BILLINGS, Mont. (September 2, 2023) --The Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaps got the job done in straight sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-13) to knock off the Minot State Beavers in their opening match of Saturday's play at the Yellowjacket Invitational at Alterowitz Gymnasium. The non-conference victory moved the Lady Chaps overall record to 3-0 on the season.
The Lady Chaps offense was paced by sophomore Lily Bickley, who finished with 12 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .478, and by junior Kiana Fallaha, who added 10 kills. The received nine digs from freshman Ramsey Clark along with five blocks from senior Kalli Dalland to lead them defensively.
Game Notes
» Junior Kayton Genenbacher had a match-high three aces and 30 assists in the victory. She also added four kills.
» Lubbock Christian never trailed on the way to winning the third set 25-13.
» Sophomore Lily Bickley had a match-high 12 kills for Lubbock Christian. It was her first match with at least 10 kills this season and eighth of her career.
» Lubbock Christian got a team-high nine digs from freshman Ramsey Clark, matching a season/career high. She has had at least seven in the three matches played this season.
» Lubbock Christian matched a season-high in the first set with 17 kills (they had 17 in the third set against Black Hills State). LCU hit a season-best .257 at the net.
» Kalli Dalland posted five blocks in the match, which was one shy of her career high for blocks in a three-set match.
» LCU's 3-0 start is the best since a 5-0 start to the 2014 season.
» LCU and Minot State were meeting for the first time ever. LCU, entering the season with one prior meeting against a North Dakota based program, played a second consecutive game against a program from N.D. (Mary on Friday) and LCU is now 2-1 all-time against programs from N.D.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Lady Chaps opened up an early 1-0 set- lead, winning the first set 25-20. Lubbock Christian grabbed the advantage for good at 9-8 after erasing a one-point deficit, the Beavers largest lead of the set. This came in a set that featured 11 ties and five lead changes. The Lady Chaps opening set win came in a stanza where 17 of their 25 points came via the kill. Lubbock Christian also supplemented their offense with three aces in the opening set. Kiana Fallaha had six kills in the set.
SET 2 | Lubbock Christian won the second set 25-19 to quickly grab a 2-0 set-lead. The Lady Chaps largest deficit was 11-9 and grabbed the advantage for good at 12-11 in a set that showcased three lead changes before Lubbock Christian took over the lead with a 7-1 run. Fallaha also led LCU in kills in the set, as she posted four in the frame.
SET 3 | Lubbock Christian then ended the match with a victory in set number three. The Lady Chaps took a 1-0 lead and never looked back in the set to secure a 25-13 victory. Lubbock Christian ended on a high note (opened the frame with an 8-1 lead), claiming its biggest lead, 12 points, to finish off the set. The Lubbock Christian offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. Lubbock Christian's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five Minot State attacks in the stanza (Dalland had four kills in the set). Bickley closed out her team-lead in kills with five in the set.
Portions of this article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
