Game Information
Score: No.2-Seed Lubbock Christian 3, No.3-Seed St. Edward's 1 (25-13, 25-15, 21-25, 25-20)
Records: Lubbock Christian (19-10), St. Edward's (11-18)
Location: Stubblefield Center – Fort Smith, Ark.
 
Highlights
Lubbock Christian served up the opening round of the Heartland Conference Tournament against the No.3-seeded St. Edward's University Hilltoppers. LCU, a No.2-seed, had faced off with the Hilltoppers twice in the regular season and split the series (the home team won each game). With a Heartland Conference Championship appearance on the line, the Lady Chaps showed their determination and sent the Hilltoppers packing with a 3-1 match victory. LCU had won their prior five matches in straight sets and Friday, they had their streak of consecutive sets won end at 17. The win was their first Heartland Conference Tournament win in program history. They will now face Arkansas Fort Smith Saturday at 1 p.m. with NCAA postseason implications on the line.
 
How It Happened
 
Set One
The Lady Chaps dominated the first set over the Hilltoppers. Seniors Christiana Tavo and Ariel Froeschl combined to score five of LCU's first 11 points to help the Lady Chaps jumped out to a quick 11-5 lead. The Hilltoppers scored 13 points in the set with eight points coming from LCU errors. A kill by Tabitha Elder helped St. Edward's attempt to close the gap on the Lady Chaps, but Lubbock Christian was too explosive. LCU finished the first set on a 9-2 run to win 25-13. Christiana Tavo provided a burst of energy for Lubbock Christian with five kills.
 
Set Two
A kill by SEU's Katie Martin pushed the Hilltoppers to an early 2-0 lead over the Lady Chaps. Lubbock Christian immediately answered with an 8-2 run that was kicked off by back-to-back kills from Froeschl and Emily Hanaway. St. Edward's came right back with four straight points to tie the score up at 8-8. Froeschl threw down her fifth kill of the evening to cap four LCU points and it gave the Lady Chaps a 13-10 lead in the middle of the set. Another Katie Martin kill allowed the Hilltoppers to tie up the score for a third time at 14-14. The Lady Chaps turned on the jets and closed out the set with 10 straight points for a 25-15 victory. Emily Hanaway led the Lady Chaps with four kills in the set.
 
Set Three
The Hilltopper offense finally heated up in the third set. St. Edward's had 16 total kills in the set with Madison McClurg and Katie Martin throwing down four kills each. Although Froeschl scored the first point of the set, the Hilltoppers went on an 11-point tear to take an 11-4 lead. St. Edward's dominated the set and ultimately took a commanding 22-12 lead. LCU mounted a comeback that cut the SEU lead to 24-21. An LCU attack error would finally give the Hilltoppers a third set victory at 25-21. Hanaway and Froeschl each had four kills in the set.
 
Set Four
The Lady Chaps and the Hilltoppers kept things interesting in the final set. There were eight ties up until the 10-10 mark. Back-to-back kills by LCU's Lauren Zoller gave the Lady Chaps a 16-13 lead. Mikayla Grill responded with three kills of her own to help tie up the score once more at 17-17. Lubbock Christian was finally able to pull away as they closed out the set on a 5-1 run to win the final game 25-20 and move on to the Heartland Conference Championship game.
 
Inside the Numbers:
 
4 – There were four Lady Chaps that amassed double-figures in the kill category. Christiana Tavo and Emily Hanaway led LCU with 13 kills each. Ariel Froeschl notched 12 kills, while Lauren Zoller posted 10 kills. Lubbock Christian had 59 total kills on the evening.
3-1 – LCU lost a set for the first time in five matches. The last time that Lubbock Christian dropped a set was to UAFS (10/22/16) in a 3-1 loss to the Lions.
40 – Sophomore Kelsie French grabbed 40 digs on the evening. French was three digs shy of a season-high mark. As a team, LCU posted 111 digs on the night with five Lady Chaps in double figures in the category. The season-high was reached twice this year as the Lady Chaps had 112 digs in a five-set match against St. Edward's (10/06/16) and against UAFS (10/22/16).
52 – Mallory Powell had 52 assits, which matches a season high and is also a high for a four-set match (13 assists per match average).
2016 – 2016 marks the first time that the Lady Chaps have reached the Heartland Conference Tournament Championship Game. With this being their second year of post-season eligibility, Lubbock Christian is already making a tradition of post-season play. LCU lost in the first round of the Heartland Conference Tournament against Newman in the 2015 season.
 
Up Next:
The Lady Chaps are looking to close out their play against Heartland opponents for the year. LCU will take on University of Arkansas Fort Smith on Saturday Nov. 19^th. This will be their third bout against the Lions this season. There are heavy stakes on the line as this contest will decide the Heartland Conference Tournament Champion as well as who will move on to the NCAA Regional Tournament. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 PM.