STEPHENVILLE, Texas (September 8, 2016) – The Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals volleyball team returns to the road and heads to Stephenville to participate in the TexAnn Invitational hosted by Tarleton State University. LCU opens their three-day stay in Stephenville Thursday night facing Tarleton State University at 7 p.m. It is the first of four matches at the TexAnn Invitational before returning home for a six-game homestand.      

Tarleton State (4-0) | Thursday, Sept. 8 | 7 p.m.
Wisdom Volleyball Gym (Stephenville, Texas) | Twitter:  LCU (@LCUchaps @LCUvolleyball), TSU (@TarletonSports, @TSU_Volleyball) Tweet #LCUvsTSU

• The Lady Chaps have won 22 of the 31 (22-9) contests between the two squads in a series that dates to 1979. However, the teams have only faced each other three times in the past two decades, with LCU pulling out wins in 1996, 2004 and last season. Last season's meeting (Oct. 24, 2015) was a neutral site 3-1 win in Wichita, Kan. LCU has not played Tarleton in Stephenville since 1994 (Nov. 4, 1994, the last time TSU defeated LCU).
• TSU is a member of the Lone Star Conference, where they are preseason picked second in the conference.
• The TexAnns are 4-0 to open the season, winning all four matches they played in at Angelo State's hosted tournament. They won 12 of the 13 sets they played in. It marks the first time since 1986 that Tarleton opened the season with just one set loss in the first four matches. Included in the mix was 3-0 wins over St. Mary's and St. Edward's. 
• Hailey Roberts is coming off Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors after her performance last week. Roberts, the reigning LSC Offensive Player of the Year and AVCA All-American blasted 66 kills (5.08 per set) in 12 sets.
• TSU went 27-7 last season, going 13-1 at home and 12-6 in non-conference play. 

GAME NOTES

• The Lady Chaps (3-2 overall) take a 1-0 road record into the contest, as they defeated Texas Woman's University Saturday 3-1. LCU went 6-4 last season on the road and 3-1 in non-conference road games.
• LCU is coming off their best attack percentage of the season, produce a mark of .225 Tuesday in a 3-0 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State.
• LCU leads the Heartland Conference in blocks with 44 for a mark of 2.44 per set. Individually, Emily Hanaway is third in the conference with 1.2 blocks per set and joined in the top-10 by Ariel Froeschl (seventh, 0.9 per set) and Christiana Tavo (tenth, 0.87 per set). 
• Channing Castleberry leads the Heartland Conference in aces with 10. She is not expected in the lineup for Thursday.
• Mallory Powell leads the conference in assists (178) and is second in assists per set at 9.9 per set.