SAN ANGELO, TX — The Angelo State University volleyball team is hosting the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament for the third time in program history this weekend.
It appeared as if the Rambelles had played their final match on their home court nearly three weeks ago, but they vaulted from the No. 3 seed to No. 1 in the final regional rankings.
ASU earned the top seed by going to Canyon and defeating West Texas A&M in four sets to win the Lone Star Conference Tournament final.
The Belles enter this weekend's tournament on a 16-match winning streak.
ASU (28-2) will open the regional tournament against No. 8 seed Colorado Christian (19-10) at 7 p.m. Friday at the Junell Center.
“I love that we get to reward our fans with another home game and hopefully three,” ASU head coach Chuck Waddington said. “Our team is excited about the opportunity and glad to be in front of our home crowd.
“But there’s no easy path for anybody in this regional this weekend, so we’ve got to be ready to go.”
The winner of this weekend’s tournament will advance to the national tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The Belles’ first-round opponent, Colorado Christian, was only the No. 6 seed in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament, but upsets over the No. 3 and 2 seeds allowed them to nab a regional spot.
“Colorado Christian is a good team. They’re on a roll, and they won their way into the regional tournament,” Waddington said. “Their head coach (Bobby Blanken) gets a lot out of his team every single year, so it’s no walkover, that’s for sure. We’re going to have to come out and compete.”
The regional tournament will begin at 11 a.m. Friday with No. 3 seed Metro State-Denver taking on No. 6 Texas Woman’s.
Other first-day matchups include No. 2 West Texas A&M vs. No. 7 UT-Tyler at 1:30 p.m., and No. 4 Dallas Baptist vs. No. 5 Colorado Mesa at 4:30 p.m.
The semifinals are set for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday.
The final will be at 4 p.m. Sunday.
If ASU wins its opening match, the Belles will draw Colorado Mesa or Dallas Baptist in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Saturday.
ASU won the regional tournament for the only time in 2016, when the Belles last hosted it. That season ended in the national quarterfinals against Alaska-Anchorage.
The Belles won the American Volleyball Coaches Association national title in 2020. The NCAA didn't hold regional or national tournaments that year due to COVID-19.
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