LUBBOCK, Texas (September 22, 2016) – Lubbock Christian University (5-5, 0-0) opens Heartland Conference play Thursday at 6 p.m. hosting Arkansas Fort Smith (UAFS) inside Rip Griffin Center.  The contest is "Rally at the Rip," a celebration for the LCU student body. It is the first of two home matches on the week, as LCU hosts Newman Saturday.      
 
Arkansas Fort Smith (4-5, 0-0) | Thursday, Sept. 22 | 6:00 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
Twitter: LCU: (@LCUchaps, @LCUvolleyball) UAFS: (@UAFSsports, @UAFS_volleyball)
?Live Stats | Watch Online

• The Lady Chaps and UAFS are meeting for the seventh all-time meeting. UAFS, who swept last season's home-and-home regular season series, is 7-0 all-time against LCU.
• UAFS is the Heartland Conference preseason favorites. They went 16-0 in conference last season and are riding a 23-match conference win streak.
• The Lions are coming off a 3-2 win over Arkansas-Monticello (Sept. 15).             
• UAFS has already played three nationally ranked programs, suffering losses to No.14 Alaska Anchorage, No.2 Wheeling Jesuit and No.8 Lewis. They are also 0-3 in road games.
• Emily Tripp ranks third nationally with 6.56 digs per set. As a team, UAFS ranks 18^th nationally with 18.7 digs per set.

  
?GAME NOTES

• The Lady Chaps (5-5 overall) take a 2-0 home record into the contest. They have won 10 straight home games.
• LCU has not been in action since a 3-2 home win over Eastern New Mexico on Sept.13.
• LCU leads the Heartland Conference in blocks per set with 2.2 per set (45^th nationally). Individually, Ariel Froeschl (fifth, 0.8 per set) and Emily Hanaway (sixth, 0.8) rank in the top-10 in the conference. 
• Mallory Powell ranks second in the conference in assists per set at 9.1 per set.
• Kelsie French ranks 42^nd nationally with 198 total digs, with a mark of 5.2 per set (34^th nationally).
• LCU leads the conference holding the opposition to a .149 attack percentage on the season.
• The Lady Chaps are 3-0 in Heartland Conference openers. They went 17-1 in Sooner Athletic Conference openers prior to becoming Heartland Conference members. Head coach Jennifer Lawrence is 12-1 in conference openers.