DENTON, Texas (Nov. 15, 2017) - Texas Woman's University volleyball is set to compete in the Lone Star Conference Championships beginning Thursday at noon and will face three-seed Angelo State on the campus of Tarleton State.
 
About the LSC Tournament
Tarleton State is the top seed and host after capturing the program's second LSC Championship with an 18-2 league record.
The top eight teams in the LSC will compete for the 2017 tournament championship.  In addition to claiming the title, the LSC tournament winner will receive the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship.
The single-elimination tournament consists of four first-round matches on Thursday, followed by two semifinal games on Friday evening and the championship match on Saturday.
Action starts on Thursday at 12 p.m. with No. 3 Angelo State against No. 6 TWU followed by No. 2 Texas A&M-Commerce versus No. 7 Western New Mexico at 2:30 p.m., No. 4 Texas A&M-Kingsville against No. 5 West Texas A&M at 5 p.m., and No. 1 Tarleton versus No. 8 Eastern New Mexico at 7:30 p.m.
 
No. 6 Texas Woman's vs. No. 3 Angelo State
Thursday, Nov. 16 at 12 p.m.
Stephenville, Texas (Wisdom Volleyball Gym)
 
About the Pioneers
The Pioneers clinched the sixth-seed to break a three-way tie in the LSC standings with a win over UT Permian Basin Saturday and are winners in four of their final six regular season contests. Sophomore setter Katy Ranes leads the Lone Star Conference in assists per set (11.07), sophomore defensive specialist Bailey French is first in digs/set (5.01), and senior outside hitter Miri Shade is fourth in kills/set (3.08).
 
About the Belles
No. 25 ASU enters the tournament on a six-game win streak and claims the reigning LSC Defensive Player of the Week in Bailey Mulder as well as the Setter of the Week, Meghan Parker. Morgan Seaton leads the league in hitting percentage (.340), Brianna Sotello is second in kills/set (3.99), Micheala Sifuentes sits second in digs/set (4.85), and Parker is fourth in assists/set (9.42) and aces/set (0.39).
 
History between TWU and ASU
The Pioneers notched their biggest upset in program history this season Sept. 16 versus the fifth-ranked Belles in a 3-2 victory. The Belles hold a 38-16 all-time record over the Pioneers in a series that began in 1976.
 
Last meeting of the Pioneers and Belles
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Oct. 21, 2017) - Texas Woman's University hung tight with No. 22 Angelo State as Miri Shade, Makayla Mayfield and Katy Ranes each posted double-doubles, but the Pioneers fell in four sets (20-25, 25-23, 22-25, 24-26) Saturday afternoon inside Stephens Arena.
Shade tallied a team-high 12 kills and 15 digs while Mayfield registered 11 kills and 16 digs. Ranes handed out a match-high 40 assists and 16 digs, and Bailey French totaled a match-high 30 digs. Courtney Noel added 11 kills and a team-high seven blocks. The Pioneers (10-12, 7-6 LSC) had a season-high 102 digs, and the Belles (15-6, 7-5 LSC) recorded 112 digs, the highest single-match total in the LSC in 2017.