SAN ANGELO, TX — After an exciting weekend that saw them win the regional volleyball tournament, the Angelo State Rambelles will keep their incredible season going for one more week.
ASU is flying to Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Tuesday to prepare for the NCAA Division II national tournament, which begins Thursday at the Sanford Pentagon.
The Belles (31-2) will be the No. 3 seed at the eight-team tournament, and they have a first-round matchup at 11 a.m. Thursday with No. 6 Gannon (26-7) from Erie, Pennsylvania.
Other first-round matches include No. 1 Ferris State vs. No. 8 Bentley, No. 2 Central Oklahoma vs. No. 7 San Francisco State, and No. 4 Lynn vs. No. 5 Wingate.
This is the second appearance at the Elite Eight for ASU. The Belles also qualified in 2016, when they lost in the first round to Alaska-Anchorage.
ASU won the American Volleyball Coaches Association national title in 2020, but the NCAA didn’t hold regional and national tournaments due to COVID-19.
Gannon is making its fifth appearance in the Elite Eight, all since 2017, and eighth overall for the program.
ASU will take a 19-match winning streak into the national tournament, which was capped by three wins last week on its home court at the Junell Center.
Belles head coach Chuck Waddington said he was grateful for the support to help push his team over the top.
“This community and this university came out in droves to watch us play,” Waddington said. “It was so incredibly great to see a group come together and get 1,500 people in here almost three nights in a row to support a group of girls just fighting their tails off.”
ASU dropped only one set during the weekend, but the matches were tight each time, especially in the regional final win over Metro State-Denver.
The Belles erased two set points in Set 2 and Set 4 as they came up clutch in the match’s biggest moments. They won 30-28 in the fourth set.
“We try hard to execute in all those moments. We don’t let it rattle us,” Waddington said. “I know for me, I try to look like I’m really calm, but I’m like a duck in the water. You don’t see the feet going. …
“I appreciate their toughness and grittiness in those moments. We’ve been through the fire the last three or four weeks, and it really helped prepare us for where we are right now.”
Waddington said his team physically looked like the underdog against Metro State, but the Belles have been proving people wrong all season.
“We’re 5-9 across the board, but we play way bigger than what we look,” Waddington said. “Did you see (Metro State)? They’re awesome. They’re giants. It’s like playing against a bunch of Knicks.
“They’re the best blocking team in the country, and they hit for a high percentage. … I don’t think a lot of people gave us a chance, but we did, and that’s all that mattered, so that was pretty special.”
If ASU gets past Gannon, the Belles will draw Central Oklahoma or San Francisco State. Central Oklahoma played ASU on the first day of the season and defeated the Belles in five sets for one of their only two losses.
ASU's attack is led by setter Adeline Ortman, who has 1,287 assists, along with the 1-2 punch of Madi Parrish (469 kills) and Evelyn Torres (432 kills).
Defensively, Sydney Thornton has a team-high 103 blocks, followed by Demi Carter with 71 and Hannah Spencer with 64.
Caleigh Enax has anchored the back row with 595 digs.
Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily
Required
Post a comment to this article here: