FORT SMITH, Ark. (September 22, 2023) -- Lubbock Christian University fell in their Lone Star Conference opener at Arkansas-Fort Smith 3-1 (19-25, 25-15, 15-25, 20-25) Friday night on the road at the Stubblefield Center. The loss dropped Lubbock Christian's record to 8-3 overall and they open LSC play with a 0-1 record.
The Lady Chaps were led by a double-double from Kiana Fallaha, who registered 16 kills and 12 digs in the contest. Lily Bickley was two kills shy of matching a career-high mark (she contributed 14 kills), and Kalli Dalland matched a career high with 13 kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, Olivia Elofsson was a dig away from matching a career high, as she finished with 17 digs, and Lacie Schooley joined Dalland with a team-leading three blocks.
Game Notes
» Lubbock Christian had three players in double figures in kills (Fallaha 16, Bickley 14, Dalland 13), with Dalland's 13 matching a career-high from Sept 16, 2022, which was also against UAFS.
» Lubbock Christian had four players in double figures in digs, as Elofsson led with 17, which was followed by Chloe Menard (15), Ramsey Clark (14) and Fallaha (12).
» Olivia Elofsson had a team-high two aces in the loss. She has seven aces over a two-match span.
» Kiana Fallaha registered a double-double with 16 kills and 12 digs, which is her sixth double-double of the season and of her career.
» Despite falling 3-1, LCU had a 56-53 advantage in kills over UAFS, which marks LCU's first loss this season (6-1) when leading in kills. They had 19 kills in the second set, matching a season high for kills in a set this season.
» Lubbock Christian attackers were helped by a team-high 24 assists from Kayton Genenbacher. Schooley provided 19 assists, which is her LCU-high.
» LCU drops a conference opener for a second consecutive season, and both were against UAFS. LCU is now 24-5 all-time record in conference openers and 3-3 in Lone Star Conference openers. The Lady Chaps were opening conference play on the road for the first time since 2019. They opened conference play against UAFS for a fifth time and in Fort Smith for a second time. With UAFS leaving the LSC after this season, it will mark LCU's only LSC match at UAFS.
» The match was UAFS's home opener. They improved to 9-3 on the season.
»The Lady Chaps and UAFS were meeting for an 17th all-time meeting. The Lions improved to 14-3 all-time against LCU.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Lady Chaps found themselves in an early hole, dropping a tough first set 25-19. Lubbock Christian trailed by as many as nine points as Arkansas-Fort Smith grabbed the advantage for good at 4-3 in a set that was notted up three times before the Lions took control behind a 7-1 run fueled by the Lions. Bickley had an explosive set for LCU, powering seven kills in the frame.
SET 2 | Lubbock Christian responded to pick up a 25-15 victory in the second set, evening the match at one set apiece. The Lady Chaps earned the set victory powered by a strong performance on the attacking side. Lubbock Christian registered a .405 attack percentage with 19 kills in the set win (six each from Fallaha and Dalland). The Lady Chaps ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza (LCU ended the set on a 14-4 run).
SET 3 | Arkansas-Fort Smith responded to win set number three, putting Lubbock Christian in a two sets to one hole. The Lady Chaps fell behind on the first point and never took the lead before falling in the set 25-15. The Lions opened the set on a 7-0 run. Dalland led LCU with four kills in the set.
SET 4 | Lubbock Christian then fell in the fourth set 25-20 to finish off the match. The Lady Chaps lost the first point and never clawed back into the lead before losing the set. LCU nearly overcame an 8-1 deficit in the process, trailing 12-11 and 19-18, but the Lions closed the match on a 6-2 run.
What's Next
LCU continues their season-opening LSC weekend Saturday in Oklahoma City facing Oklahoma Christian at 2 p.m. at Eagles' Nest.
Portions of this article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
