SAN ANGELO –Accomplishments realized last season should be remembered with pride for the Angelo State volleyball program, but a new campaign is starting and fresh goals and opportunities have arrived.

Beginning a new season means the Belles are no longer the Lone Star Conference Champion and they're not one win away from reaching the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the first time in program history. It also signals that surpassing previous achievements is possible.

The new season officially starts when the Belles report to fall camp on Sunday and practice as a team for the first time at 8:30 a.m. on Monday. Regressing is not on the program's agenda, or the objective of the players on this year's roster. What it comes down to is this goal ASU libero Shelby Wilt has established, "We want to end our season with a win."

Angelo State enters 2013 ranked No. 15 in the nation and having reached the NCAA Division II South Central Championships the past two seasons, including advancing to the regional finals last season after sweeps of Adams State and Regis University. The 2012 Belles won the LSC regular-season championship for the first time since 1992 after going 18-2 in LSC play and hung two new banners in the Junell Center to recognize their achievements. They also enjoyed beating rival West Texas A&M for the first time in 15 matches, but then felt the pain and frustration of losing to the Lady Buffs in the conference tournament finals for the third straight season and then in the regional finals.

The 2013 Angelo State volleyball team (nine returners, five newcomers) owns the identity of being the defending conference champion and it possesses a roster full of championship-level experience and talented newcomers. On another spectrum, it's also a team looking to replace the production of two All-Americans along with three players who exemplified senior leadership on and off the court.

"We go into every year with the same goals regardless of who's on our roster," ASU head coach Chuck Waddington said. "We want to win both conference and regional championships and also a national championship. The goals stay the same, the paths to get there is just a little bit different."

Maddie Huth (The Colony) returns for her senior year following earning first-team AVCA All-America status last season and LSC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year distinction coming into this season. As a junior, she recorded 387 kills and 131 blocks and enters her senior season with 757 career kills which ranks 17th in program history. Her 272 blocks are eighth in program history and puts her 203 blocks away from program leader Gail Allison and only 38 away from former teammate and current graduate assistant coach Chelsea Gibson's 310 career blocks.

Kaelen Valdez (Helotes) ranks 15th in program history with 848 kills and ninth with 1,130 digs coming into her senior season. Coming off a 288 kill, 435 dig junior season where she was selected to the LSC second team, Valdez returns to her outside hitter position with 94 matches of experience.

"My expectations for this season are very high," Valdez said. "We know how it feels to compete at a high level and we have a great coaching staff to help push us in the direction we need to be to win another championship."
 
Fellow senior, Leah McWilliams (Marfa), showcased her ability to take over matches towards the end of last season and finished her junior season with 65 kills. A transfer from Alaska-Anchorage, she had a season-high 14 kills in the conference tournament in the thrilling five-set win over Texas Woman's in the quarterfinals.  
Only a junior, Wilt (Dalhart) enters the 2013 season sixth in program history with 1,234 digs to her name. Wilt earned LSC Libero of the Year and was an AVCA All-South Central regional selection last season and was named the LSC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year coming into this season. She also led the Belles with 67 aces last year and contributed 109 assists.   

Haley Bianco (Austin), Arielle Bond (El Paso), Katie MacLeay (San Antonio) and Kailyn Troxell (Pampa) each return to the court for their sophomore seasons after gaining valuable experience as freshmen in 2012. Bond, a 6-1 middle blocker, finished last season with 82 kills and 29 blocks, while MacLeay recorded 366 digs and Bianco had 235 digs as defensive specialist. Bianco, who was named the LSC's Defensive Player of the Week once last season, recorded a season-high 24 digs in the conference tournament against West Texas A&M and also had a 17-dig performance against Abilene Christian. MacLeay's signature match resulted in 22 digs against Texas A&M-Commerce on the road, while Bond had six blocks against West Texas A&M in the tournament.

Cerbi Ritchey (Big Spring) spent last season as a redshirt freshman, gaining experience during practice and supporting the team from the sidelines throughout the championship season.

New additions to the Belles' roster includes junior setter Maggi Jo Keffury (Arroyo, Calif.) who transferred to ASU following two seasons at New Mexico State. Freshmen setter Whitney Nunez (Georgetown), middle blocker Courtney Bartusiak (Centennial, Colo.), middle blocker Klohe Harrion (Chandler, Ariz.) and middle blocker Zoey Hanrahan (Pflugerville) will compete for spots on the court early in their career. 

Waddington is entering his sixth season and brings in a 118-52 record, including a 69-16 mark in conference play. Qi Wang enters his fourth season as the team's assistant coach (79-24 record during that time) and Chelsea Gibson is a first-year graduate assistant who carries in the credentials of a three-time LSC first-team performer.

The Angelo State volleyball program enters its 38th season, building on a successful tradition but looking forward at achieving new accomplishments.