SAN ANGELO, Texas — On Saturday, the Angelo State University Rambelles defeated the university of Tampa Spartans 3-2, claiming the AVCA Division II National Championship.
Head coach Chuck Waddington acknowledges the team’s overall mindset leading to their victory.
"We talked a lot about expectations in our gym and our expectation was to win," Waddington said. "We took it match by match, but still have that end goal in mind and our girls were really solid in that foundation. They didn't look too far ahead and they didn't get caught up in anything other than the moment."
The Belles had four members nominated to the AVCA all-tournament team including senior middle blocker Baleigh Allen. Allen said the camaraderie within the team is what carried them all the way.
“We've worked so hard this entire semester," Allen said. "Ever since I've been here, it's been a goal every year. We want to win divisional championships, we want to win conference championships and then we want to win national championships. Every year we slightly miss it, but this year we didn't and that's awesome.”
Knowing ASU completed this milestone, Waddington plans on maintaining the momentum into next season. He says he was recruiting before and after the game, continuing to plan ahead.
“We have a nice group coming in, we've got to find kids in 2022 and 2023, so it's just business as usual. We're one of the hardest working teams out there both in the gym and out in the recruiting area and we're just going to maintain that. Good things happen and when you work hard.”
Waddington is proud of the way his team competed in the tournament and he can’t wait to hang the banner in the Junell Center. These are moments this organization will cherish forever.