.
 
With Hanssen back to serve for the Belles, Allen grabbed another kill for the Belles, while the Buffs made a few attack errors to bring Angelo State to a 3-1 lead over WT early in the fifth set. ASU kept their two point lead intact for most of the fifth set, going on a three point run with kills from Allen and Mikovic to extend their lead to four over WT, 10-6.
 
WT managed to score three unanswered points to put them within one point, but kills from Gilbreath, Mikovic, and Allen brought the fifth set to a close, as Angelo State defeated West Texas A&M, 15-10, to sweep the home series against the Buffs, 3-2.
 
Key Players:

• Berg led the Belles offensive front against the Buffs, scoring 18.5 points for Angelo State, registering 16 kills and hitting a .361 hitting percentage. Grabbing a solo block and three block assists, Berg finished the night with two digs against WT.
• Lindsey Ledyard showed her skills for Angelo State against the Buffs, registering 39 assists and 13 digs, her new career best, whilst grabbing an ace, three blocks, and scored 5.5 points for the Belles.
• Chloe Patton led the Belles defensively once again, grabbing 25 digs for Angelo State, whilst grabbing three assists, one service ace, and scoring a point for ASU.

Up Next:
The Belles travel to Lubbock, Christian to face the Lubbock Christian Chapparals in the Rip Griffin Center for a two game series on Tuesday, February 9 and Wednesday, February 8. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. for both games.