Match Information
Score: Arkansas Fort Smith 3, Lubbock Christian 2 (22-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-11)
Records: Lubbock Christian (4-8), UAFS (7-5)
Location: Rip Griffin Center – Lubbock, Texas

Highlights
Lubbock Christian University had a 2-0 match lead and was leading the third set 10-4, but Arkansas Fort Smith rallied back and defeated LCU to spoil their Lone Star Conference opener inside Rip Griffin Center. LCU fell despite 14.0 team blocks and a career outing by Kalli Dalland, who posted 13 kills and nine blocks. Sage Chain and Aaliyah Gray each had 11 kills to join Dalland in double figures. Chyra Thompson (17) and Caelyn Gunn (16) combined for 36 kills, as the two helped UAFS have a 67-53 advantage in kills. Gunn added 16 digs to have a double-double performance.   

How It Happened

Set One:
LCU won the opening set despite UAFS having a 15-13 advantage in kills. The first set featured the scor tied at 10 different times. LCU appeared as if they would cruise in the set after a 6-0 run led them to an 18-13 advantage, but UAFS rallied with a 7-1 advantage to take a 20-19 lead. Four different Lady Chaps had a kill during a 6-2 Lady Chaps run to close the set. Hannah Holland led UAFS with five kills in the set. Kendall Mahaney produced eight digs for LCU and Aaliyah Gray had a trio of kills and a block to lead them with 3.5 points in the frame. 

Set Two:
The second set had another neck-and-neck start, with the score tied 12-12 before a UAFS serving error and three attack errors led to LCU taking a 16-12 lead. Kalli Dalland mixed in a pair of kills and it turned into a 9-1 LCU run for a 20-13 lead. LCU won the set 25-19 behind four kills from Sage Chain.

Set Three:
A solo block by Kalli Dalland put LCU up 10-4 in the third set, but the Lions roared back. An 8-2 Lions rally tied the set 12-12. The set was tied as late as 16-16 and LCU trailed 22-21 before UAFS closed the set on a 3-1 run for a 25-22 set win. UAFS hit .297 in the set, with Caelyn Gunn producing five kills in the frame. The two teams combined for 7.0 kills in the set, with UAFS leading with 4.0.
 
Set Four:
UAFS began separating themselves once tied 9-9, as they sprinted out to a 9-2 scoring surge for an 18-11 lead. They closed out the set with a 6-2 outburst to win the set 25-16 and force a decisive fifth set. LCU was held to 10 kills in the set, with Gray producing four of the 10 (Dalland had three, as they combined for seven of the 10).  
 
Set Five:
Trailing 2-0, the Lions went on a 7-1 run (Paola Fragalla had a trio of kills in the run) and took a 7-3 lead, but LCU responded a 7-3 run of their own to tie the set 10-10. Chya Thompson had a kill for the Lions to end LCU's run. It sparked a 5-1 run to close the match with a 15-11 set win. Thompson finished with five kills in the final frame.
 
Inside the Numbers:

4	LCU, matching their loss total from last season (8), have not had four consecutive losses since the 2020 season. The loss places them with a 4-8 record.
24-4	The Lady Chaps moved to 24-4 all-time in conference openers. Their loss was their first loss when opening a LSC conference schedule, and their first for a conference opener since Sept. 21, 2017. Ironically for LCU, that contest was also against UAFS.
9	Kalli Dalland had career highs in kills (13) and blocks (9), with her nine blocks matching the third-highest single-match total by a Lady Chap since 2008 (tied for the highest for a five-set match over the same span for LCU). The block total is LCU's highest since Sage Chain had 9 on Oct. 23, 2021.
14	LCU posted a season-best 14 team blocks. It is the most since they had 14 against UT Tyler last season (Sept. 22, 2021) and the mark ties for the sixth-most in a match for LCU since 2008.
1-1	The win placed LCU with a 1-1 record in games decided in five sets this season. LCU went 4-1 last season in five-set matches and are 5-2 under head coach Keith Giboney in five-set results. The loss at home marked the first time dropping a five-set match at home since Sept. 28, 2019 (against UTPB).
5-2	UAFS improved to 5-2 against LCU in Lubbock and they are 13-3 all-time against LCU.

 
Next
LCU remains home Saturday to face Oklahoma Christian for a 1 p.m. LSC contest inside Rip Griffin Center.