Lubbock Christian (10-2, 7-1 Heartland) versus Texas A&M International (1-13, 1-7 Heartland)
Thursday, October 9 at 7 p.m.
Lubbock, Texas (Rip Griffin Center)
 
LCU's history versus TAMIU
The Dustdevils and Lady Chaps have only met half a dozen times dating to 2005 with LCU winning each match. Since becoming Heartland members, the Lady Chaps have swept TAMIU 3-0 in every contest.
 
Fisher sets her way to second honor
WACO, Texas (October 6, 2014) – Lubbock Christian's Erin Fisher has been recognized as the Heartland Conference Setter of the Week, the league office announced on Monday.
The Monahans, Texas, native recorded a pair of double-doubles in the two wins against Midwestern State on October 3 and St. Edward's on October 4, dishing out 12.71 assists per set and contributing 2.86 digs per frame. The senior also added five blocks, five kills and an ace on the week. In the victory over MSU she totaled 51 assists, 10 digs and three blocks.
This season, the 5-9 setter is compiling an average of 11.48 helpers per set, the most in the Heartland and 19th best in all of NCAA Division II. Fisher has contributed in other ways for the Lady Chaps as well, collecting 146 total digs in 2014, second only to libero Christa Daniel, as well as recording 30 kills and four service aces on the season.
This is honor number two for Fisher this season and brings her total to eight dating to 2013.
 
Johnson returns to action
Redshirt junior Maddie Johnson is back on the court for LCU after sitting out last season recovering from surgery. The Frenship High School product was a Second Team All-Sooner Athletic Conference pick as a sophomore after compiling 244 kills, 369 digs and a team-best 38 service aces. In her 2014 debut, the 5-10 outside hitter totaled a career and game-high 19 kills against St. Mary's on Sept. 4 and again versus Midwestern State on Oct. 3. Johnson leads the Lady Chaps in total kills (152) and kills per set (3.62).
 
Coach Lawrence becomes program's winningest
With a 3-0 sweep over St. Mary's on September 4, head coach Jennifer Lawrence became LCU volleyball's all-time leader in wins. The victory brought her to number 251 to surpass Steven McRoberts, the Lady Chap coach from 1996-2003. Lawrence now has an overall record of 260-105 and has most recently led the team to an impressive 20-6 record in the Heartland Conference since 2013.
 
National statistics
As of Oct. 6, the Lady Chaps' conference-leading 13.00 assists per set currently rank 23^rd in NCAA Division II, paced by Erin Fisher's 19^th-best 11.48 assists per frame. The 13.90 kills/set for LCU are tied for 23^rd in the nation. Defensively, the squad's average of 18.10 digs per set is ranked 20^th, led by libero Christa Daniel's 5.85/set, good enough for 15^th overall. Middle blocker Amy Edwards is collecting 1.21 blocks per set which is 10^th in the country, including her career-high 10 she tallied against Arkansas Tech Sept. 19, tying for the second best outing by any Division II player so far this season.
 
Lady Chaps start hot but fizzle against West Texas A&M
CANYON, Texas (October 8, 2014) – Despite Lubbock Christian taking set one from West Texas A&M, the Lady Chaps first set win versus the Lady Buffs in almost three years, LCU was defeated in the three following stanzas to drop a non-conference match by scores of 26-24, 22-25, 17-25 and 22-25 to at The Box Tuesday night.
The Lady Chaps last won a set over WT on October 19, 2011, where the Lady Buffs went on to win in a decisive fifth set. LCU's latest match victory against the Lady Buffs occurred on September 4, 2010, in which the Lady Chaps ended the WT's 46-match home win streak.
On Tuesday night, the offense for the Lady Chaps was well-balanced, led by a dozen kills by Abby White from the right side. Outside hitters Channing Castleberry and Maddie Johnson each totaled 11, while middle blockers Amy Edwards and Samantha Matthews each tallied 10.
The match did not begin in LCU's favor as Erin Fisher, the reigning Heartland Conference Setter of the Week, was called for a bad set on the first play, giving WT the first point of the evening. The Lady Chaps got back on track thereafter, jumping ahead 10-7 on a Matthews' attack that shimmied through the hands of the Lady Buff blockers. Libero Christa Daniel notched her first kill on the season to put LCU up 14-12 before WT quickly tied things up at 14-all. Down 20-17, the Lady Chaps put together a 5-0 run that included kills by Johnson and White along with a trio of Lady Buff errors to force a WT timeout. The Lady Buffs tied the set at 23-23 on a Castleberry attack that sailed wide before the teams traded kills for a 24-24 tie. White came through with a powerful kill that knocked over a WT defender, and a perfect pass from Edwards to Castleberry on the next play gave LCU the long-awaited set win.
The Lady Buffs jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the second set before the Lady Chaps got rolling. A kill by Edwards, a bad set by WT, another rare kill by Daniel and a block by Edwards and Fisher knotted the game at seven apiece, but an 8-2 run by the Lady Buffs sunk LCU into 15-9 hole. Trailing 20-13, head coach Jennifer Lawrence ordered a timeout, and Johnson and Matthews responded with a kill each and combined for a big-time block on the Lady Buffs' heavy-hitter Kameryn Hayes to creep within 21-18. With WT at set point, Christiana Tavo produced a kill and Edwards tapped a tip in the middle of the Lady Buff defense for another point to inch within WT at 24-22, but Lady Buff Leah Mayer powered the ball through Edwards' hands for the set win.
A Castleberry kill down the line in set three put LCU up 2-1, but that would be the only lead the Lady Chaps were able to muster throughout the frame, falling behind 11-5 on a service ace by WT's Lauren Britten, and then trailing 22-10 on a kill by Lady Buff Lexi Davis. A kill by Matthews pulled LCU to within 23-16, but WT's Jessica Johnson finished off the Lady Chaps with a solo block and kill.
Tied 13-13 in the fourth set, Edwards supplied a kill and Johnson added a pair to give LCU momentum. The lead began to slowly slip away from the Lady Chaps as the Lady Buffs pulled into a tie at 19-all and then turned three consecutive LCU attack errors in a 22-19 advantage. Moments later, Castleberry stuck a kill between two WT blockers at 23-20 before a kill by Lady Buff Cori Haley put her team at match point. Kills by Edwards and Castleberry gave the Lady Chaps hope, but a serve by LCU ace leader Kyleigh Lucia nicked the top of the net and fell back to the Lady Chaps, concluding the match.
Fisher handed out a game-high 50 assists, and Daniel logged a game-high 24 digs.
For WT, Lauren Bevan registered a game-high 14 kills, and Johnson's eight blocks led all players.