LUBBOCK, Texas (September 6, 2018) – The Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals open their 2018 home slate Thursday evening hosting Southwestern Oklahoma State University with a 7 p.m. serve inside Rip Griffin Center.  The contest is not only the Lady Chaps home opener, but it is also the opening match of the Chap Classic, which has St. Mary's, Arkansas – Monticello and Washburn joining LCU and SWOSU with matches inside Rip Griffin Center.
 
SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA ST. | Thur., Sep. 5 | 7:00 p.m.
- LCU and SWOSU are meeting for the fifth time all time and the third time since 2016. The Lady Chaps have a 3-1 all-time series lead. The two teams played a home-and-home series in 2016, with the home team winning each time. The previous meeting resulted in a 3-2 SWOSU win on Oct. 15, 2016 in Weatherford, Okla. The previous meeting in Lubbock was on Sept. 6, 2016, with LCU winning 3-0 in what was LCU's home opener. SWOSU participated in the Chap Classic last season, but the two teams never met.
- SWOSU is a member of the Great America Conference (GAC). They went 13-20 overall last season, with an 8-8 mark in conference play.  They are preseason picked sixth in the GAC this season.
- The Bulldogs are off to a 5-1 start this season. They are winners of their last four matches, with their lone loss coming to Florida Tech (3-0) in a neutral site match in Denton, Texas. The 5-1 start is the best start in program history.
- SWOSU averages 40.29 attacks per set, which ranks eighth nationally. Danusia Sipa Borgeaud ranks 18^th nationally with a pace of 12.13 attacks per set.
- The Bulldogs sit 16^th nationally in digs with a mark of 19.13 per set. 
 
GAME NOTES
- Lubbock Christian University libero Kelsie French picked up Heartland Defensive Player of the Week honors for matches played from Aug. 27 - Sept. 2. The LCU senior libero helped the Lady Chaps to a 2-2 record at the Westminster Invitational in Utah. The Lubbock, Texas native totaled 75 digs in four matches, highlighted by a 27-dig performance in three sets against Fort Lewis, while averaging 5.36 digs per set. She also chipped in 10 assists and two aces on the week for Lubbock Christian. The honor was French's first weekly honor this season and fifth of her career. French is second in the Heartland in both digs (141) and digs per set (4.86). She is second nationally in NCAA Division II in career digs (2,111) and digs per set (6.07).  
-LCU leads the Heartland Conference in aces with 41. Maddie DeGuire has 0.4 aces per set, which leads the conference.   
-Freshman Bradi Marshall is finding her name on the Heartland Conference statistical leaderboard, ranking second in assists (201), assists per set (8.7) and fifth in aces per set (0.35).
-LCU's home opener Thursday marks their 40^th in program history. LCU, who fell 3-0 in their home opener last season to Colorado Mesa, is 7-2 in home openers since 2008. The Lady Chaps went 6-5 at home last season, has 12 games scheduled at home this season.
-Jaiden Kennedy and Morgan Schwarz are co-leading LCU in blocks, as they each have 23 and averaging 0.79 per set. Schwarz leads LCU with four solo blocks.
-Senior Lauren Zoller leads LCU with a kill rate of 3.14 per set, with 91 total kills on the season. Her 91 kills ranks fourth in the conference.